[gary_g]

How many labor hours to replace indoor TXV?

Work includes:
- Determining indoor TXV has failed closed
- Evacuating refrigerant from condenser shutoff valve to evap coil
- Replacing indoor TXV (2 threaded connections)
- Leak test w/nitrogen
- Purge nitrogen
- Vacuum lines
- Replace refrigerant

Thank you!!

Edit:
TXV located outside of air handler cabinet.
Air handler in laundry room - easy access (nothing blocking air handler).
Your truck can pull up right next to condenser.
New filter drier w/threaded connections installed.

 

[gary_g]

it takes whatever it takes depending on access to valve and equipment.

valve inside cabinet or outside cabinet, basement, attic, crawl?

how far from truck to units?





to many variables for this poll to mean a thing.:anyone:

Valve is outside of cabinet.

Location of air handler is in laundry room. Access is no problem.

Your truck can pull up right next to the condenser.

I edited the original post based on your questions - thank you.

 

[gary_g]

I would have picked 4 hours and added a new drier.

New drier was indeed added.

Threaded connection, no brazing.

Thanx.

 

[gary_g]

Does this include lunch?

Yes, but you have to be able to work and eat a grilled Italian sausage sandwich with peppers and onions at the same time.

This is truly a multi-tasking job. No napkins either

 

[gary_g]

Gary,
Was TXV totally closed off that unit could not be completely pumped down ? Therefore having to pull liquid out. Also no purging is needed ase thread. Why recover refrigerant from condenser ? Pump unit down on low side & recover liquid line.

Clarification:

Most of the refrigerant remained in the condenser.

Refrigerant that was recovered was in the lines and the evap coil.

Very little refrigerant was added.

Thanx.

 

[gary_g]

Gary, I would say 3 - 4 hours....might be longer if its concealed and you have to cut the plenum open and fabricate some metal.

TXV is outside air handler - easy access. No cutting plenum open, no metal fab needed.

2 threaded connections for TXV removal.

Thanx.

 

[gary_g]

Who in the heck said 1 hour?:eek2:

That person is hired!!

He can each lunch that I cooked for him WITHOUT working

He gets a Snapple iced tea too.

 

[gary_g]

So the old filter drier wasn't removed?

Yes, it was removed.

And replaced with a new one - same threaded type.

Thanx.

 

[gary_g]

Has this work already been done and you're back checking the time spent? Or is it yet to be done?

Work has already been done.

Because the contractor was not the closest, I was charged labor for travel time (which I agreed to pay, so no problem).

He didn't have the TXV in his van, so he had to go to a supply house near me and get it. I don't want to be charged for that travel time, so the purpose of the poll is to get a good estimate on the time to replace the TXV as described.

I'm leaning towards 2 hours labor time for replacement (it was a very straight-forward job), but I'm not sure. Thus the reason for the poll.

Thanx.

 

[gary_g]

if he came to house, troubleshot system, went and got part, came back and repaired in one shot you should be paying all of his time.

OK - thank you.

The night before the appointment, I left him a message and asked him to have an indoor TXV and a reversing valve in the van. I was guessing the problem was either one or the other.

He had the reversing valve but no indoor TXV

If the poll shows 3 hours to change out the TXV, I'm OK with that, and the total labor time will be in the ballpark.

Take care.

 

[gary_g]

Had he or someone from his company been to your house before to know what type of TXV the system needed? Or were you converting from a piston/flowrater to a TXV?

If he had no prior knowledge of what type of TXV was on the system or what type of TXV to select for the installation, then I don't think it's out of line for him to make a run to the parts house to get it, and for that time to be chargeable to the customer. If you were doing the job yourself, there would be a run to the parts house at some point...you're merely paying him what you otherwise would be doing with your time, in addition to paying him for his expertise (which is a time saver for you). That's how I see it, anyway, from one who once did residential HVAC service.

Thank you.

See Post #22.

He knew the condenser model#, and was the seller of the heat pump.

I'm not trying to be pushy, just looking for an estimated labor time for TXV replacement.

Take care.

 

[gary_g]

I can't speak for others but personally, I never let a customer troubleshoot the system for me. If I arrive at a job and the equipment needs a part I normally stock on my truck but don't have, I do not charge to run for the part. But if it's an OEM part of some part I don't normally stock, then either the customer pays for the parts run or they have to wait for the repair and the part is obtained by other means. TXVs do fail but not often enough for me to carry them on my truck. So that's a no-stock item for me, which puts the parts run into the mix. Customer's choice as to whether I run or not but just like most folks, when I work I do expect to be paid for my time. Since I don't normally stock a TXV on my truck, that would mean I have to go to the supplier either before the call (to appear with the TXV already on my truck) or after I've diagnosed the problem. Either way, if you want the unit running after I finish that days call, it takes a parts run.

OK - thank you.

 

[gary_g]

What about the one that is inside the outdoor unit. Was it changed?

No. Never even discussed.

The condenser was valved off.

Thanx.

 

[gary_g]

YOU were guessing...but was the TXV the problem? You hired your tech NOT to guess, but to diagnose. Sounds to me like he gave the chess game to you, instead of him winning your confidence he knew what was the problem all along. I could be wrong, being I wasn't there.

Additionally, he may have known the outdoor unit info, but did he know the indoor unit info, or have anything to do with its installation? Reason I ask is that an outdoor section can be swapped out and the indoor section not even touched...or at least that's how it used to be prior to SEER 13 and/or 410A.

I don't understand your term "chess game"?

Again, I'm not trying to be a PITA.

If it is standard practice to pay for a parts run, I'll do it - no problem.

It's just that I asked for the TXV to be on the truck because he wasn't coming from just around the corner.

Thanx.

 

[gary_g]

Your forgetting that he HAS to pay for those parts.
So why would he go and buy parts that he may not need?
Don't expect him to run to a parts house for free to PAY for parts he may not need.

Just because a part is in warranty. Doesn't mean the supply house gives it to us for free, when we walk in and say we need one. Warranty doesn't work that way.
Depending on distributor. It can take 30 days to get credit for a warranty part. Meaning our money is tied up for your Free part.

You owe the travel time.

OK - thanx.

 

[gary_g]

Hey Gary, do you think you struck a nerve here somewhere? We pros get challenged all the time based on what a part costs. So let me apologize if we're all a little sensitive when someone begins to question a bill. Speaking for myself only, I resent when I've work hard to provide service to a customer and then they question the charges. I don't mind explaining a reasonable curiosity question but if it smells like they think I'm over charging, then I do get a little sensitive. Some of us have been doing this an awfully long time and most can make a complex diagnosis and/or repair look like it's simple, just due to experience and knowledge. So we feel we're entitled to charge for that. Some people don't think we do so sometimes it gets a little dicey. Sometimes after the diagnosis, if we tell the customer what's wrong and what it will cost to fix it, they'll take our diagnosis and go shopping for someone to fix it for a lower cost. Hence our company policy of NOT telling the customer what's wrong, only how much it will cost to do the repair. If they want insist on knowing what's broken before they'll agree to the repair, then we nicely tell them there's a consulting fee associated with that information. If they move forward with the repair, we don't charge the consulting fee. If they decide, after hearing what the repair is, that someone else (DIY or some other contractor) is going to do the repair, then the consulting fee applies. :rules:

That's the result of having my knowledge taken by the customer and given to someone else, who likely wouldn't have found the problem or known what was wrong in the first place and having the job done for a lower price. What's fair is fair and personally, I don't like having my brain picked. So again, sorry if we're a little sensitive about this but that's the years of experience showing. :troll:

No problem, SkippedOver.

I understand where you're coming from, and I'm not arguing back.

I haven't called the contractor and argued.

I just wanted to get opinions on the labor time to replace the TXV.

Take care.

 

[gary_g]

Re: chess game...perhaps football would've been a better choice (I play chess). Football teams win by making their opponents play the game their way; same in chess. You win by forcing your opponent to play the game your way, not his.

Same concept in Boxing.

Thanx.

 

[gary_g]

Like I said, I would have picked 4 if it was there.:eek2:

and I would not have brought parts I would end up being stuck with.

OK - thanx for your input.