Does this price seem high

[Ashton Crusher]

Ac unit on the roof stopped working at a rental house. Called an AC company to go look and fix. $74 flat charge to show up and diagnose - that seemed in line. So they call me back and say the condenser motor wasn't starting but once they gave it a nudge it worked ok. Said it might stop again tomorrow or last another five years. The motor is still under warranty (whole unit is only 2 years old) but the labor is on me. So he says it will cost $275 for the labor to replace the motor. Sounded like a rip off so I told him to just bill me the $74 (why don't they charge $75???) and I"ll take my changes. For $275 in labor I'll go buy the motor for $111 and put it in myself. Based on doing this in the past it should take me no more then a couple hours total including taking it out, bringing it to the parts place, and going back and putting it back in.

How do these guys justify $275 for an hours worth of work (in addition to the $74 I've already paid them)???????????

[David Nebenzahl]

On 8/31/2009 10:03 PM Ashton Crusher spake thus:

Like I always say about myself: you're in the wrong line of work ...

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Not rhe motor. Suspect starting capacitor first.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, And in my working days my rate was 250.00/hr, minimum 2 hours plus T&L.

[Hustlin' Hank]

Since I don't know all the facts, I am only guessing. The service call is ( $74) separate travel and time involved to diagnose.

Are you confusing condenser motor with compressor motor? If you are, there is one big reason for teh costs. If you're not, there is additional travel time, man hours to fix problem. It may have only taken one man to diagnose, whereas it will take 2 men to fix. How hard is it to get on the roof? How dangerous is it to work onthe roof? How far up is the roof? All these are factors that affect pricing.

Also, like another poster said, it could be the capacitor. Or, it could be a corroded switching mechanism, loose wire, bad circuit board or a long list of things that are not the motor itself. But, if you trust this companies diagnosis, go replace the motor if you have the time.

Personally, I'd let it go to see how long it runs.

[JIMMIE]

Huh, What kind of AC unit do you have that you can replace just the compressor motor on. Do you mean the condenser fan motor? If it is the fan motor I think they are a little high. The labor on mine was about $150 and the guy was here about 45 minutes of which he spent about 10 minutes doing paper work. Like you the motor was under warranty. I would have replaced it myself but that would have voided the remaining warranty on the unit. $275 to replace a compressor would be a GOOD DEAL..

Jimmie

[Stormin Mormon]

Sounds high. Sounds like a bad run capacitor.

I installed a run cap, a couple weeks ago. $70 trip charge, $50 labor, and $20 for the cap. Doesn't add up any where near $274, I must not charge enough.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'm with Tony, sounds like the motor is fine. Replace the cap.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

I'd say they shot an hour coming to your place & checking it out. They give you a break on the price because that's how they get their foot in the door.

If they come back and replace the motor that's another 2 hours- getting there, doing the work, doing the paperwork & packing up.

So for 3 hours it's $350. Less than $120 an hour. That's what my mechanic gets & I go to his place. I'd shudder to see what either one has tied up in tools & education to keep up with all the newfangled contraptions.

Seems reasonable to me.

Jim [and if it didn't, I'd buy all the tools I needed, study up on how it's done & do it myself.]

[Stormin Mormon]

Instead of considering a fan replacement, please consider that they likely mis diagnosed the problem. And aren't competent to do the job properly.

[ransley]

Im no ac guy but just how do you give a Condensor Motor a "nudge"isnt it completely enclosed. Once I noticed my outside unit wasnt running , my tech put in a new Capacitor. He said I was lucky o find out quickly or I would have caused serious damage to the compressor. I think I would not pay anything and get out someone else, pay his call if he didnt lie to you or clarify what you

[SteveB]

I can see you have no business education, and have never owned your own business.

Steve

[Master Betty]

Well professor?

[fftt]

My SIL's forced air unit fan motor failed..... forced air unit does the air circulating for heat & A/C.

The AC people wanted $650 to remove & replace the motor. Seemed maybe a bit high but what if the guy has a hard time getting the squireel cage off the shaft & has to take it back to the shop? A Lennox motor was probably $200 so maybe the price was a hundred or so high.

These bids are fixed price not T&M....they have to cover the "problem job"

If one doesn't like the price, one can shop it or DIY.

Travel & the work cannot be done in an hour....more like three hours

cheers Bob

[SteveB]

Well, what?

I was stating the obvious. The man was complaining about how much it cost to have is AC fixed, thinking that it was a job that a technician could come to his house, go to the truck and get a part, and fix it on the spot. That's not counting all the run around time to go get the part, driving to and fro, liability insurance, vehicle insurance, fuel, mandatory worker's comp insurance, unemployment insurance, FICA, overhead, licenses, training courses, tools, consumables, advertising, renting a shop, employees, uniforms, printing, ......... it goes on and on and on.

It's all covered in Business 101, or the first year a person goes into business for themselves.

Hope that clears things up for you, but I doubt it.

If the OP is so smart, why didn't he fix it himself in the first place? And now that he is doing a DIY fix, how sure is he of the results, or is he going to have to call a REAL HVAC person out to fix his screwup and in the end cost triple or more than the original cost?

Cordially yours,

The Professor

[Hustlin' Hank]

You free up the bearings when you "nudge" it. Many times the grease in the bearings may dry out a little. Or, it may delvelop a little rust on the shaft at the bearings. Either way, nudgeing it will free it up.

My AC on my motorhome quit working after sitting all winter (just like homes). After investigation, I discovered the squirrel cage inside wasn't turning. When I tried to turn it lightly by hand, it didn't move. After using a little more force it moved and ran fine. I found out that the same motor turns both the condensor fan and the evaporator fan and it sits on the roof and is exposed to the weather. After checking with the RV repair department, they said I needed a new motor and installation was very high from what I can remember. After calling the manufacturer and told them the problem, they said I need a new motor also. Well, the following year it did the same thing after running good after I "nudged" it. Then I shot some WD40 on the area where the shaft meets the bearings and I turn the fan on (not the compressor) every month. It has worked flawlessly for the last few years without the "nudge".

That's how you "nudge" a motor. :-)

Hank

[Stormin Mormon]

I can see you're not a teacher.

[Stormin Mormon]

My experience is that WD is nearly useless as a motor berring oil. But, I'm glad it's worked for you. As I understand, motor makers don't use grease. Grease is what you get after the proper oil dries out, many years later.

The repair guys sell new motors, cause the old ones just keep drying out. And then you have unhappy customer who wants you to fix it for free every now and again for the rest of your life.

[Ed Pawlowski]

We go through his from time to time. First of all, it is not a one hour job if that is what he spends at the house. He has to order the motor and have it delivered, or go pick it up. He has to pay for the truck, the liability insurance, the ladder to get on the roof, the paperwork for billing, the telephone, health insurance, office and shop rent, etc.

[stan]

Also it seems reasonable to expect the owner to do (or pay for) some annual maintenance on any motor that's mounted in a fairly exposed location and only used for part of the year! We have two conditions here, where motors need fairly regular attention.

1) Motors that get a lot of use; this includes our bathroom fan. Which we have rebuilt it a couple of times during the last almost 40 years, and every couple years (approx) it needs lubrication and cleaning of the fan blades. 2) Motors that get very little (or occasional) use like on our camper and/or the boat. They tend to stick and gum up due to low use and or exposure of lube to weather. We do all our own maintenance except refrigeration; but certainly understand maintenance people. It is essential for them to avoid call backs for reasons of cost and customer satisfaction; so it is natural for them to specify new parts so they can't be faulted for not doing a proper job. Also trying to fix previously unseen parts, on site, can be very time consuming. And they may have to turn around and order new parts anyway. Owners who are going to be concerned about costs should probably do their own maintenance, at least for a while, in order to learn the ins and outs of their equipment. As a do it yourself-er it is my choice to find out (run the risk) that one has to go at something again ................. "Darn it; should have replaced that xyz gizmo while I was at at it, hope it doesn't rain Saturday, to have another go at it etc.". Also occasionally there are parts/equipment that are not up to the job. We once had a 1976 Chev Bel-Aire with a bad starter, after three attempts by a supposedly competent alternator/starter exchange took it off myself, took it apart and found the problem that was causing the pinion gear to not slide into position. Time used; high. Material used; minimal. A full service garage wouldn't have messed with it, as I did. They would have put on another complete rebuilt starter and hopefully never seen me again.