How often should air con units be serviced?

[asmaircon]

Hi Guys,

I was just wondering how often you guys would recommend servicing a/c splits, wall mounts/cassettes, cleaning filters, coils etc..

In different environments

1. house hold - used mostly throughout summer

2. Server rooms all year round use

3. office-computers,printers 5-10 people sort of scenario

please could you give times per year for each scenario and a rough price guide you charge for simple service on wall splits, say 10 miles within your local area, free parking, easy access, floor level outdoor unit, reachable indoor, gravity drain

Thanks alot !

[chillerman2006]

oh and

4. come and do the job

[The Viking]

Lol...

Everybody knows that they don't need servicing.

(I earn much more money when they break down due to lack of service)


OH,
Were you serious?

Sorry.

[frank]

More college homework?

[asmaircon]

No iv got my nvq 2 and have done a fair few installs but soon im looking to set up my own company, so i just want to get an idea from what other engineers in the trade have and gain some knowledge from them, so seriously guys what would you recommend for servicing?

[Brian_UK]

Considering the following statement from your home page website I am amazed at the level of questions..

...are highly experienced in the design, installation and ongoing maintenance of air conditioning systems...

[install monkey]

stick to installs,take the money and run, more profitable

[The Viking]

OK,
The serious answer,

Legally they all need an annual service visit. (Assuming non hermetic installation and less than 30 kG of refrigerant)

Practically, the dirtiest of the above environments is the domestic one who should have a monthly (full) clean. But no home owner will pay you for that, they will clean the filters themselves and call you when it doesn't work.

Server / IT / data rooms are the cleanest of your environments and the cleaning requirements for their units are minimal. But as these units tend to be mission critical their owners are generally willing to pay for "peace of mind", some even insisting on weekly site attendance.

The office lay in between the other two, both when it comes to engineering requirements and what people are willing to pay for.

Real life is a balancing act and (you probably won't like this but) with experience you will be able to find the right balance between what is needed and what people will pay for.

What I'm charging?
Why would you be interested in that?
My customers pay for 25+ years worth of experience and if you, as "the new kid on the block" want to break in to this market then you either have to offer the customers something new or do it at a cheaper rate...

iv got my nvq 2 and have done a fair few installs

My best advice to you and the same as I would give anybody else in your situation, my own kids included, is to find an employer that are willing to let you grow and that will support you in that process.
We all makes mistakes and this is especially true in the beginning of our carriers, in our business that can be expensive and it is much better if someone else pick the costs up for that.

[monkey spanners]

No iv got my nvq 2 and have done a fair few installs but soon im looking to set up my own company, so i just want to get an idea from what other engineers in the trade have and gain some knowledge from them, so seriously guys what would you recommend for servicing?

I think you are looking at pricing from the wrong end.

How much money does your company need to turn over on average per day for you to make a living and cover all your bills?

How many services can you get done in a day?

Will the customer pay what you need to charge them? and if not can the shortfall be made up on other days?

On average i need to turn over £300 a day, some days i might do £20 or nothing if i've been doing paperwork, other days i might do £2500 fitting a compressor for example.

Some jobs are not fully profitable but make a good filler if you have had another better job that only took half a day etc.

1. domestic, once a year filter/batteries in remote and check over. £50-£70 depending. Once they see how easy it is to clean a filter they will likely do it themselve...

2. Depends, some once a year £70/£100, some once every three months, (mate of mine does close control stuff at £600 a day plus materials).

3. Office twice a year £100/£120 (though again i've had some that needed doing every two months due to the dust from paper etc)

There is not right way, too cheap and you go bust, too expensive and you go bust from no work. aim for somewhere in the middle and adjust your prices as needed.

Keep an eye on your finances, not just turn over but profit too, (no good being busy fool) get your accountant to do quarterly reports on how things are going so you can catch thing before it goes tits up.

Don't owe anything if you can help it, that way you can afford to sit on your ass if there is nothing to do without haveing vans etc to pay for.

Get paid on site, or do your invoicing every night without exception....

[paul_h]

The Viking! you're back, it's been a long time.

Domestics, if they clean the filters, every two years.
Commercial, or if they don't clean the filters, every 6 months.