Steve, me and GB installed a "dry" R22 13 SEER condensing unit yesterday for a customer. The unit had no R22 in it but was pressurized with nitrogen. Have you been purchasing any of these type replacement units? The guys at the supply houses have told us they sell out of them fast and have trouble keeping them in stock because of demand.
TDD
Have never purchased or installed one... There is no point.
The dry units are 13 SEER, A/C only, and when mated up with a 10 SEER coil, where the original system is grossly oversized, and ductwork is grossly undersized, your not gaining anything, and the warranty sux. Then add to that the HCFC (R22) phase-out...
Your not doing the customer any favors.
We install complete new R410a systems too if the customer has the money. There is also a TXV kit I use that does a lot to increase the efficiency and help when components are mismatched. The warranty on the unit we just installed is 5 years. Perhaps in 5 years, the economy will have recovered enough for the customer to be able to afford $10,000.00 worth of new R410a AC equipment, duct work and labor? There seems to be quite a demand for the darn things and a lot of somebodies have a different opinion than you and I value your opinion because you're one of the few posters who knows the difference between superheat and superman. Since this was the first of these that we purchased, I'll know more on the next hot day that comes up so I can do a proper test and post the results. ^_^
TDD
Even with the state of the economy being what it is, I had a 33% increase in gross reciepts last year. I look at it like this... even with the unemployment rate of 15%, that means that 85% are still employed. Flat rate is a good thing... the only variable is the refrigerant charge. Customers like it when you can give them a price of repairs *before* you start working on the system..... no surprises.
*HINT* to compensate for the high price of gas, raise the "labor" rate in your flat rate book $15 - $20. Folks are feeling enough pain at the pump without adding insult to injury by adding a "fuel surcharge".There are literally half of the HVAC companies in the phone books than there were last year. All of the low bidders are being weeded out. I had training friday for Airflow Charicteristics... there were probably 20 other guys there. A couple of them were whining about they weren't able to make any money, and putting in systems for $500 more than the cost of the equipment, and they could only charge $35 - $50/hour for labor. I told them that it was their own fault for not charging what they were worth instead of trying to under-bid everybody else so they could work at a loss. I think what pissed them off was when I asked "How many cheap installs does it take to pay for one bad one?" :-)
I do have several used condensers that were running when I took them out stacked up in the back of the shop. If need be, I can install one of those to keep them going until they can get their finances together. I have also installed used ones once I have a deposit check to keep the customer comfortable until we can get the new system installed. ("Will you have us install a new system for you if we can get you comfortable today?") Any time I install a used one for temporary use like that, I spray paint the thing so it looks ugly as hell.
Yup, it's worth its weight in gold. FWIW, when I install a used unit for somebody that has to scramble to get financing, I put a 6 month warranty on it. The grand they spend on the used replacement is credited towards the purchase of a new system if they make the jump within 90 days.
As a side note.... When there is a failed condenser or heat pump, and I tell them that I can get them comfortable *today*, until I can get a new system installed, the closing rate is almost 100% and pretty much guaranteed that I will walk out with a deposit check, and a signed contract.
I bet you get a lot of referrals out of that too. Folks do appreciate it when you go the extra mile for them, well most of them anyway. :-)
TDD
Having a very loyal customer base is a good thing. High percentage of service agreements too. My customer base is currently averaging in the neighborhood of 600. They also appreciate the post cards I send at season change to remind them its time for service.
That's the way to do it, there's no way me and my buddy GB could handle any number like that even 20 years ago when we could walk without wobbling. I Emailed a lawyer a few days ago to find out about a case I gave a deposition on involving an HVAC outfit that cold called my friend JA's elderly mother. This company was offering a Spring tuneup for some small sum and two of their techs showed up at her house to "tuneup" her HVAC system. When my friend JA drove up, he saw a big cloud of smoke drifting over the top of the house from the back where these two scumbags had sabotaged one of the AC condensers. They had arced the start winding getting the compressor so hot that the hermetic seal for the leads melted, blew out and allowed the Freon to escape. They told JA's mother that she needed $5,000.00 worth of new equipment because everything was shot and leaking. JA called me, I took a look, took him to my suppliers and let him buy all the necessary materials I needed to replace the compressor. I flushed out the condenser coil, replaced the compressor, capacitor, dryer, repaired the wiring and drew a deep vacuum which showed NO LEAKS, charged it up and it's been running fine for the past three years. The HVAC crooks decided to settle before the court date. I'll never understand why some businessmen have such a predatory, dishonest way of doing business especially when it comes to the elderly who are such easy targets. I suppose that's how they get those shiny new trucks. :-(
TDD
I hate that there are "techs"(?) out there like that. I figure that *MOST* of that kind of stuff around here will go away when they impliment manditory licensing, and code enforcement outside the city limits. Most of these hacks think their EPA card is their "license".
The guys have all that stuff. The state now requires all kinds of paperwork, continuing education and regulation probably because of people complaining about being ripped off and running to the state demanding that something be done. :-(
TDD
I would welcome that here. I do the continuing education and training.... just had an 8hr class on I have the correct licenses, bonds, insurance, and all the paperwork to go with it....as well as my company is incorporated, company logo is copywrited, and a registered trade marked.
Thursday. I have no worries about any of my customers complaining... they know that if they're not happy, I will make it right. I do my level best to far exceed their expectations, which is why most of my new customers are from word of mouth referals.
I believe I congratulated you before for running a good business. Most of the work I do is small commercial stuff but I have worked on control systems for chillers in the 4,000 ton range. The dry unit me and GB put in was at the home of one of my commercial customers who owns a pizza joint. The kids working at places like that beat the crap out of the make lines and sandwich units, they abuse things and don't even realize it. I often fix mashed in condenser fins and low refrigerator doors that they lean on when open like they were hand rails. I really like big commercial AC units better than home systems because to me, they're easier to service, the same with commercial refrigeration. I know a lot of HVAC guys who couldn't fix a refrigerator if their life depended on it, it's really kind of funny to me. ^_^
TDD
I do mostly high end resi stuff, but also some light commercial, specialty reach in coolers (flower coolers), and now TV transmitter chillers. Ever expanding.
Me and GB have a friend who's an American Standard dealer so we send him the rich folks who want expensive stuff. I designed a cooling system for printing presses some years back that has an ultrasonic humidifier built in and I always wondered if it would be suitable for cooling flowers since I understand you want high humidity to keep the flowers from drying out. I got my broadcast engineers license over 30 years ago but never worked on any TV transmitters but plenty of radio transmitters. I may still have my RF shielded jock strap somewhere. :-)
TDD
Flower coolers are a special breed... you want to keep them running 34 - 38F @ 90 - 95%RH
I got tied into the TV station stuff by a friend who is a broadcast engineer......The current TV station project is re-configuring the chillers, chiller piping and controls from the old analog transmitters that will eventually be coming out, and tie it into the new stuff to create cooling system redundancy. Its a "green" job... I recycled 800lbs of 2inch copper pipe from the project. :-)
Owners are going to get smart some day and demand money for their demolition and construction scrap. ^_^
TDD
that was a great little bonus @ $3.40lb
No wonder you can't make any money.... you can't do basic math.
No, Stormy, YOU would have gotten 50 bucks from the scrap yard. They'd have made you unload and stack it for them, too.
And probably wrote you a bad check.
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