HVAC Community Hub | Charles | Activity

Charles posted a new activity comment

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 23:19:13 +1200

oh you’re answering a different question 😂 wrong thread maybe.

In reply to - Charles posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs What’s everyone paying for insurance these days. Workers comp, general liability, commercial auto. Small company, 3 techs, 4 trucks, […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 22:16:21 +1200

27% of what

Charles posted a new activity comment

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 22:16:20 +1200

okay that’s fair. I’m probably not even calculating mine correctly.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:58:20 +1200

wait what state.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 08:21:17 +1200

health insurance is its own nightmare honestly

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:11:20 +1200

11 years and that much difference. That hurts to read.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:06:56 +1200

California is its own category of pain

Charles posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs: What's everyone paying for insurance these days. […]

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:45:00 +1200

What’s everyone paying for insurance these days. Workers comp, general liability, commercial auto. Small company, 3 techs, 4 trucks, residential mostly.
Mine just renewed and went up 22 percent with zero claims. Starting to think I need to shop around.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 02:32:58 +1200

following this thread hard right now.

In reply to - Salvatore posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices I struggle with the field vs office balance a lot.When I’m in the field I’m making money but the business stuff piles up. When I’m in […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Sun, 24 May 2026 02:56:54 +1200

Turn on an out of office message with an emergency contact number. Customers feel taken care of. You get actual time off. It works.

In reply to - Robert posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Honest question for the business owners in here. Do you actually take days off or do you just call them days off and then work anyway? I […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Sat, 23 May 2026 23:52:09 +1200

I took Sunday off once. Came back Monday to 7 voicemails and a 1 star review from someone whose call I missed. Haven’t taken a full day off since.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Sat, 23 May 2026 19:21:20 +1200

Independent broker who works with multiple carriers. Single agent with one company is almost always going to be more expensive.

In reply to - Hugo posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs I want to know who else is getting absolutely crushed by insurance this year. General liability went up 22% at renewal. Commercial auto up […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 21 May 2026 20:38:33 +1200

And did you take the callback or let them figure it out?

In reply to - Theo posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs People want quality HVAC work until they see what quality HVAC work actually costs. Then the cheapest quote in town suddenly starts looking […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 19 May 2026 22:26:14 +1200

That’s probably fair. I’m still building the brand side of things.

In reply to - Davida posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Genuine question and I want honest answers not judgment what are you guys actually charging for a diagnostic call right now. not the […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Sat, 16 May 2026 23:03:58 +1200

The customer sees 10 year warranty and thinks nobody should ever charge them again.

In reply to - Brandon posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Everybody talks about warranty like it’s free work for HVAC companies Meanwhile you’re driving back out, dealing with parts, labor, callbacks, […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Sun, 03 May 2026 21:28:23 +1200

This is why systems get overworked and then they blame the equipment.

In reply to - William posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices walked into a house today and thermostat was set to 60 place already freezing. customer goes it’s not cooling right stood there for a second […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:33:20 +1200

I built one early on thinking that was enough. Looked decent but didn’t get much from it. Had to go back and invest properly to start seeing results.

In reply to - Miles posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Curious what you guys are spending on your websites these days. Feels like it can go from cheap to expensive real fast.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:12:31 +1200

i use it for writing up quotes quicker just clean it up after.

In reply to - Juan posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Anyone here using AI for day to day office work?

Charles posted a new activity comment

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 19:35:56 +1200

I’ve got a few like that… always 30-60 days behind but they keep paying.

In reply to - Harry posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Got a couple small commercial accounts that are good for the money, but every invoice turns into a wait. Not chasing bad debt, they eventually pay… […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:09:35 +1200

Every time.

In reply to - Maxime posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs So yesterday around 11pm I get a call, customer says the AC isn’t cooling at all, so I send my team out. They find the issue, fix it, run the system […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:50:32 +1300

Had almost identical numbers on a Carrier last spring. Turned out the liquid line drier was completely saturated from sitting all winter. Subcooling was high, head pressure climbing, TXV getting blamed for everything. Swapped the drier and it came right back into spec within 20 minutes

In reply to - Lucas posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Carrier 24ACC636, R410A, 3-ton. First startup of the season. Suction 115 PSI Discharge 445 PSI. Superheat 8°F. Subcooling 18°F. Ambient 74°F. Charge […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 07:29:15 +1300

Cold calling sucks but it works. I spent mornings walking strip malls and it paid off months later.

In reply to - Ethan posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Trying to push more commercial work and still figuring out where the real leads come from. We do HVAC, refrigeration, kitchen equipment service […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 02:29:44 +1300

Hard to compare numbers without knowing area, code requirements, and what you’re actually installing.

In reply to - Ethan posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Trying to tighten up how I’m pricing new residential builds. I’ll go deep into plans, take my time, and still end up missing jobs or finding out […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:24:43 +1300

If it’s draining today, customer usually doesn’t want to touch it. Hard sell unless it’s already backing up.

In reply to - Liam posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices This drain setup is a future service call waiting to happen. Condensate issues shut more systems down than bad boards lately.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:10:43 +1300

Most people post an intro first, you went straight to the hard stuff.

In reply to - Aiden posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs First post here, so thought I should finally introduce myself 😄

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 10:31:43 +1300

Bundling GL, umbrella, and workers comp saved us money, but only after shopping around.

In reply to - Adam posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Hey everyone 👋

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:55:15 +1300

Or just trying to survive the day.

In reply to - Charles posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Someone before us clearly had a long day here. Arrows, notes, airflow directions written straight on the duct. You can tell they were […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 09:20:55 +1300

That’s usually how it starts.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 07:23:03 +1300

Fair. But it tells you what they thought was wrong.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 03:20:47 +1300

True. Better than walking in blind.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:38:33 +1300

Yeah, nobody writes on metal on their first visit.

Charles posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices: Someone before us clearly had a long day here. […]

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 21:50:42 +1300

Someone before us clearly had a long day here. Arrows, notes, airflow directions written straight on the duct. You can tell they were trying to make sense of something that wasn’t adding up at the time. System works now, but once you see stuff like this, you already know this job has history.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:55:38 +1300

I’d also verify thermostat cycles. Rapid calls can make a system look unstable even when it’s not.

In reply to - Wyatt posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Had one of the guys out on this unit today. System was running, but amps weren’t steady and pressures didn’t really match what the load […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 03:21:29 +1300

Rule #1: if someone says “it should be quick,” it won’t be.

In reply to - Zachary posted an update in the group HVAC Contractors & Subcontractors Starting out in HVAC and realizing how much there is to learn – any advice from the field?

Charles posted a new activity comment

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 18:44:45 +1300

People underestimate how sensitive lift systems are. One loose gasket, one bad check, or even a pipe that’s been disturbed a few times and you’re done. Pump gets blamed but it’s usually upstream.

In reply to - Lucas posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Pump keeps losing prime after shutdown.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 17:58:37 +1300

Appreciate posts like this. Not everything has to be a disaster to be worth noting.

In reply to - Emiliano posted an update in the group HVAC Contractors & Subcontractors This unit’s been running longer than it should without anyone actually checking it. Numbers were fine. But the panel told a different […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:27:44 +1300

Fair point. Automation just made the gap harder to notice.

In reply to - Charles posted an update in the group HVAC Email Pipeline Builder |Nurture Leads. Follow Up. Close More Deals Thought I had our email pipeline done until I watched a customer reply to the wrong emai.. and […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:27:43 +1300

That’s brutal. Easy to miss until deals start going cold.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:27:42 +1300

I assumed everything funneled back automatically.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:27:41 +1300

Outbound only, unless everything’s threaded perfectly – which clearly isn’t happening.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:27:40 +1300

That makes sense, especially the part about replies landing outside the CRM thread. We’ve focused so much on sending logic that we never really validated where responses are actually ending up.
I’d like to walk through the setup end-to-end and see where the gaps are – I’ll reach out so we can review it properly.

Charles posted an update in the group HVAC Email Pipeline Builder |Nurture Leads. Follow Up. Close More Deals: Thought I had our email pipeline done until I watched […]

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:27:40 +1300

Thought I had our email pipeline done until I watched a customer reply to the wrong emai.. and nobody saw it for two days.
Estimate was sitting there, customer waiting, and the system thought everything was fine.
Made me realize a pipeline can be automated and still break quietly.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 19:36:45 +1300

exactly why I want to fix it ASAP.

In reply to - Charles posted an update in the group HVAC Email Pipeline Builder |Nurture Leads. Follow Up. Close More Deals Noticing our automation keeps emailing the wrong person on multi-property accounts. One job comes […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 19:36:44 +1300

And then I’m the one apologizing.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 19:36:43 +1300

good call – I don’t think ours is mapped cleanly at all.

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 19:36:41 +1300

yeah that’s exactly what it feels like here too… wrong default getting picked up.

Charles posted an update in the group HVAC Email Pipeline Builder |Nurture Leads. Follow Up. Close More Deals: Noticing our automation keeps emailing the wrong person […]

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 19:36:41 +1300

Noticing our automation keeps emailing the wrong person on multi-property accounts.
One job comes in and somehow the follow-ups get sent to a completely different location’s contact.
Super easy way to upset a property manager – anyone fix this before?

Charles posted a new activity comment

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 19:13:22 +1300

Shoot temps across the whole coil face. You’ll see the imbalance instantly.

In reply to - Jacob posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Bottom half of this DX coil keeps turning into a popsicle while the top stays bone dry. Airflow’s fine, charge looks fine, nothing obvious – but the […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:51:49 +1300

hinges wear out too. even new dampers don’t close straight sometimes.

In reply to - Miles posted an update in the group HVAC Tools & Equipment Little reminder for anyone working with economizers- even when the damper looks fully closed, tiny blade gaps can still drag in outside air. A lot of […]

Charles posted a new activity comment

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 19:48:29 +1300

Are you using time delays or “wait for reply” steps? Those can conflict.

In reply to - Brandon posted an update in the group HVAC Email Pipeline Builder |Nurture Leads. Follow Up. Close More Deals ad one of those “what is even going on today” moments with my email pipeline. A customer replied to […]