How much !

[Danny11]

Hi guys
Got a small job and don't know how much to charge the customer,need a bit of help.

Wallmount needs moving up 2-3 feet.all i need to do really is pump down system,re-pipe,vac out,re commission.
Talking around 4-5 hours work.

Any thoughts

[chillin out]

Erm.... what about 4-5 times whatever you charge an hour?

[dunny123]

Like the last msg said.4/5 hours charged at your hourly rate ,+ a bit extra = your price ,simple!

[Matty]

£2OO I'd charge........

[monkey spanners]

Four or five times normal hourly rate, plus 50p a mile and travel time, both ways. Plus any parking charges. A fiver for the ofn.Will it need any trunking etc or drain pipe? Will you have to make good any holes in the wall where it is now? F**k up factor, possibly add something to cover when they say you can't drill because they have a board meeting in the next room for two hours etc or check first before booking the job in

Jon

[freezy]

I'd book a day to it, plus a small amount for parts. When installing you need to fill your days, what will you do for the other few hours?

[paul_h]

I just did an install then (and I'm not a regular installer, so haven't got it down efficiently yet), only took 2 hours.
Like you, I didn't have to run new electrical to the mains, just drill a hole and pipe up 2.5m pre-insulated pair coil and run the cable between the units.
I charged normal rates, ie regular callout and regular 2 hrs, plus copper (au$250).

What are you going to do with the old hole? Have you explained it clearly to the customer what you are and aren't going to do?
If you quote them call out, 4 hrs plus materials you'll be laughing. Drilling a hole, mounting an indoor bracket, extending piping and wiring doesn't take all day.

Down here the average installer does 4 wall split installs a day. (edit: of course there's a 2 man crew, one installer and one electrician)

[freezy]

Hi Paul H

Down here the average installer does 4 wall split installs a day. (edit: of course there's a 2 man crew, one installer and one electrician)

Wow, 4 splits a day.

I've got to take my hat off to you. I've been installing 12 years and i've only ever fitted 2 splits in 1 day, and there was 3 of us.

These days I struggle to fit 1 in. There's so much health and safety to deal with, scaffolds,people watching your every move, parking, site inductions, etc.

Regards

[AcidSlasher]

4 a day, i dont think so, unless they are working from 7am to 10pm....

i guarantee u many corners are being cut, like not using a vacuum pump etc.... plus i bet it looks like **** in the end

[nike123]

Trained team of two, with one apprentice or helper, could make as much as 5 install of mini-splits of 7-12000 btu , with average pipe length of 3 m, at one day (12 hours), here in Croatia, when it is sumer "rush".
And, that installations are, pretty much, well done. In 3-4 days they earn average month Croatian salary. Of course, that tempo is only about 2 month a year.

[paul_h]

4 a day, i dont think so, unless they are working from 7am to 10pm....

i guarantee u many corners are being cut, like not using a vacuum pump etc.... plus i bet it looks like **** in the end

I just did an install in two hours, so it's possible. All we are talking about is mounting a plate on a wall, drilling a hole, running pipes between the two, I don't see how you think it's not possible.
I am not an installer, and I have never done four in a day, but I know many of them, as I did domestic split repairs for the last five years.

Most of them work 10 hour days in teams of two/three and do 4 Back to backs, or three more complicated installs. Of course I am talking about single story dwellings, and just regular wall splits.

It's easy when organised, ie do the pipe work, pressure test and then run the vac pump while at the same time as you are doing the wiring, putting the I/U back together and cleaning up and putting your drills away.

[frank]

I just did an install in two hours, so it's possible. All we are talking about is mounting a plate on a wall, drilling a hole, running pipes between the two, I don't see how you think it's not possible.
I am not an installer, and I have never done four in a day, but I know many of them, as I did domestic split repairs for the last five years.

Most of them work 10 hour days in teams of two/three and do 4 Back to backs, or three more complicated installs. Of course I am talking about single story dwellings, and just regular wall splits.

It's easy when organised, ie do the pipe work, pressure test and then run the vac pump while at the same time as you are doing the wiring, putting the I/U back together and cleaning up and putting your drills away.

What about Tea Breaks

[nike123]

When good money is in game, there no time for tea! Maybe few beers on the run.

[AcidSlasher]

just curious, what do u guys use to make your penetration for the interconnecting pipe and wiring through a brick wall? we use a 65mm core drill, which can take a while to set up, and if the interior wall is brick also, to place drop sheets and clean up the mess.

im really impressed with the 4 a day figure, especially including a proper vac and pressure test. what do u guys do for the power supply?

[paul_h]

Like I said, I'm not normally a split basher, I just used to do factory warranty support for a few brands, so I know a lot of split bashers, and they all aim for 4 a day for straight back to backs. After all, they only get a few months a years being really busy, the rest of the time, not much work, so they aim for the years salary in 4-5 months.
I use a 65m core drill bit of sheffields best, cost $170 with extension, and a cheap $80 bunnings ozito drill that's been a champion. The core drill bit does the work, spend $$ there, any drill can do the job. If I was a regular installer I'd get a hilti or aeg though.
Nearly all walls here in the west are double brick, only 40+ year old houses have fibro or wood walls. Takes 5 min to bring the drill out and plug it in. Takes longer to check and double check the holes is in the right place!

Back in the 90s I installed a few splits at RAAF base pearce. Those wall dated back to the 1930s and were as solid as, took over 2 hrs to make the hole through two walls. They were my first installs 10 years ago, one per day, some even took me two days!
These days the walls aren't to tought to get through, if you have a good core drill bit, you're through a wall in 10 mins.

edit: Most install teams that I know of have one sparky running the cable while the installer is doing the wall penetration and piping. Otherwise if they are alone, then have the sparky putting in all wiring to the isolator before the a/c gets there, or getting an electrician to wire it to mains after all the installation is complete.

[nike123]

just curious, what do u guys use to make your penetration for the interconnecting pipe and wiring through a brick wall? we use a 65mm core drill, which can take a while to set up, and if the interior wall is brick also, to place drop sheets and clean up the mess.

I use this drill:
http://tinyurl.com/36dyze
and this bit of 60 mm:
http://tinyurl.com/35e4dg
on brick, concrete and reinforced concrete up to 0,5 thick.

im really impressed with the 4 a day figure, especially including a proper vac and pressure test. what do u guys do for the power supply?

My pressure test for domestic split system AC is as follows: I put air conditioner in heat mode and check flares with electronic leak detector and soap solution. It is 99,999% accurate as it is nitrogen pressure test.
We don't have here any regulations regarding these tests, and I am not happy with that, because majority of installers don't do any test.
That way (without tests) is cheaper, and customers are pretty happy with that fact.