HVAC Community Hub | Mathew | Activity

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 04:58:24 +1200

How are the fins on the side where the branches were pressing in. Salvageable or do they need a new coil eventually.

In reply to - Lucas posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Got dispatched for a “system not keeping up” call. Showed up and couldn’t even find the condenser at first. Homeowner pointed me to the […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 03:53:07 +1200

I’ve been thinking about getting into refrigeration work. Is it worth learning or should I stick to residential HVAC?

In reply to - Logan posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Walk in cooler build done. Restaurant opens next week.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:09:00 +1200

What evaporator is that?

In reply to - Logan posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Walk in cooler build done. Restaurant opens next week.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:54:34 +1200

Microchannel coil repair is not really a field repair situation. if it’s not leaking run it and get the replacement ordered.

In reply to - Liam posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices 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 […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:16:25 +1200

I document everything now. Every visit I note the recommendation in writing. If they decline replacement three times that’s on them not me.

In reply to - Owen posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs If your customer has been “repairing” a unit that looks like the one on the right for 6 years and you kept taking the repair calls without pushing […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 19:59:27 +1200

I had a kid, maybe 8 years old, ask me more relevant questions than most adults do. Kid wants to be an electrician now.

In reply to - Maxime posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs ok this is a vent more than a question. just got back from a call where the homeowner stood over my shoulder the entire time narrating what I […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 03:02:11 +1200

My record is a guy who brought out a lawn chair and just sat and watched for 45 minutes straight. Didn’t say a word the whole time. Almost worse than the talkers.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 23:39:54 +1200

Just walk away from the ones who treat it like a courtroom. not every customer is worth keeping.

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.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:00:54 +1200

GC covered the material difference. I ate two weeks of schedule slip waiting on the approval.

In reply to - Ethan posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Whoever specced rectangular duct on this job clearly never had to install it in an 11 foot ceiling with beams every 6 feet. Switched the […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 20:25:42 +1200

Fair. wasn’t trying to say always. just always in this specific ceiling height with this many obstructions.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 23:20:33 +1200

Two weeks of paperwork to do the smart thing. sounds about right for commercial.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 22:20:29 +1200

How did you get the change approved mid job. Most GCs fight you on any deviation from the stamped drawings.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 22:48:36 +1200

I wouldn’t go below 20 percent net on a replacement. Ever.

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, […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 01:33:13 +1200

The two bad hires before the right one is so accurate it hurts.

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 […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Sat, 30 May 2026 22:06:18 +1200

The customers who push back hardest on price are almost always the ones who got a system replaced 8 years ago and remember what they paid. I’ve started asking upfront when their last system was installed before I even quote. Helps me calibrate how much education the conversation is going to need.

In reply to - Michael posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Anyone else feel like equipment prices are just never going back down. Quoted a 3 ton Carrier install today. My cost on the equipment alone […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 29 May 2026 23:21:54 +1200

Never going back. Accept it and price accordingly.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 29 May 2026 21:25:42 +1200

Learn the social media algorithms. There is an actual formula for getting views and increasing visibility. SEO is critical and I know everyone hates hearing that but it’s true. Getting found on Google requires months of consistent work plus good reviews or you pay your way to the top. We post content daily and respond to everyone… Read more

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 […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 18 May 2026 19:46:05 +1200

Some financing companies are great until you actually start sending average-credit customers through them.

In reply to - Connor posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Been looking at changing financing companies after one of our dealer fees jumped from 1.9% to almost 4%. Not a huge deal on smaller tickets […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Wed, 13 May 2026 22:30:14 +1200

Yeah seeing a lot more people trying to squeeze extra years out of equipment lately.

In reply to - Miles posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Anybody else feel like customers think HVAC companies just randomly started charging more overnight 😅 Meanwhile equipment prices, parts, […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:11:51 +1200

We use Gusto for payroll but still shopped insurance separately.

In reply to - Alessandro posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Started looking into health insurance options for employees this week and honestly didn’t realize how all over the place pricing […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:33:13 +1200

Card on file or no work. Learned that the hard way..

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… […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:08:57 +1200

Most new guys price like retail and wonder why builders ignore them.

In reply to - Hunter posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Trying to get in with a few builders right now and still figuring out my pricing. Feels like I’m coming in too high because I’m not getting […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 03:47:11 +1300

The aux strips running flat out all winter while the system actively cooled. That’s a rough one. Customer is going to want someone to blame for that bill.

In reply to - Hugo posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Went out on a spring service call this week. Homeowner mentioned their heating bills were a lot higher than usual this winter but figured it was […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:35:36 +1300

That’s the key. Education instead of defense.

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

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:20:35 +1300

100%. I’ve had customers call me back 3-4 years later just because you were the only one who called back.

In reply to - Grayson posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Most customers won’t remember the exact number on the invoice a year from now. But they’ll remember if you showed up when you said you would, […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:41:07 +1300

Unless they found the cheapest number online and that’s the only one they remember.

In reply to - Matteo posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Anyone else noticing customers coming in way more “prepared” than before? Not just YouTube stuff I mean price ranges, part numbers, even […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 04:20:14 +1300

Loose TXV bulb will mess with you all day. I’ve seen that create fake low charge symptoms more than once.

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 […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:26:01 +1300

No credit. Ever. You paid for my time to figure it out. That’s a separate service.

In reply to - Jack posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs We charge a service/diagnostic to come out and troubleshoot. The only time we roll that into the total is when the customer decides to replace […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 22:29:55 +1300

That coil isn’t rejecting heat anymore, it’s just holding onto it. Surprised the compressor hasn’t tapped out yet.

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.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:31:34 +1300

Would love more owner-focused discussions, not just tech stuff.

In reply to - HVAC Community Hub posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Hey everyone just checking in. If you’ve faced any issues using the community, or if there’s anything you’d like us to improve or […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 02:13:42 +1300

Nothing worse than chasing a problem that turns out to be the tool.

In reply to - Tyler posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Got to site today and the digital multimeter started acting up. Readings kept dropping and resetting, so we spent almost an hour just […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 20:53:47 +1300

And suddenly it’s urgent when the weather changes.

In reply to - Mathew posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices Flow changes immediately when the valve position is adjusted, but system response doesn’t scale the way it should under load.Feels like […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 20:53:45 +1300

Yeah, it behaves just well enough to hide the problem.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 20:53:44 +1300

That’s a good call. Easy to overlook when everything moves correctly.

Mathew posted an update in the group HVAC Installation Best Practices: Flow changes immediately when the valve position […]

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 20:53:42 +1300

Flow changes immediately when the valve position is adjusted,
but system response doesn’t scale the way it should under load.Feels like control and hydronic behavior aren’t aligned,
even though everything looks correct at first glance.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 19:01:10 +1300

Service history reads like a mystery novel with half the pages missing.

In reply to - Salvatore posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Walked into a job with a full service history attached… and still felt like I knew nothing. Notes said checked, adjusted, monitor, but none of it […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 13:42:24 +1300

We document readings heavily on these calls just to protect ourselves.

In reply to - Mason posted an update in the group HVAC Tools & Equipment Everything checks out on the unit, but the customer insists it was working better before. No alarms, no faults, temps are in range yet the […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 11:17:52 +1300

Volume still matters though. Hard to win with low traffic.

In reply to - Agustin posted an update in the group HVAC Lead Generation Mastery One thing I keep noticing across high-performing HVAC businesses: lead volume isn’t the bottleneck anymore -lead timing is. The same campaign […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:08:50 +1300

That’s a smart move. I’ll start building a reference binder for Trane stuff.

In reply to - Mathew posted an update in the group HVAC Tools & Equipment Honestly, I don’t get to work on Trane units very often. Curious – who here works on them regularly? Any good manuals, PDFs, or online resources […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:08:48 +1300

Yeah, I’ve heard that. It’s just the learning curve that’s steep at first.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:08:47 +1300

Good tip. Sensor faults are exactly what make me nervous with those systems.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:08:46 +1300

’ll check those out. Sometimes the old videos explain things better than manuals.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:08:44 +1300

Didn’t know about TechView – that’s a great lead, thanks!

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:08:43 +1300

Yeah, those control panels can be intimidating at first. Appreciate the heads-up.

Mathew posted an update in the group HVAC Tools & Equipment: Honestly, I don’t get to work on Trane units very […]

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:08:42 +1300

Honestly, I don’t get to work on Trane units very often.
Curious – who here works on them regularly?
Any good manuals, PDFs, or online resources you’d recommend to get more familiar with their systems?

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:26:21 +1300

Good point! I’ll bleed the system and see if it helps.

In reply to - Mathew posted an update in the group Troubleshooting & Repairs Noticed some erratic pressure readings on an expansion tank in a commercial hydronic system – the bladder seems fine, but the pre-charge may […]

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:26:19 +1300

That’s a fair point. I’ll monitor pump cycles to rule that out.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:26:18 +1300

Haha exactly! Makes you question your sanity sometimes.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:26:16 +1300

True – might need to drain and inspect the tank to be sure.

Mathew posted a new activity comment

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:26:15 +1300

Good point! I’ll double-check the pre-charge and see if that stabilizes it.