Comments on: The 7 Biggest Mistakes That HVAC Contractors Make

By: Dwayne hilton

Dwayne hilton — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 19:47:18 +0000

The problem I'm having in va
The problem I'm having in va.is the supply houses sell equipment to anyone with a freon card . Everyone should be Licensed and insured. I lose a lot of business because these guys just want to make enough money for rent . Supply houses should require you to be a master at your trade but instead it's all about money for them . If Licensed contractors made a big deal about this we would probably be able to make a good living and be proud to have passed the masters and received a valid contractors license . But instead any Joe blow can walk in and buy the equipment. Where I had to work my ass off to pass the test . Just sucks

By: Stanley

Stanley — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 07:52:02 +0000

Definitely, I agree with Mark
Definitely, I agree with Mark! Sometimes, customers don't understand that if you spend less, you get less and if you spend more, you get quality work done.

By: Tony t

Tony t — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 23:28:04 +0000

Great article. I have been in
Great article. I have been in this industry for 22 years. In my opinion, those causes are from lack of inspection forces, certification requirements, builder, vendor's greeds, poor development designs and qualifications. I strongly oppose "cost affordable" for the consumers reason, because over 50% of this consumers (this is not documented, it's my opion) don't understand the work quality . They just want to avoid the riff offs if the those costs are greatly different. Their final decisions are usually favor in less cost for the installations than quality. For this reason, poor quality installers are the winners. To improve this for the consumer benefits, we should start from the equipment vendors. First, the equipment orders to be release with inspection applications. The manufacturer's warranty are only qualified by the installation approvals from high skill, educated inspectors. These inspectors should be paid fairly base on their skills and responsibilities.
Eat me.....

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 06 May 2014 02:49:23 +0000

Amen to nick s. the reason
Amen to nick s. the reason manual j's are not provided? People won't pay for them. Nor will they pay for hrv's in most cases. They will however, award the job to the lowest bidder no matter what the end product looks like or how it works. Then they will go to the Internet to complain about how the hvac industry is a bunch of thieves and crooks.

By: Nick S

Nick S — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 21:52:32 +0000

All the points you hit in
All the points you hit in your original post are valid, and there are a lot of contractors out there that simply do not know how to do things right. But conversely, there are a lot of contractors that do, and decide not to spend the time and resources doing them. Me for example, I'm no stranger to a manual J, but what I will not do is spend an extra hour to hour and a half doing a manual J on every customers home when all they are looking for is the cheapest price possible. With proper questions and observation, an educated person can deduce what can of customer they're dealing with in 5 minutes or less. Typically, if my customer wants a new system due to efficiency or the old one has started failing a lot but doesn't tell me they have had any comfort issues or air flow problems, I'm simply going to replace there system with the same tonnage and save them the extra cost of doing a manual J that's written into the cost of an estimate. And if there are contractors out there that don't increase there cost to cover the time to do a proper manual J, then there's one part of the problem right there. Also, these profit margins I read about in other parts of the country, like 3-5 percent profit margins, what is that all about? How much work has to be performed to make any money at those margins? Someone please post what some typical repairs or replacements cost that make those profit margins. I sell condenser fan motors at $450 to $550 plus tax and am one of the cheapest companies in my area, last I checked that isn't even close to a 3% profit margin.

By: James Perry

James Perry — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 01:22:53 +0000

I'm fairly young to the hvac
I'm fairly young to the hvac field I guess? I'm 30 Years old. My business is in Florida. I like the points you have made in your blog and most of your points are spot on!. I take the same approach in the way I have developed my business plan. Many HVAC guys know what is the right way to do things but, it is hard to compete with these HACKS... So many of them just do what they have to to get the contract. We all have families and responsibilities. I think the education of the consumer is the key to correcting many problems we face today. Not only human comfort but the limited resources this planet has for us to consume. Yes the way you wrote this will offend some HVAC guys but well it is what it is? lol! But keep in mind HVAC is a trade that is all trades combined carpentry,electrical,fluid dynamics, mechanics, design and last but not least we are also psychiatrists LOL Cause People are crazy Sometimes and we can lead a horse to water but we can not make them think. Education of the public is the key LOL. Also did an HVAC guy really design that Kraken? Or was it a crazy homeowner? your blog really attacked our trade but hey we are big boys we can take it lol!!! thanks for trying to educate the people! I will be looking forward to reading more of your stuff and the older stuff too!

By: mandy mcelwee

mandy mcelwee — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 04:11:23 +0000

Hello. I'd like to post on
Hello. I'd like to post on behalf of the last comment re: "ask around".

You should "look around" on the web; reviews tell you a lot about a business -- esp.over time.

We ask our customers to review us. We want them to, and we are confident of the things they'll say. A good company will stand up for what they are doing and selling.

So always read reviews and look for reviewed companies, and review them as well.

I would also always get bids or work orders listed in writing, always have a receipt, and always have the warranty known up front and in writing.

I feel strongly too that you should be able to ask questions and that things should be explained to you by the person doing them. Know too who is in your home/bsns.. as in are they qualified/certified/
permits pulled..??

Good luck

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 18:16:19 +0000

David D.:
David D.: Your question is an important one, and I wish I had an answer for you that was as good as the question. I did write an article about the topic a while back that gives you some guidance, so check it out first:

5 Questions to Ask When Replacing Your Air Conditioner

It's a good start anyway. Good luck!

By: David Diamond

David Diamond — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 01:05:01 +0000

Great article. As someone
Great article. As someone who is not an HVAC contractor, but who (out of necessity) has learned the importance of all these issues, how does one go about finding an HVAC contractor who thinks at this level? I just bought a house in Nebraska and want to put in a new system, including new ductwork. I have interviewed probably 15 contractors already, and literally, I know more than most of them.

The item about "doing the math" is the big one. It doesn't take long to figure out when someone is "winging" it and using rules of thumb, versus doing the math. Most of the people I have talked to have never even heard of manual J.

I understand the big picture issues, but obviously still can't do this all by myself. As I am reading some of the posts here, from people who clearly think these tings through, I am thinking "do you live near me?" and if not, how do I find someone like this who lives near me? People say "ask around" but that isn't anything tangible. Any advice would be appreciated.

By: Danny Gough

Danny Gough — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 05:51:40 +0000

Allison,

Allison,
You know you're preaching to the choir with me on the immediate topic. But most HVAC guys are honest, hardworking gents trying their best to feed their families in a tough business with a history of really bad habits. Perhaps we should consider a little less piling on and a little more constructive support. After all, the guys are essential partners to what we are trying to accomplish.

I want to throw out a challenge. Why not write an article on The Seven Effective Habits of Highly Competent HVAC contractors, explaining how they can break free from the low bidder competitive nature of the business without starving to death. It sure would be nice to have a yellow page full of quality contractors to call on.