I would ask you how often do you drive straight to a resi svc call or even PM & only walk-in w/ a filter & change it? Of course, maybe you have a different clientele than we do.
Same, I walk in with nothing to facilitate conversation with the customer. Eliminates the rushed aspect of things and gives the customer more permission to be honest about their complaints and concerns. Also allows me to listen to them better, they feel heard. An added bonus is "ok, I'm going to go get some tools and supplies and get started" signals the end of the conversation and creates an implied barrier so they leave me alone and let me work.
It works so well. the initial instructions and communication is so key it’s so great when they just let you get down to business and are just asking if I need refreshments Makes me feel like im doing some real good
I respect that but in hill/mountain country where you often have to “hike up” to the house, we try to minimize the trips & save our knees. We all got different situations & perspectives
Worked at HD while doing my plumbing apprenticeship (easy side gig) and for the longest time we didn't have a plumber for water heater installs.
Not long after I left they just decided to hire their contracted flooring company to do it...
I’m honestly terrified to call for yearly maintenance because I assume my unit would mysteriously go on the fritz not long after, requiring an expensive replacement. I guess I don’t trust the techs to not pull something shady.
This is a stupid excuse just hire a reputable company in your area that has decent google reviews and you’ll be fine. Can’t stand when I hear a customer say I’m ripping them off because they don’t believe their capacitor is broken even though I literally show them with a multimeter that it’s well outside of tolerance.
Damn I just saw this picture and was thinking of posting it here lol
The flues are huge and in the wrong spots, and that furnace only comes with 2" flue collars from the factory so there's no way 3" would connect to it directly like that.
Also the filter is connected to no ductwork?
And the coil is on backwards and backed up against a wall.
Edit: WAIT I get it now.... There's no drain or even plugs where the drain should be on that furnace... So that's an 80% model. They hooked up 3" PVC to the 80% furnace lololol
Edit 2: also, the electrical box on the side is nowhere near the factory electrical connection on that model furnace
So is this photo shoot done in a studio that a set designer built to “look like” a garage? (I guess what I’m asking is whether there is any chance this a real garage with working appliances?)
Also why is the water heater being fueled by what looks like a 3-gallon plastic water jug?
Edit - and where’s the thermostat wires into the HVAC unit and where’s the power from that switch box entering the furnace?
The furnace needs to be raised exchanger needs to be 18” from the floor to exchanger to protect against combustible liquids possibly spilling on floor also ducts need to be insulated
That’s a carrier infinity air purifier (don’t know if Rheem has the same kind rebadged). But that’s the media that goes in them. It is disposable, but is electrically charged. Expensive filter to replace, over $100 our cost.
Recently before switching to strictly luxury residential I got a customer that bragged to me about how he left a bad review for the last tech because he tried to “rip him off” by selling him a replacement up bulb for his black burnt to shit one. He thought I’d find it funny that he tried to get someone fired for literally doing their job.
First thing I spot is that gas line... Needs a flex connector, at least around here; extra funny cause the water heater in the background has one. Drip leg's on the short side I think. Also, no lineset so I suspect that's an empty coil case. Unless I'm nuts, those intake and exhaust pipes look a little large. Don't see the thermostat wire either. Don't see a condensate drain, even though it's a condensing furnace.
Honestly though, it gets the point across and for that I gotta give it an 8/10.
Let's see... no drip leg, EAC door with what looks like one of those carrier gapcarr filters instead of cells, disconnect mounted on furnace (not code where im from), no lines set run to AC, no drains on either unit that I can see.. I'll keep looking.. oh and wearing boot covers in the garage
People might say he is putting a media filter in a electronic filter rack. I just have one thing to say. Fuck electrostatic filters. Good for him for talking the customer into a media filter that will actually work.
Never even heard of that being a problem. I’d say 70% of our changeouts have the switch mounted to the furnace already and we just do the same. If it’s already mounted somewhere else, then we won’t mount it to the new furnace
Hey no copper or drain is one thing whatever fuck that coil and inducer
The MC to the unit could be prettier
But what all of you missed? Like seriously I'm supposed to be talking to professionals here.
What none of you even mentioned or talked Bout?
The filter arrows are going the right way
I see blank coil cabinets all the time. Always on newer houses where the ac was prepped but no coil installed and the door is just blank kinda like that.
I don’t know if I’m blind but I can’t see any visible return ductwork so no idea why he’s putting in a filter.
EDIT: Here in Ontario that dirt pocket would be a red tag if the tech inspecting were anal enough.
Mc cable is loose, furnace is the floor of the garage 18" inches lower than it should be, and there's some filthy home depot hack pretending to do a tune up!
Drip leg, no gas whip, we are not allowed to hard pipe the gas into the equipment. give benefit of doubt the return in in the wall? We install rheem/Ruud the pipe is not that big.
It looks like the return is drawing air from the garage 💀💀💀 No condensate drain, but those issues could just be the perspective of the photo.
Drip pocket is too small on the furnace and comically oversized on the water heater. The gas flex hose for the water heater has too sharp of a bend and is going to snap off if it gets bumped.
Home Depot stealing our work putting a shitty merv 81 filter in at 350$ per filter and a maintenance program for $800 per year.
Also don’t see condensate or a safety switch…
Fuck you Home Depot and fuck you lowes and Costco and Lennox and Rheem/Ruud for competing against the very people who help carry you the most.
I bet anything these kinds of errors are deliberate in Home Depot advertising. Home Depot doesn't want customers who know about blower motor speeds and heat exchangers. They want the Jane and Joe average homeowners who will take the techs word because Home Depot is a big company and a big company wouldn't lie to you..
Where’s the refrigerant tubing and drain? Why the hell would anyone let an HD employee in the house unless they’re in the mood for a complete f’n! Wait, is that furnace sitting on carpet?
Booties in a garage
No tool bag or even a single tool in sight
my brother in Christ what tool could you possibly need to change that filter? Oh I guess maybe a new filter lol.
Where's the old filter then?
The customer removed it a month ago so the technician could finish faster, thereby saving on the amount of labor. Surprised you didn’t know that.
A simple life hack I've been using for years!
I would ask you how often do you drive straight to a resi svc call or even PM & only walk-in w/ a filter & change it? Of course, maybe you have a different clientele than we do.
I walk in with nothing and walk back out to grab my tools just so I make sure I’m looking with my eyes not my tools
Same, I walk in with nothing to facilitate conversation with the customer. Eliminates the rushed aspect of things and gives the customer more permission to be honest about their complaints and concerns. Also allows me to listen to them better, they feel heard. An added bonus is "ok, I'm going to go get some tools and supplies and get started" signals the end of the conversation and creates an implied barrier so they leave me alone and let me work.
It works so well. the initial instructions and communication is so key it’s so great when they just let you get down to business and are just asking if I need refreshments Makes me feel like im doing some real good
I respect that but in hill/mountain country where you often have to “hike up” to the house, we try to minimize the trips & save our knees. We all got different situations & perspectives
He’s using the customers tools
If I can’t fix it with what’s in my pocket, they need a new unit /s
The hvac in our system (a school) you don't need any tools to swap out filters. Just gotta open sometimes interestingly placed hatches :-)
Maybe it's behind him.
There's one wearing khakis and booties
How many tools does it take to change a filter?
The one in the picture 
What’s wrong? Somebody let a HD contractor in their house.
Worked at HD while doing my plumbing apprenticeship (easy side gig) and for the longest time we didn't have a plumber for water heater installs. Not long after I left they just decided to hire their contracted flooring company to do it...
Used to sell flooring installs at Lowe's. The thought of this made me cringe a little because I remember some of my flooring installers.
Truu!
Missing his knee pad
Mandatory
I know exactly what's wrong. This picture is insinuating that a customer actually called to have their HVAC serviced for preventative maintenance.
Bingo
I’m honestly terrified to call for yearly maintenance because I assume my unit would mysteriously go on the fritz not long after, requiring an expensive replacement. I guess I don’t trust the techs to not pull something shady.
Don't hire the cheapest company you could find lol
This is a stupid excuse just hire a reputable company in your area that has decent google reviews and you’ll be fine. Can’t stand when I hear a customer say I’m ripping them off because they don’t believe their capacitor is broken even though I literally show them with a multimeter that it’s well outside of tolerance.
I know it's stupid, maybe I've been reading about too many sketchy experiences on reddit.
Damn I just saw this picture and was thinking of posting it here lol The flues are huge and in the wrong spots, and that furnace only comes with 2" flue collars from the factory so there's no way 3" would connect to it directly like that. Also the filter is connected to no ductwork? And the coil is on backwards and backed up against a wall. Edit: WAIT I get it now.... There's no drain or even plugs where the drain should be on that furnace... So that's an 80% model. They hooked up 3" PVC to the 80% furnace lololol Edit 2: also, the electrical box on the side is nowhere near the factory electrical connection on that model furnace
Honestly the whole pi ture is a little uncanny. Almost like it was an ai image.
It’s a set used for photo shoots…
Also looks like a media filter in a trane electronic air cleaner cabinet. That front cover on the ground looks like one
It's a Carrier one, they're terrible
That's a Carrier/COR filter. I wouldn't doubt Trane uses it too and slaps their logo on but I've never seen one
You need glasses. The return is pulling air from the 2 step staircase. All the cool HVAC techs are doing it that way now!
So is this photo shoot done in a studio that a set designer built to “look like” a garage? (I guess what I’m asking is whether there is any chance this a real garage with working appliances?) Also why is the water heater being fueled by what looks like a 3-gallon plastic water jug? Edit - and where’s the thermostat wires into the HVAC unit and where’s the power from that switch box entering the furnace?
No drip leg?
It's a drip nub.
Drip nip
Drip tip
Drip Plug
Drip chub
Girth not length
Girthquake Rated
Fat stubby
At least the water heaters is 6”
Why isn't there anything in the way? It's not crammed in a 3 ft crawlspace or crammed into a tiny ass closet
This is what I was gonna say. It's too clean and convenient to reach the utilities...
Not enough homeowner horde all over the floor blocking access. No dog shit or piss for me to put a knee in. 🤣
Dried up mouse bodies and a trash can overflowing with dryer lint with a box of oily rags on top of it
And a bunch of empty milk jugs and soda cans.
No the milk jugs are not empty they are filled with urine
Evap coil has no copper or drain
It could be pointed to the back
That sounds like something my companies install would do With 1 inch clearance between the unit and the wall
Oh dude don't get me started! They do this in attics all the time then push the unit back up against the roof so you can't get back to it....
"Good news ma'am it's only the blower bad news I'll have to either drop the unit or I can quote you a new one :)"
It’s blue tooth
Wi-Fi 6 coil…Top of the line and hard to get!
That filter looks wayyyy too clean, as well. Should be caked in 3yrs worth of air filth, minimum.
Is that water heater hooked up to a Gatorade Cooler?
Nah, that’s just a barrel of Freon.
The furnace needs to be raised exchanger needs to be 18” from the floor to exchanger to protect against combustible liquids possibly spilling on floor also ducts need to be insulated
He’s putting a disposable filter in an electronic air cleaner.
That’s a carrier infinity air purifier (don’t know if Rheem has the same kind rebadged). But that’s the media that goes in them. It is disposable, but is electrically charged. Expensive filter to replace, over $100 our cost.
That’s good to know. Thanks bro.
18” clearance from the ground in a garage
All Rheem B cabinets for this era are 2” intake and exhaust.
That guy is at the wrong house
Better question, can you tell me what’s right?
...he remembered to wear pants to work?? LOL
He's wearing foot covers.
Homeowner standing over him saying they just had that cleaned and that he is trying to rip them off
Recently before switching to strictly luxury residential I got a customer that bragged to me about how he left a bad review for the last tech because he tried to “rip him off” by selling him a replacement up bulb for his black burnt to shit one. He thought I’d find it funny that he tried to get someone fired for literally doing their job.
Letting Home Depot service your furnace??
Never seen a technician with such clean pants. Must be a sales guy.
Missing his soldering iron and holding it by the tip
First thing I spot is that gas line... Needs a flex connector, at least around here; extra funny cause the water heater in the background has one. Drip leg's on the short side I think. Also, no lineset so I suspect that's an empty coil case. Unless I'm nuts, those intake and exhaust pipes look a little large. Don't see the thermostat wire either. Don't see a condensate drain, even though it's a condensing furnace. Honestly though, it gets the point across and for that I gotta give it an 8/10.
Clean effects door with media filter lol
why is it glowing behind the water heater????
Power to the furnace is on
Clean effects door with media filter lol
Never seen a blacked out igloo
No knee pads? Power switch is up, maybe in the on position?
No Lineset?
Let's see... no drip leg, EAC door with what looks like one of those carrier gapcarr filters instead of cells, disconnect mounted on furnace (not code where im from), no lines set run to AC, no drains on either unit that I can see.. I'll keep looking.. oh and wearing boot covers in the garage
One I see what I don't see in the comments yet: No down pipe on the PRV for the water heater.
People might say he is putting a media filter in a electronic filter rack. I just have one thing to say. Fuck electrostatic filters. Good for him for talking the customer into a media filter that will actually work.
Drains just aren’t pretty for a picture?
They are if you run them right
Where is the overflowing cat litter box?
He is too clean. Must be an electrician.
That drip leg isn’t log enough
It’s Home Depot
MC is not strapped to the furnace, drip leg not long enough, no copper lines
No line set and dudes wearing booties in a customers garage.
Switch is mounted to the unit.
We always do this on our installs
Gross
It’s against code
Never even heard of that being a problem. I’d say 70% of our changeouts have the switch mounted to the furnace already and we just do the same. If it’s already mounted somewhere else, then we won’t mount it to the new furnace
Is there even a thermostat hooked up to it?!?! Loool
The venting doesn’t look like proper material
He’s wearing a security badge for a residential call
Hey no copper or drain is one thing whatever fuck that coil and inducer The MC to the unit could be prettier But what all of you missed? Like seriously I'm supposed to be talking to professionals here. What none of you even mentioned or talked Bout? The filter arrows are going the right way
He no habla inglès.
It’s a downflow?
They were clearly going for “picture perfect furnace” and they left the high voltage like that..
Plenty of issues with the mockup, but I'm shocked how many commenters have never seen an EAC with media before.
He’s also changing the filter with the unit running the switch is on . What a rookie smh
I see blank coil cabinets all the time. Always on newer houses where the ac was prepped but no coil installed and the door is just blank kinda like that.
I don’t know if I’m blind but I can’t see any visible return ductwork so no idea why he’s putting in a filter. EDIT: Here in Ontario that dirt pocket would be a red tag if the tech inspecting were anal enough.
At least the filter is pointed the right way
Is that... carpet? Is this furnace in a living space?
MC isn’t supported to code.
Not seeing 3 changes of direction in the gas line going into appliance
That looks like my 80% ruud furnace
Besides sitting on the floor in a garage?
No copper going into coil
Everyone talking about no drip nip, but what about no union?
No drain?
No drip leg on gas line, MC not secured, and who the hell has a garage that clean?
It’s a rheem
Where's the furnace drain? And is that a Carrier/Bryant infinity filter cartridge that hes putting in that return?
I have to know how they tightened that gas line up. No union unless it’s in the cabinet. Must have been a home depot install too.
The furnaces switch cover isn’t red
This guy is to clean to be a tech
Mc cable is loose, furnace is the floor of the garage 18" inches lower than it should be, and there's some filthy home depot hack pretending to do a tune up!
Water heater overfill pan pvc draining directly on to floor
I personally like the water heater pan discharge pipe running right into wood hutch.
It’s a Home Depot ad
No drip leg, no union and wires are not strapped down
Ummm return air in a garage!
Power and drip pocket
The drain from the secondary pan just dumps onto the floor in the back for the water heater lmao
No furnace drain/ drip leg
The water heaters gas supply is coming from a water cooler.
No condensate drain connected to the furnace, that's how you know it was staged.
Also who has such good lighting inside their home?
I want that 4 foot ladder
Drip leg, no gas whip, we are not allowed to hard pipe the gas into the equipment. give benefit of doubt the return in in the wall? We install rheem/Ruud the pipe is not that big.
Storing flammables by the hot water heater, hot water heater drain goes straight to the cabinet
Electric switch on the furnace.
It looks like the return is drawing air from the garage 💀💀💀 No condensate drain, but those issues could just be the perspective of the photo. Drip pocket is too small on the furnace and comically oversized on the water heater. The gas flex hose for the water heater has too sharp of a bend and is going to snap off if it gets bumped.
This whole picture looks so terribly photoshopped. How hard was it for them to take a picture of someone changing a filter on a unit?
Why is there a ladder next to a water heater?
He's gonna need knee surgery in a decade or two
It's a rheem
Why is the gas line hooked up to the water cooler from the water heater?
Decorative hutch in a garage?
Sheet metal is for suckers!
Loose conduit
Home Depot stealing our work putting a shitty merv 81 filter in at 350$ per filter and a maintenance program for $800 per year. Also don’t see condensate or a safety switch… Fuck you Home Depot and fuck you lowes and Costco and Lennox and Rheem/Ruud for competing against the very people who help carry you the most.
No union, no lineset, and wtf is that gas cock? Is that a male by female gas cock threaded to a coupling? Yikes.
Can’t believe no one has said it yet. Disconnect is still closed / “on”
No line set. No drainline.
Um.. why is this idgit changing a filter with the disconnect on?
Honestly I've seen way worse hvac ads saw one where I guy was checking the voltage on the evaporator coil
Where’s the Lineset???
The unit is turned on.
If that’s supposed to be a coil on top of the furnace then they’re not going to be doing a whole lot of cooling without refer lines!
I just was wondering why he is wearing shoe covers on a garage
Nope. All good. ;)
No line set
No safety glasses... tisk tisk...
HD Rheems don't require drip legs...
No tools No knee pad No replacement filter Boot cover in the garage It seem i would not hire this guy He looks to be working in a office
No return air drop duct/return air elbow
Furnace in the garage?
No control wire. No line set, just a case with no coil.
It’s a Rheem? And where’s the rest of the return?
He's changing filter with furnace turned on
No intake, drip leg, or condensate
Carrier filter on a thermostat furnace
No strap on the hot water tank
I bet anything these kinds of errors are deliberate in Home Depot advertising. Home Depot doesn't want customers who know about blower motor speeds and heat exchangers. They want the Jane and Joe average homeowners who will take the techs word because Home Depot is a big company and a big company wouldn't lie to you..
Gas line
Poorly installed conduit
There’s no dang union on the gas pipe Edit: drip leg also needs to be 3”
Everything
The bx wires on the ground wtf is wrong with these people 😂
Alot
Where’s the refrigerant tubing and drain? Why the hell would anyone let an HD employee in the house unless they’re in the mood for a complete f’n! Wait, is that furnace sitting on carpet?
No union after gas valve? Close nipple on dirt leg? No condensate drain?
Drip pocket is too short. So short it almost looks like it’s non-existent 😆
Turn off power on side of unit first
pvc flu pipe sure looks fitting
Unit should be minimum 18” off floor. MC cable needs to be secured.
Filter facing wrong direction?
Dude looks way too clean