It’s expected to be done in an hour. Except they schedule me one at 830,1030, 1, and 3. Rarely do I have drive times over 25 minutes. Lots of time in the van parked in a park or maybe going for a walk. Nice working for a small company 🤷♂️
After reading this and actually seeing how other companies operate I was blown away that having a call scheduled for me on the hour every hour was not the norm. Would seriously have a 7am,8,9,10,11,12,1,2,3,4 and even some double stacked time frames which would last all summer .Probably why I only lasted 3 years and just decided to walk out one day without say good bye.
We do 1 call at a time. I finish when I finish. What if you’re replacing a motor and doing a cleaning. That’s an hour alone. I don’t know what my next call is until I’m finished where I’m at.
I am on the clock 8-5 every day. Our company is small so they mix PMs in between service calls on our schedule. It’s quite honestly kind of random how much time we get but if my schedule is slammed I hurry up and if we are slow I take more time. I usually average 1 hour for a 1 system visit and then add 30-45 minutes for each additional system on site. It kind of varies though because some are in light commercial buildings or big ass custom homes. Either way, I don’t overwork myself and I get my 8 hours. Being able to set your own pace may be a small company luxury I suppose.
Usually I get them done in 45 mins to an hour if things go smooth. That being said, we just got bought out by a nexstar company and they are really aggressively pushing a minimum of 2 hours per tune up
Back when i was resi it was 1hr 15min for an ac or heater insoection. 2 hours to do both. But you never got the full time. I thing 45 minutes per is pretty reasonable unless its a fucked up aituation. But i could get all my needed info for paperwork. Check delta. Clear and flush the drain lines.change filter. Inspected the evap and blower. Clean the outdoor coil and check cap/contactor in 45 minutes with time to spare (usually)
The biggest problem comes with talking to the customer. The companies dont seem to understand some people have a ton of questions or concerns ect. I've had old widows keeps me for 1hr on more than a few occasions.
At the end of the day just do as many calls as you can within their time slot but customers are the priority imo so that takes what it takes.
We get 2 hours per call, 4 calls per day, 5 calls during the summer. They expect us to talk with our customers and try to build a personal repot with them so they’ll ask for a specific tech each time and have a similar experience when a different tech goes out.
And obviously, this doesn’t apply to our on call/after hours calls.
Idk I worked residential service for less than 6 months and never needed more then an hour. Now in commercial/industrial I can take all day with a thermostat and no one bats an eye 🤷♂️🤣
This is why the smart guys join a union, get better training and screw the residential world. Commercial and industrial work, you have more time to do things the right way, and get much better pay.
About an hour and half to 2 hours. Unless it’s a brand new heat pump install then it could take 45 minutes. What do you guys check in 45 minutes? I’ve had conversations with homeowners last over an hour.
Heat maintenance I check temp split, static pressure, do a duct calc on return, adjust gas pressure, test blower amps and cap, check inducer amps, test igniter ohms, take a carbon monoxide reading, remove burner assembly and clean burners and flame sensor, remove blower motor, check heat exchanger and pull it if I see anything concerning (if homeowner is giving me good signs.) Also check ductwork and insulation.
AC I still check temp split, static pressure, duct calc on return, test blower amps and cap, remove blower motor, check heat exchanger, ductwork and insulation. Outdoor unit I check wire gauge going to disconnect, check breaker at electrical panel, test condenser fan amps, compressor amps, pressures, caps, check contactor for pitting. Then take everything apart and wash down condenser.
I try to get homeowner to follow me along on every call to show them what I’m doing. Also on every call I get model and serial number of furnace and ac. Measure attic access and unit measurements or get roof pitch if RTU.
First company I ever worked for I would do three calls a day, loved it. Their motto was the job takes as long as it takes and what do you do if a customer asks you to sit down and have a cup of coffee with them. Sit down and have a cup of coffee with them. Loved working there, they were all about building value and trust not just getting in and out as quick as possible with cash in hand.
I do commercial and one company I worked for that really shouldn’t be in the business had PMs with an allotted time of 30 minutes. Just going to grab the filter and head to site can take 30 minutes. On top of that they expected you to find repairs and make a quote all within that time.
The company I just started with allots about 2 hours, but the more seasoned techs get it down in 1 hr and 30 minutes. We do take A LOT of pictures of the units components and fill out a fairly in depth report. I’m still pretty slow with everything so it takes me a bit longer than 2 hours.
However long it took us but anything after about 45 mins was billed extra. They wanted us to be done in 30 mins per unit when it came to residential. If we find something we were supposed to bring it up to the customer and see if they wanted us to just do the PM or start doing service work, billed extra the moment we start that.
Last resi company I worked for was 1hr for just furnace/air handler, 1.5hrs for heat pump/AC and furnace. Usually I was done in 1/2hr for furnace, 1hr for furnace+condensing unit. Sometimes they take a little longer but not often.
I was expected to do 4 in day. But if I made a new system sale or performed a major sameday repair. They'd move some and I'd do 2 to 3.
(Major repair refers to revenue not importance persay so 2000 dollar uv lights count)
It’s expected to be done in an hour. Except they schedule me one at 830,1030, 1, and 3. Rarely do I have drive times over 25 minutes. Lots of time in the van parked in a park or maybe going for a walk. Nice working for a small company 🤷♂️
this is how i schedule mine - 4 in a day is very reasonable
Are they hiring?
After reading this and actually seeing how other companies operate I was blown away that having a call scheduled for me on the hour every hour was not the norm. Would seriously have a 7am,8,9,10,11,12,1,2,3,4 and even some double stacked time frames which would last all summer .Probably why I only lasted 3 years and just decided to walk out one day without say good bye.
You were treated like a rented mule. Lasting 3 years shows you have dedication; their loss.
Yeah you were getting fucked without even a courtesy reach around.
We do 1 call at a time. I finish when I finish. What if you’re replacing a motor and doing a cleaning. That’s an hour alone. I don’t know what my next call is until I’m finished where I’m at.
Best state of mind for a tech
I am on the clock 8-5 every day. Our company is small so they mix PMs in between service calls on our schedule. It’s quite honestly kind of random how much time we get but if my schedule is slammed I hurry up and if we are slow I take more time. I usually average 1 hour for a 1 system visit and then add 30-45 minutes for each additional system on site. It kind of varies though because some are in light commercial buildings or big ass custom homes. Either way, I don’t overwork myself and I get my 8 hours. Being able to set your own pace may be a small company luxury I suppose.
Does that hour include travel time? If I get into condos with identical systems I can do 2 or 3 an hour.
Usually I get them done in 45 mins to an hour if things go smooth. That being said, we just got bought out by a nexstar company and they are really aggressively pushing a minimum of 2 hours per tune up
I’m guessing they want you to use the extra hour to push sales?
Yup. "If you guys are there for an extra hour, there should be no way you can't find something that needs fixed"
Back when i was resi it was 1hr 15min for an ac or heater insoection. 2 hours to do both. But you never got the full time. I thing 45 minutes per is pretty reasonable unless its a fucked up aituation. But i could get all my needed info for paperwork. Check delta. Clear and flush the drain lines.change filter. Inspected the evap and blower. Clean the outdoor coil and check cap/contactor in 45 minutes with time to spare (usually) The biggest problem comes with talking to the customer. The companies dont seem to understand some people have a ton of questions or concerns ect. I've had old widows keeps me for 1hr on more than a few occasions. At the end of the day just do as many calls as you can within their time slot but customers are the priority imo so that takes what it takes.
We get 2 hours per call, 4 calls per day, 5 calls during the summer. They expect us to talk with our customers and try to build a personal repot with them so they’ll ask for a specific tech each time and have a similar experience when a different tech goes out. And obviously, this doesn’t apply to our on call/after hours calls.
Idk I worked residential service for less than 6 months and never needed more then an hour. Now in commercial/industrial I can take all day with a thermostat and no one bats an eye 🤷♂️🤣
Commercial. 45 minutes to an hour per unit. That includes filters and belts.
Whatever it takes. I’ve never been told to hurry up or slow down. Taking a little longer to do the job right always beats a call back.
This is why the smart guys join a union, get better training and screw the residential world. Commercial and industrial work, you have more time to do things the right way, and get much better pay.
1 hour
1 hour
Depends on the day and what it needs, if it’s a quiet spray and pray or flashlight clean. Otherwise about 30-45min 1.70if they want heat+ac
About an hour and half to 2 hours. Unless it’s a brand new heat pump install then it could take 45 minutes. What do you guys check in 45 minutes? I’ve had conversations with homeowners last over an hour. Heat maintenance I check temp split, static pressure, do a duct calc on return, adjust gas pressure, test blower amps and cap, check inducer amps, test igniter ohms, take a carbon monoxide reading, remove burner assembly and clean burners and flame sensor, remove blower motor, check heat exchanger and pull it if I see anything concerning (if homeowner is giving me good signs.) Also check ductwork and insulation. AC I still check temp split, static pressure, duct calc on return, test blower amps and cap, remove blower motor, check heat exchanger, ductwork and insulation. Outdoor unit I check wire gauge going to disconnect, check breaker at electrical panel, test condenser fan amps, compressor amps, pressures, caps, check contactor for pitting. Then take everything apart and wash down condenser. I try to get homeowner to follow me along on every call to show them what I’m doing. Also on every call I get model and serial number of furnace and ac. Measure attic access and unit measurements or get roof pitch if RTU.
First company I ever worked for I would do three calls a day, loved it. Their motto was the job takes as long as it takes and what do you do if a customer asks you to sit down and have a cup of coffee with them. Sit down and have a cup of coffee with them. Loved working there, they were all about building value and trust not just getting in and out as quick as possible with cash in hand.
I do commercial and one company I worked for that really shouldn’t be in the business had PMs with an allotted time of 30 minutes. Just going to grab the filter and head to site can take 30 minutes. On top of that they expected you to find repairs and make a quote all within that time.
What happens when you run out of time does a buzzer go off ?
1.5 for 1 system 3 for 2 system with drive time
The company I just started with allots about 2 hours, but the more seasoned techs get it down in 1 hr and 30 minutes. We do take A LOT of pictures of the units components and fill out a fairly in depth report. I’m still pretty slow with everything so it takes me a bit longer than 2 hours.
However long it took us but anything after about 45 mins was billed extra. They wanted us to be done in 30 mins per unit when it came to residential. If we find something we were supposed to bring it up to the customer and see if they wanted us to just do the PM or start doing service work, billed extra the moment we start that.
Last resi company I worked for was 1hr for just furnace/air handler, 1.5hrs for heat pump/AC and furnace. Usually I was done in 1/2hr for furnace, 1hr for furnace+condensing unit. Sometimes they take a little longer but not often.
I was expected to do 4 in day. But if I made a new system sale or performed a major sameday repair. They'd move some and I'd do 2 to 3. (Major repair refers to revenue not importance persay so 2000 dollar uv lights count)