1,472 posts, read 2,686,453 times 4,221 posts, read 7,025,500 times 19,534 posts, read 39,623,807 times Originally Posted by seque5tra After they come out and go through all the other factors and so fort and finally get down to replacing (probably repairing) the section of faulty wire... it should stillbe under their minimum charge. But when you call? Cut the soap opera drama and get down to "just the facts" when asking for help. Originally Posted by Zippyman Zippyman, thank you for your insight! Originally Posted by MrRational Thanks for your help, MrRational. And yes, on the phone I just ask about the cost of the thermostat wire. 342 posts, read 947,030 times 1,940 posts, read 6,665,304 times it costs us $100 just to drive a service vehicle from our shop to a customers house. so take that into consideration before you call someone a crook. 2,322 posts, read 2,396,739 times Originally Posted by southgeorgia

Truth be told, some of your colleagues (people in the HVAC business) are crooks. I am shopping around for a contractor to replace the furnace and a/c unit in my home and the disparity in price is astronomical. Some of them just walk into my home and automatically assume they can earn their annual salary off this one gig. Total waste of my time. The job isn't major by any means, one would expect that having an informed customer wouldn't inflame you. If it costs your business more than $100 to do a 15 minute repair, the problem isn't the customer, it's your excessive overhead. An honest contractor doesn't need to gouge on minor repairs - they'll get referrals & repeat business if they show a little mercy once in a while. That kind of repair doesn't require any expensive tools, training, or certification, and it's no more dangerous than replacing a doorbell button - they're both 24 volt systems. It doesn't cost us $100 to do a 15 min repair; that's just for the drive over. this is close to the national average.

you need to understand that a service company doesn't get 8 billable hours a day.what should a new ac unit cost they won't be worth the money lost.sell my ac unit so why is the homeowner calling someone else to do it?my ac unit will not turn onHere are some basic split airconditioner control troubleshooting guide that may help you to understand more of the electronics control of your equipment. This is a non-inverter type of control.Take note that you need to have a good electrical knowledge to do this as the power supply to the printed circuit board is LIVE. It is always a good practice to disconnect and isolate the power supply when you are troubleshooting the control board. If you are not sure, get a qualified technician to check your unit.

A split air conditioner is also commonly known as ductless split or mini split where there is an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit consists of a compressor, a fan and the condenser. This is the place where heat from the indoor is transferred from the indoor to the outdoor and is rejected to the surrounding. The indoor unit basically consists of an evaporator, an expansion valve and a fan. Copper pipes are used to connect the flow of refrigerant between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The power input can come from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit. The non-inverter split air conditioner basically consists of a ON/OFF compressor where the compressor is either ON fully or OFF fully. The inverter based compressor can regulate the speed of the compressor depending on the load required.Here is the breakdown of the typical controller for better understanding.Main Control Printed Circuit BoardThe main control board can be divided into input power supply, a microcomputer controller integrated circuit, temperature sensor inputs and outputs to control the compressor, indoor fan speed, outdoor fan speed and air swing.

The AC input from the mains has to be converted to DC voltage where it can be used to power the integrated circuits and drivers in the electronics circuit. There are two ways to do this. One is by using a step down transformer where the AC voltage is stepped down to voltage such as 25V AC or 12V AC. This voltage is then converted to DC by the use of diode bridge as rectifier and electrolytic capacitor to smoothen the rectified voltage. A 3-pin voltage regulator is used to get a fixed 5V DC or 12V DC power supply. This low voltages are used to power the microcomputer, DC relays and other integrated circuits in the circuit. A simple linear power supply circuit. The other method is to use switched mode power supply or SMPS which makes the dimension of the printed circuit board smaller as the bulky transformer can now be replaced with a smaller transformer. This design is becoming more common as the quest for smaller space is becoming more critical.There is usually a surge absorber or a varistor connected across the input of the power supply.

This device acts to protect the internal circuit in the event of lightning or power surge. When the power input to the device exceeded its voltage rating, it will clamp the voltage by bypassing it to the input source. This is one device that can be easily damaged if the power surge or lightning occurred beyond its maximum rating.A fuse is placed in series with the input power supply to cutoff any overcurrent or short circuit that happened in the circuit. This is another protective device used in most electronics circuit. It has to be replaced once it is blown.In order for the handheld remote control to send the settings to the controller at the air conditioner unit, there is at least an infra-red receiver printed circuit board that receives the signals from the handset. This receiver is usually located in front of the indoor unit and can be identified by a specially made sticker that allow infra-red frequency to pass through.Also known as handset, this is where you can control the air conditioner settings remotely by pointing your handset towards the air conditioning unit.