$150 boiler/furnace clean and service

426hemi

There is no furnace or boiler that can be cleaned for $150 dollars if you did you would go bankrupt 
But it is profitable to charge $150 to change the filter and nozzle vacuum the flue pipe and set the combustion in and out in under an hour. Then 5-10 year down the road when it chokes up with soot tell you it needs to be replaced which is also a profitable job. The true cost of this job is in the $200-$500 range depending on how dirty and time to disassemble your brand of furnace. You can’t quote this job over the phone 

STEAM DOCTOR

Business 101. There are better ways to make money. You can drill holes in boilers and heat exchangers. Maybe put a hole in oil tank and plug with putty. They will definitely call you back when it starts to leak. The opportunities are endless. 

SlamDunk

So? Charge what you need to charge. I did it once in my mom's house after a great install but lousy oil burner start up. I agree. I wouldn't do it for $150 either. Unless, maybe, if I was there the year before and know what to expect. But even then, Probably not for $150.

GroundUp

This is why I don't do service

Zman

Most companies that offer cheap service/inspections have their techs on commission. The "rag and tag" service is cheap. They find lot's of things wrong with your system and charge a premium for the repairs.

hvacfreak2

The Chrysler 426 Hemi remains the most powerful passenger car engine ever produced ( as modified for fuel drag racing ). It is a combination of the original 1951 and 1958 engine designs ( upper and lower ends respectively ) . The 50's and 60's were amazing times in US automotive engineering , and possibly the pinnacle of the internal combustion engine designs.

Erin Holohan Haskell

We can't discuss pricing here. Thanks.

ChrisJ

hvacfreak2 said:

The Chrysler 426 Hemi remains the most powerful passenger car engine ever produced ( as modified for fuel drag racing ). It is a combination of the original 1951 and 1958 engine designs ( upper and lower ends respectively ) . The 50's and 60's were amazing times in US automotive engineering , and possibly the pinnacle of the internal combustion engine designs.

Except for the fact hemispherical combustion chambers were surpassed in 1911 in airplanes and even a 1928 Duesenberg was more advanced than any mass produced American car in the 50s and 60s sure why not.....  

I guess we won't think about Ferrari, Maserati etc.

  

motoguy128

“Tune and clean “ is pretty generic.  We do them for a lot less but honestly it’s just customer service.  We make far more profit installing equipment and sling repairs.  

A spring check in a furnace or AC takes maybe 30-50 minutes and you cover most nuisance failures points and look for potential issues.  

Customers that get regular service get preference on service calls, and are often the only calls we will go on after hours unless it’s really hot or cold.  

I find most boilers take longer to verify parameters and operation is correct.  

weedhopper

This is what happens when one gets a lousy cleaning job. He never checked or cleaned the blower motor, thus almost no air flow. Not a complete puffback but the boiler was choked.

The guy who was doing the work moved down south so my oil company recommended the new guy. Been happy ever after. I would have paid well over ( well, I did with two service calls) to avoid this.

hvacfreak2

ChrisJ said:

hvacfreak2 said:

The Chrysler 426 Hemi remains the most powerful passenger car engine ever produced ( as modified for fuel drag racing ). It is a combination of the original 1951 and 1958 engine designs ( upper and lower ends respectively ) . The 50's and 60's were amazing times in US automotive engineering , and possibly the pinnacle of the internal combustion engine designs.

Except for the fact hemispherical combustion chambers were surpassed in 1911 in airplanes and even a 1928 Duesenberg was more advanced than any mass produced American car in the 50s and 60s sure why not.....  

I guess we won't think about Ferrari, Maserati etc.

  



All of that sounds great. Any official runs or times to go with it ?

ChrisJ

hvacfreak2 said:

hvacfreak2 said:

The Chrysler 426 Hemi remains the most powerful passenger car engine ever produced ( as modified for fuel drag racing ). It is a combination of the original 1951 and 1958 engine designs ( upper and lower ends respectively ) . The 50's and 60's were amazing times in US automotive engineering , and possibly the pinnacle of the internal combustion engine designs.

Except for the fact hemispherical combustion chambers were surpassed in 1911 in airplanes and even a 1928 Duesenberg was more advanced than any mass produced American car in the 50s and 60s sure why not.....  

I guess we won't think about Ferrari, Maserati etc.

  

All of that sounds great. Any official runs or times to go with it ?

I'd recommend taking this to another thread or PM if you want to discuss further.

JohnNY

We charge considerably more than the OP's stated price. Boiler services are a race to the bottom. Companies do them for next to nothing and don't actually do anything of value and then we all have to charge less than the job is worth and find ourselves having to sell a job to make it with our costs. I stopped that years ago. Now I charge for my time and eliminate the impetus for any add-ons. My clients are either going to use me or they aren't. I'm not doing any more seasonal startups at a loss just so I can shortchange a customer or feel like I have to sell them something.

coolfx35

I do think that price is low because the plumber needs to drive out, time and gas...

ChrisJ

coolfx35 said:

I always wondering why we can't talk price on the board? As a consumer, I think it helps to get an idea of what other folks paid for their stuff, there's a lot of overcharging stuff going in the industry. I do respect the rules however. what Steam Doctor said actually happened often that's why it's important to find someone you trust... i have had my shares of rip offs.

Its to protect professionals in different areas etc.

Someone in nyc needs to charge a lot more than someone in a rural area just to break even.

Erin Holohan Haskell

Yes, there are too many variables with each job. And posting prices in this public forum could lead to illegal price fixing, so we can't discuss prices here. Thanks.

SlamDunk

A proper cleaning of an oil furnace, or boiler, stack, and proper tuning of burner is valuable. The tools, eduction and insurance is expensive.

Finding a tech with both the skill and gumption to do it all correctly is difficult to find. You can't go by price. Word of mouth is best.

Even on the the industrial level, the clean service has been disappointing. Hand holds leak, site gages leak, probes wiring get crossed.

We do it ourselves because we have skin in the game. But my team isnt perfect. Guys don't last, prefer not to own it. Hours are long and the work can be hard. I imagine it is the same with residential. Except, with residential, you have customers who think you charge too much.

Kickstand55

If you're worth your salt, you will charge the right price for a job well done, without call backs or annoying odd sounds.
I tell my customers that want a quick deal, " Cheap isn't good and good isn't cheap". "You may want to call the other guy".
Don't be bashful when quoting work, that is, if you're worth your salt.
I get many referrals. Some say, "I hear you're very expensive". I say, "I hear that all the time". I will not lie to my customers.
Be honest, because they will refer you to someone else. Then you can tell them the same thing.
I have plenty of work to keep me busy. Maybe too much.

WMno57

hvacfreak2 said:

The 50's and 60's were amazing times in US automotive engineering , and possibly the pinnacle of the internal combustion engine designs.

I'm with you 100% brother. This applies to many other industries and technologies as well.

@ChrisJ I've seen your work in your threads. Your design philosophy in your system is in the same rare air as the 28 Duesenberg. I've enjoyed reading your thoughts on things.

@coolfx35 I agree with you that putting numbers on products helps to compare them. However, we are all guests in the house of @Erin Holohan Haskell. Her house, her rules, and she does have good reasons for them. Out of all the "houses" on the internet I have been a guest in, this is one of the nicest.

Erin Holohan Haskell

Thanks, @WMno57

EdTheHeaterMan

Agree with @WMno57

and she is a looker too!

Can I say that in this world of political correctness, social correctness, and all other correctness? Would not want to offend anyone.

Erin Holohan Haskell

Well that brightened my morning. Thank you, @EdTheHeaterMan.

Solid_Fuel_Man

We should all put our mug shots on here....

Oh wait the Halloween thread is over! 

EdTheHeaterMan

Solid_Fuel_Man said:

We should all put our mug shots on here....

Oh wait the Halloween thread is over! 

Says the man without a smile!


OK, I'l put my real picture on my profile. But only for a few weeks

Solid_Fuel_Man

I'd be having lotsa trouble if that were me! 

It's actually a picture that I saw on the classroom door in a high school while working on.....you guessed it.....univents.