Air Conditioner - DIY Reset and Maintenance - repair services frustrations

[barrysumpter]

Split air, reverse cycle, ducted heating and cooling.
One unit in the ceiling, one unit outside.

"90% of my call outs are for resetting after a hot day or maintenance issues, like keeping the filter clean."


After 5 years of frustration of finding a repair man to come out and make "specialized adjustments" to get my AC working, I've finally been available to look over the sholder of the repair man and give him the third degree.

I usually keep a count of how many AC repairmen I contact, how many schedule an appointment, and how many actually show up.

Usually, I contact 6 to 10.
Some are not willing to "have a look" for various reasons.
Too far, don't offer domestic repairs (even thou listed as domestic), don't repair that brand, some are just too busy (anywhere from 15 days to 30 days out), etc.

Some make an appointment but just don't show up, no reschedule, no call, no nothing.

------------

On the 45 degree day just before Australia day, the AC stops working again.

Knowing the weather will be 35+ for 3-4 days running, we decided to pay extra for after hours repair for emergency situation.

Went thru the local newpaper - no one willing to help.
Went thru the yellow pages - no one willing to help.

4 hours of explaining "specialized adjustments" - "only takes a few minutes the last 6 or 7 repairs", its just the fan that stops blowing, I can hear the AC on, etc...


Pressure from the lady, Pressure from the daughter, and pressure from the heat.

Day one of the 3-4 days of 35 degree weather we chase up a mobile AC unit from the trading post for $250 to suffer thru the next few days of hot weather. To survive thru Australia Day weather. It covered a 3ft x 6ft area. If we all sat on the couch close to each other we could benefit.

Freakin miserable. 30 degree nights had everyone on edge.
Any excuse to take a drive or go to the mall was taken.



The next monday everyone was back to work, all the 15 to 30 day waits are now quoting 5 days, etc.

Weather 23 to 27 all week. No more pressure.
Yeah OK, schedule me for Saturday, another for Monday, anther for Wednesday.

IF and I mean IF Saturday shows up AND is able to repair I'll just ring the others and cancel. "We have cancellation and re-scheduling all the time."

Its Friday, and Saturdays repair service rings to reschedule.
Instead of 12:30, lets make it 8:00.
Cool. Don't have to waist my day waiting to show up late or not at all.

Its Saturday 8:00, he's there, very cool.

Show him the outside unit.
He asks me to go turn the AC on and set it too its lowest setting.
By the time I come back (90 seconds) he's got it working.

I'm just so freakin happy to have it fixed, I congratulate him, shake his hand and tell him he has the record for fixing it.

I think he was just a surprised as I was.
Especially after I tell him the last repair man took 45 mins to sort out the same thing.

I told this repair man the when I asked the last repair man if he could show me what he did, the last repair man just shook his head and waved his hands and said "specialized adjustments". And ended the conversation. Period.

This repair man just smiled and said "it a money thing, if he told you, you wouldn't be needing him next time."

We both laughed, even thou now I realize the joke was on me.

Then to my surprize he showed me what he did.

He showed me a very, very small reset switch.
I had pushed this, in the past, with no effect.

He told me you have to keep pressing it until you fill it "click".
Sometimes, push it 2 or 3 times, other times, 5 times.

Now, over here is a dial - a "delay timer", with 0,3,5,10,15.
Set it to 0 if you are out here and want the fan to come on immediately.

Other wise set it to 3 and leave it and remember, when you turn the AC on at the control panel it takes 3 minutes for the fan to start blowing.

It will take a few seconds for the hot air in the vents to clear then you should feel the cool air.

Thats it? "Yep".
Can't be. Why wouldn't they just take 30 seconds and tell me? I don't get it!
I must have rang 20 reapairmen over the last two weeks. Not a word.

"Like I said, Its a money thing."

I'm not quick witted enough to be angry at the time.
Probably because I expect everyone to be doing their best trying to help me.
I was just very confused as the realisation was setting in.
My subconsience was tell me that something was wrong but my conscience was too busy trying to sort the current problem at hand.

He then told me that his contact (not his business) has to charge a minimum call out fee for 1 hour and that he could check all the other things to make up for the other 55 minues of time.

We agreed and he did. He crawled up into the attic and checked the unit there as well. Lots of dust around by not on the coil so its obvious that you keep the filter clear.

Yes I do.


The other thing I noticed is that someone has rewired your AC.
It should be on a three-way (?) switch, etc... (too techie for me to remember)
Its supposed to turn off when etc...
But, doesn't.
"The blower should keep blowing. But just blow hot air."

Perhaps the rewiring was to keep the fan from blowing hot air?

So, I start asking him heaps of questions, giving him the third degree:

These are the things I remember more or less:

All of these units, now adays, are set to stop the compressor at 35 degrees.
Not when the outside temprature reaches 35 degress, but when the compressor reaches 35 degress.

So on really hot days you will find the compressor switches off.

Its to protect the compressor.
A compressor costs from $500 to $1000.

Confirmed. AC was running for three days, 12 to 15 hours a day for the last three days before swithing off on the 45 degree day.

When this happens wait ten minutes, come out here, and push the reset button.

If the outside unit is in an enclosed area, the air gets recycled back into the outside unit and just keeps heating the same air, hotter and hotter.

Make sure the outside unit is out of the sun and has access to fresh air.
Not the recycled air.
Otherwise you'll need to build something around it to seperate the exhaust from the intake.

"90% of my call outs are for resetting after a hot day or maintenance issues, like keeping the filter clean."

"And most of those are for resets. A lot of resets."

The rest are usually just cleanig the coil of lots of built up dust.
And cleaning the filter.

People don't understand they just have to keep the filter clean.

The unit is quite large and is more than sufficient for the upstairs area.
By the time you ran another duct to downstairs - it wouldn't be worth it.
Just close the windows downstairs on a cool morning when expecting a hot after noon.
You'll find the downstairs will stay resonably cool.
The cold air from uipstairs will drift down.
On really hot days you can place a fan at the top of the stairs to help blow the cold air down.

------------------------

I've now got a sign on the inside of the outside unit detailing step by step instructions on how to reset the AC.
And a reminder note on the inside control panel.

After 5 years of this problem I've calculated that I've paid $1000+ for these repairs.

I can't say that I'm happy about the situation, the expence, or that it has going on for so long, or that it feels like an industry conspiracy keeping this reset procedure to themselves.

The repair man confessed that his expertise is in the industrial area mon-fri and that the domestic area is just on weekends.

And declined to leave any business card for himself or his contact.

I'd like to thank him for his candor and for being so nice, infomative, and understanding.

Hopefully, this will help other home owners to keep their repair expenses down.

[MICKYG]

Barry,

Thank you for sharing this with the forum. I will be having air installed here shortly and am gathering knowledge. Sent a greenie.

Regards Mike

[Ian007]

Hey Barry, sounds like you found my clone in vic.

I am more than happy to tell/ show people this sort of stuff when I am out fixing there aircons.

why?

Because I would like people to do the same for me.

Cheers Ian

[lnt9000]

Cool!, I mean that literally, can I ask how much he charged for that hour?

[barrysumpter]

Haven't received an invoice as yet.

Expecting anywhere from 95 to 140.

Wouldn't be happy about paying more.

[mic-d]

I've just been making enquiries too and have found similar. Most companies haven't got back to me. We have an old reverse-cycle 3-phase ducted unit that still cools fine, but it came off the ark with Noah and is noisy as. We replaced all the ducting recently and just want to replace the outdoor unit and the evaporator in the ceiling *if necessary*. Now I wish someone could tell me why if the compressor is replaced, the evaporator must be replaced for I don't yet believe it and haven't heard a good reason, but that's what they tell me.
Ideally I would like someone to come out, wire in a new outdoor unit plumb it into the existing piping.
Anyway if anybody knows about these technical aspects of aircon, I'd like to hear from you!

Cheers
Michael

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Four reasons:

1. "Non-standard standards." Some makers change things around just enough that things can't be considered modular with other brands. Modifications are usually fairly simple to work around this, but ya gotta know how in the first place...

2. Contaminants. No matter how well a system is installed, age & contaminants will cause corrosion of the lines and evaporator eventually. Replacing just the external unit may bring performance back up to original levels, but there's no guarantee that the lines & internal unit are up to original specs. It could be argued in court that if a tech replaced just the compressor, resulting in problems elsewhere, then the tech is responsible for damages as they should've known better. Sure, it's unlikely... but there's a world of tight-arsed people out there and no matter what the customer asks for, a verbal agreement is useless. It's not a chance I'd take, if I was in the trade. [shrug]

3. How & why the compressor died. Could it affect other parts? It's easier to simply replace the whole thing than to go troubleshooting.

4. It cuts down profits through sales.

[barrysumpter]

int9000,

After a $50 call out charge and $90 an hour the invoice was $250.

The repairman arrived at 8:10 and left as 8:55.
He spent 5 mins fixing the original problem and another 40 mins after we agreed he could check other things to make up the hour.

He was only there 45 mins.

I rang and queried the company and its seems the rapairman charged the company for two hours work.

Also, reported that he (the repairman) cleaned the coil and ran some liquid thru the coil.

I mentioned to the company that that either the repairman or the company is getting me confused with another job.

As I had queried the repair man as to his activities.
The repair man stated the "coil" was clean and even remarked on the fact that I keep my filter clear.
And that I saw no liquid at either unit.

I stated that I was happy to pay the $50 + the $90.
And that since I did not actually receive the other hour in service that I should not be charged for it.

I was told that my reasonings were "neither here nor there".
And that I must pay the $250 with in the invoice time or face charges in court. And that I could contact a number of specific organizations that specilize in these issues. "...spend more of your own time and more your own money sorting this out..."

There was no doubt in my mind the abruptness and the detailed knowledge of where I must go to complain was proof that the company had been called out on this issue before.

Also, I did confirm with the company, that even if I had asked the repairman to leave after resetting the switch, I would still be billed for the $50 call out and the $90 an hour charge for the 5 minutes of work.

The company agreed to contact the repairman again and ask him to charge for only one hour and that they would probably not ask him to work for them again.

I asked them not to put this to the repair man this way as he would take it the wrong way and think that the company would never ring him again anyway and he would charge for 2 hours because of it.

We would all lose. I would be out $90, he would be out of any future work with the company, and the company would be without what I thought was a very good well mannered repairman.

The company informed me the repairman had told them that "since he (the repairman) told me how to reset the switch and that the next time I needed the switch reset that I would not need them. That is exactly how I'm (the company) am going to put it to the repairman. And you (me) should pay the $250 since he's saved you all that money in the future."

I then informed the company that I had already paid more the $1000 already over the last 5 years for this repair. And feel that I should have been informed about this the first time it was repaired. And certainly should have been informed when I describe in detail what the last repairman had done and how long it takes.

I asked them to think about it before contacting the repairman again.

We left it at that.



Eventhough now, I'm thinking the company could have been using the - we'll fire him if you don't pay and because he told you an industry secret -
as a tactical ploy to get me to feel bad about calling them out on overcharging for an hours work.

Although, I know I'm paranoid and from experience for good reason, must I preface every contact as "I know you are going to try something, lets see what it is this time... "?

Now, where is that since of humor?....I know I left it around here somewhere...

[barrysumpter]

Update.

The company claims "The repairmain is sticking with his story but is willing to reduce his invoice by $10 and the company is willing to pass this on."

I asked the company if the repairman had actually agreed to not charge for a full hour and that the company is charging me $80 for the trouble.

They declined to answer.

They also informed me that they would be keeping the repairman on.

lol

[ozwinner]

Barry I think some bricks on your place need looking at, Ill come over and only charge you the minimum hour, plus call out fee of course.

Rip off mongrels arent they..?

Al :mad:

[Greg Q]

I wouldn't pay them anything. Not a cent. I would file a claim against them in the administrative affairs tribunal-there will be some area that you can use without charge.

Better: Tell him you will get "A Current Affair" to do a story in which you will demonstrate the reset procedure for all viewers to see for themselves.

[barrysumpter]

Cool.

But he drew the "see you in court" like he was a professional gun fighter.
As if it was second nature to draw first n ask question later.

I was thinking place an ad in the ac repair section of the same local paper under AC Repair -
AC Repair - Free Consumer Advice - www.ConsumerAdvice.com.au/ACRepair

"Getting ripped off?"

Then describe in detail how to reset compressor - clear filters - clean coil - treat repairmen as if they will attempt to get away with something - use this checklist etc...

[ozwinner]

Cool.

But he drew the "see you in court" like he was a professional gun fighter.

.

Did you hear the jingleing of his spurs??


Al :eek:

[Sturdee]

Barry,


As a first step I suggest that you WRITE to the company confirming your telephone conversation that the repairman only spent 45 minutes on the job and that as such you are prepared to pay the call out fee and 1 hour of labour on receipt of an AMENDED invoice.

Secondly I would suggest that meanwhile you pay nothing until you hear in writing from the company and depending on their reply you can either pay the correct amount or take it up with Consumers affairs.

I'll bet you they won't take you to Court for non payment of the original amount claimed and they will settle with you for they would have to produce the repairman in Court to give evidence as to what he did and the time taken to justify their claim.


Peter.

[barrysumpter]

.
You married gus are gonna love this.
.
"$95? - I'd rather just pay it and be done with it.
I don't need anymore stress in my life."

.
And you fathers of daughters ....
.
"Come snuggle with me dad.
I'll tell you about my day.
You can decide what to do later. After you help me with my homework."

Leave it to the ladies to keep things in perspective. lol


Getting ripped off, arguing about it all day, complaining (here) about it
and at the end of it all,
I still feel like I'm the luckiest A.. Hole in the world.