On 7/26/2015 8:02 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 7/25/2015 11:27 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
This morning my heat pump outside unit was not running. Not having any
parts and the parts stores closed I called an Air condition service
company.
Fellow came out and found the trouble as soon as he took off the cover
plate. A bad dual section capacitor.

While talking to him I mentioned I knew a lot about electrical work
being an
electrician in a large company. He asked me to guess the cost of the
capacitor. I guessed about $ 50 thinking I was allowing for a good a
markup.

Turned out it was $ 369. The call to just come out was $ 89. He did
check
the refrigerant pressures and temperatures after he go the unit running.
That made the call around $ 468. Everything was OK.

His explination for the high cost of the capacitor is that most people
don't
know about parts cost and they use the cost of parts to offset the
service
call. Beats charging $ 200 to come out in most peoples thinking.

He did give me a few hints about some things on the unit and said I
may want
to get online and order a capacitor and contactor so I will have them as
that is what fails the most.

I did not mind that charge too much as he had to drive about an hour
to get
here. I did let him talk me into an extra $ 100 cleaning of the coils
and
checking out of the unit as I had not cleaned the coils . I put in the
system about 9 years ago. Altogether he spent about 3 hours here and
probably 2 hours driving, so I don't feel ripped off and have some
education
on the unit also.





Goodness, gracious. I've got to raise my
prices, if people really pay this. Thanks
for the head up.


OK confess. How much to fix an AC window unit that quits running after
about being on for 15 minutes?

--
Maggie