eBay competition

J.C.A._3

The more you bring this to the light, the more PO'd LICENSED contractors should get. Then, and only then will the problem be addressed properly. I'm not usually a big advocate of state government intervention, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. Steve raised a very good point . I bet there is more refrigerant being let loose now than ever before.

Keep plugging the facts my friend. The big boxes will continue to tell anyone that they can do it themself. When reality bites them in the @$$, and the lawsuits start flying (AND THEY WILL!!!!), you will be vindicated for trying to tell us, and ultimately getting THEM on the defensive, and (hopefully) out of the "loop".( any manufacturers listening? I, personally don't buy any product that I can get at the big box stores any longer. Why should Joe homeowner be able to go and pick from a shelf the same thing I would sell them, to make a living at mind you, for almost the same price I would pay? )Best reason for charging a different rate for labor that I could have ever come up with...Homeowner supplied parts. No warranty, any callbacks billed at full rate and replacement parts are their responsibility.Nuff said?

The posts on suppliers selling to homeowners has been a hot topic as of late. The better ones we deal with are now asking for credentials BEFORE selling to a homeowner/unknown buyer for DIY things. The only exception is one supplier that has a HUGE showroom. We send people there to pick out their own fixtures. The supplier is well aware of the contractors that send them to the showroom, and we are treated accordingly. It may cost them in the short term, but I have a strange feeling that it will benefit them in the long run. Chris

John R. Hall

Selling to your customers

I looked up a guy who is selling all kinds of furnaces and condensing units at eBay. Here was his answer when I asked if he required purchasers to be EPA certified and if he requires the installation to be inspected:

"Most people are able to install the majority of the work themselves the system comes with an installation manual, however we require that you have a small licensed ac
company do the final start up and checking of your work. The average cost nationally is about 125.00
You do not need any certifications to purchase the system."

A little scary eh?

S Ebels

Scary but true

You don't need any certifications to buy it. The feds haven't figured this one out yet. I have to say based on my number of service calls to "self inflicted installation syndrome" homeowners, the amount of refrigerant being vented to the atmosphere is at least as great as it has ever been.

mark_40

based on my number of calls ....

well. i ain't participatin' in this homeowner scam

Constantin

... the only major advantage these days ...

...is that CFC-12 has been supplanted by HCFCs, which have a much lower ozone-depleting potential...

... and lest we pin a huge bullseye on DIY'ers, let's not forget the HVAC professionals whose modus operandi is best known as "blow and go".

At one point, allegedly, the illegal importation of CFC-12 was only second to the drug trade in terms of scale. That stuff was not sold by the big box stores... and it wasn't "reclaimed" CFC-12 either. If true, pretty sobering, when you think about it.

Mark Eatherton1

This is exactly why 50-50 lead solder was banned...

The weekend warrior. The DYI'er (Do Yourself IN)

"OK, now you heat the pipe up, THEN apply the flux, then apply the solder. If a little bit does a little good, then a LOT of stuff does a LOT of good..." They then go on to line the inside of the 90 degree fitting with molten lead preceded by hot running flux. The fitting is in an environment that never allows a protective patina to set in (lime scale) and the fitting continues to dump PPM's of lead into the drinking water.

It wasn't the joint done by the professional plumber that caused the problem, it was the weekend warriors! FACT!

You can get ANYTHING via the internet now. A N Y T H I N G. Ya just gotta know what search engines to use:-)

ME

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Steamhead

There's also

a pretty good assortment of second-hand oil burners on Ebay. Mostly Becketts, but a few Carlins and Waynes- no ABC-Sunrays though :-( . Nice photos of some of the burners being fired too.

But a couple of these guys state they must be installed by a pro. I hope this means someone is listening to us.....

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Maine doug_2

The licensed professional that

installed my split Sanyo AC did not put compressor oil on the fittings before tightening them. One had a leak. So he blew all the gas into the atmosphere instead of doing a draw down. Oiled the fitting and retightened and added new gas. Did not evacuate before adding. I paid him for the unit but not the install and found another licensed professional that re-did it correctly.
I am sure the licensed hack is still venting to the atmosphere.