HVAC Community Hub | Liam | Activity

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 07:39:09 +1200

The dust bunnies that fell off onto the fridge top when you pulled it out, she saw those too right?

In reply to - Jordan posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Customer asked me why her electric bill doubled this summer.

Liam posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs: Flat rate is a scam and I'll die on this hill. Charging […]

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 23:53:00 +1200

Flat rate is a scam and I’ll die on this hill. Charging a customer $450 to swap a capacitor that costs $12 and takes 8 minutes is not “selling value” it’s robbery with a clipboard. I do T&M and I sleep fine at night.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:41:54 +1200

Congrats 💪

In reply to - Mathew posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Just passed my EPA 608 Universal yesterday. 3 months into the trade. What tools should I actually spend money on first vs what can wait? […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:18:24 +1200

Did the packing nut tighten up or are you swapping the whole valve?

In reply to - Miles posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs When the roof tells you the diagnosis before you even open the panel. Didn’t need a leak detector today just followed the oil like a treasure […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 10:07:56 +1200

Wow

In reply to - Emiliano posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Customer called saying thermostat keeps losing connection and resetting randomly. Pulled it off the wall and found out somebody spliced lamp […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 13:35:35 +1200

Deck builders are now on the same list as landscapers when it comes to destroying HVAC equipment.

In reply to - Grayson posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Customer said the system just stopped keeping up last summer and has been getting worse. Asked where the outdoor unit was. She pointed at the […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 06:10:07 +1200

That’s CO in somebody’s house right now.

In reply to - Grayson posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Called out for a no heat. Found this. Customer said the other company was out last month and told them everything was fine.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:03:18 +1200

Compressor needs refrigerant to keep it cool so it being hot at those pressures isn’t abnormal. I’d charge it up to get them AC again and recommend doing a leak search. Tell them refrigerant doesn’t come with a warranty. If they don’t do it and call you back this year or next year deny the work unless they find the leak and repair it first.

In reply to - Robert posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs 2019 Bryant 2-ton R410A heat pump. Customer said the compressor made a terrible noise and then quit going. Outdoor fan runs fine, compressor […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:16:59 +1200

I stopped taking Friday evening calls entirely last summer and my mental health improved dramatically.

In reply to - Henry posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Genuinely curious how you all handle the customer who calls at 4:55pm on a Friday saying their AC has been out since Wednesday.

Liam posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices: Best way to repair a microchannel condenser coil that […]

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:32:00 +1200

Best way to repair a microchannel condenser coil that took some damage? Bent fins on about a 6 inch section, not leaking yet but it’s bad. Replacement is backordered 6 weeks.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 21:29:24 +1200

Asked my accountant this same question last week. she laughed.

In reply to - Liam posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Halfway through the year. Real talk time. Are you ahead of where you thought you’d be financially, behind, or honestly not sure because […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 06:08:42 +1200

And the customer is probably wondering why their electric bill keeps going up.

In reply to - Tyler posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Customer called saying one room won’t cool no matter what. Found this under the house. Conditioned air has been dumping straight into […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:21:11 +1200

Had a customer show me a screenshot mid diagnosis like it was a trump card. I just said cool, did ChatGPT also tell you the model number and the actual fault code, because I haven’t told you that yet. He got quiet.

In reply to - Tyler posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Anyone else getting customers who pull up ChatGPT mid-call and start reading you the “correct” price for the repair? Happened twice this week.

Liam posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices: Halfway through the year. Real talk time. Are you ahead […]

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 20:58:00 +1200

Halfway through the year. Real talk time.
Are you ahead of where you thought you’d be financially, behind, or honestly not sure because you haven’t looked?
I’m not asking to judge. Most business owners set goals in January and never actually measure against them.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:18:27 +1200

Tell him to let chatgpt fix it.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 20:35:12 +1200

We’re in Houston. Slow months 40-45hrs. Busy time 55-65. I tell them to say no if they don’t want the hours but they always take them because this is when they save up for the slow months.

In reply to - Hugo posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs During peak summer months is a service tech averaging 40-46 hrs per week considered overworked. I have techs saying we need another hire because […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:01:40 +1200

Get an independent broker not a captive agent. Independent can shop 15 carriers at once. Captive agent only has one option and will never tell you you’re overpaying because they can’t do anything about it.

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, […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Fri, 29 May 2026 10:00:42 +1200

The property manager work will expand to fill all available time if you let it. It does not care about your goals.

In reply to - Oliver posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Curious on what people did for marketing starting out. I have been posting in Facebook groups and boosting Facebook posts. Started in March. April […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 16 May 2026 20:59:00 +1200

Google tells them it’s a capacitor every single time 😂

In reply to - Matthew posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Homeowners are way more educated now but also way more confident in completely wrong information 😅 Feels like every other call lately […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 02 May 2026 20:26:16 +1200

Depends what it’s for.

In reply to - Owen posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs how many callbacks do you guys actually consider normal before you start second guessing the original job? i’m not talking about random stuff breaking […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:25:17 +1200

We didn’t track for years and wasted a lot on stuff that didn’t work. Now we ask every single customer how they found us.

In reply to - Samuel posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Started thinking about this recently… I don’t really track where most of my calls come from. You guys keeping track of that or just letting it run?

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 10:47:26 +1300

Sometimes people block returns because they think it helps with cold drafts.

In reply to - Viktor posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Just closed on a house built in the 1920s and the furnace looks pretty new installed around 2022 from what I can tell. While walking […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:04:40 +1300

When I realized the cheap guys were still busy… just with the worst customers.

In reply to - Benjamin posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Hi All,

Liam posted a new activity comment

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:04:39 +1300

Sprinkler guys probably ran after you were done and parked right in your space.

In reply to - Juan posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices 30’ ceilings + scissor lift all day. Trying to keep the trunk straight while dodging steel and sprinkler lines. Whoever drew this on paper […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 12:24:03 +1300

Been doing this 25 years. Airflow first. Always.

In reply to - Zachary posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Had something weird happen today. Didn’t even realize my techs were out here making bets on what the issue would be. Sent two of them up to […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:40:30 +1300

I don’t mind explaining, but it slows everything down when they hover.

In reply to - Jordan posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices My tech called me laughing today because the customer kept asking what he was doing every step of the way. Appreciate the interest, […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 04:27:06 +1300

How’s the amp draw looking on that thing?

In reply to - Jules posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices I’m sure this thing cooled great… before the coil turned into a dust blanket and airflow became optional.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:26:26 +1300

Take a breath. First thing is tighten the schedule and stop overpromising for a couple weeks.

In reply to - Benjamin posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Hello All,

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:34:25 +1300

It’ll run, but it’s never going to be low-touch.

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.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:56:43 +1300

Works fine now but once slime starts, it won’t clear itself. Gravity only forgives so much.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:57:23 +1300

Totally get that. I usually note it and explain what fails first so there’s no surprise later.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:01:44 +1300

Fair point. Maintenance makes all the difference. These only scare me when nobody services them.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 06:46:13 +1300

Cleanout is there, just not where you’d want it. Makes routine flushing more annoying than it should be.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:11:01 +1300

That’s exactly the pattern I’ve seen. It’s never July day one, it’s week three when calls start coming in.

Liam posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices: This drain setup is a future service call waiting […]

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 03:25:13 +1300

This drain setup is a future service call waiting to happen.
Condensate issues shut more systems down than bad boards lately.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 07:45:19 +1300

You can see where one contractor stopped, another picked up, and nobody coordinated. Controls here, duct changes there, piping rerouted with no plan. It all works, but it’s fragile.

In reply to - Colton posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs This room has had at least three different contractors work on it over the years. You can tell where each one stopped caring. Everyone fixed […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 15:15:00 +1300

That invisible cost is what finally forces the decision.

In reply to - Liam posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Opened this unit up today to see how far we can push it. It’s working, but if it drops mid-week the downtime will hurt more than the repair […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 13:16:03 +1300

We just have to decide who’s paying when it doesn’t hold.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:41:18 +1300

Capacity complaints and rising service time. Age just made us less optimistic.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:42:17 +1300

It’s already picked out a beach somewhere.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 07:48:06 +1300

That’s smart. We’re moving toward that mindset now.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 05:45:25 +1300

And suddenly it’s an emergency with emergency expectations.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 03:30:56 +1300

That logic has cost me more money than bad installs ever did.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 01:56:13 +1300

On paper it’s still running, but the hours and inefficiency are already billing us quietly.

Liam posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices: Opened this unit up today to see how far we can […]

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 00:11:56 +1300

Opened this unit up today to see how far we can push it.
It’s working, but if it drops mid-week the downtime will hurt more than the repair cost.
These are the calls where numbers matter more than optimism.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 09:43:42 +1300

Combustion test without the fancy explanation.

In reply to - Mason posted an update in the group HVAC Tools & Equipment Alright HVAC fam… This tool + these matches… what am I hunting today? 😅 Who’s got it?

Liam posted a new activity comment

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 06:50:47 +1300

Not every call is urgent – but the urgent ones expose how prepared you really are.

In reply to - Theo posted an update in the group HVAC Tools & Equipment When the call matters,everything moves faster.

Liam posted a new activity comment

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 21:05:11 +1300

Check tube bundle condition if possible. We saw scale build-up unevenly once and it drove us crazy.

In reply to - Alexander posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices We’ve got a dual-circuit water-cooled chiller where one circuit runs fine and carries load, but the other keeps cycling more than it […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 17:58:49 +1300

And each visit leaves it slightly worse than before if it’s not addressed properly.

In reply to - Liam posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Internal fiberglass insulation inside the unit has degraded and detached. The insulation has sagged into the airflow path, collecting dust and […]

Liam posted a new activity comment

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 17:58:47 +1300

Comfort and air quality complaints show up way earlier than efficiency complaints.