Obtaining replacement parts for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems for the do-it-yourselfer is basically where the plumbing industry was 35 to 40 years ago. Back then, you had to have a plumber's license to buy a toilet, Delta kitchen faucet, kitchen sink, or water heater. It's pretty much that way in the HVAC industry today. Most local electrical supply houses won't sell replacement HVAC parts directly to the homeowner, because they would be "blacklisted" by the local air conditioning service establishment. These guys spent money to go to HVAC school and they try to protect their turf. The internet is slowly changing this, but much more needs to be done. Even outfits like Home Depot don't handle common AC replacement parts. Soon this industry will be cracked wide open!
HVAC Parts
- Thread starter TxGreaseMonkey
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I never remember any trouble with electrical or pluming parts. The only thing I ever remember having trouble with was varnish. I tried to order some satin finish moisture cure urethane from an outfit in Chicago. I was ready to give the guy my credit card number when he ask if I was a licensed floor finisher. In Illinois, you have to be licensed to buy the better floor finish. Some states are much worse than others. I never lived there, but some of the things I have heard suggest Illinois is one of the worst. Of course the more laws you have, the more bribes. A lot of the East coast states are bad too.
R12 and R19 Freon in hard to come by due to federal laws. The feds also banned the precharged A/C components. Since the average person can't charge them, the market is likely too small for the home centers to bother stocking A/C compressors or A coils.
R12 and R19 Freon in hard to come by due to federal laws. The feds also banned the precharged A/C components. Since the average person can't charge them, the market is likely too small for the home centers to bother stocking A/C compressors or A coils.
Try buying replacement contactors, condenser fan motors, or capacitors. If most guys who work on their own cars knew how easy it is to service their outside air conditioner, they would do it.
I don't know what you are talking about. I have never had trouble with them, and I give advice on repairing them on another site, and nobody ever complained about having trouble buying parts. You may have to hit a supply house and not Lowes.
I talked to 50 supply houses and they would not sell to me. I ended up buying everything I needed for a fraction of the price over the internet.
In Houston I have walked in to several houses as a first time customer and bought electrical A/C parts. They make out an invoice (sometimes they ask if I have a tax number, other times they just add it on), I pay and walk out. Same in San Antonio.
The ignitor on my furnace failed, it's a York unit, looked in the phone book and there's a plumbing supply that carries York parts (interesting enough, called Yorkshire Plumbing Supply). Went in there, told them what I wanted, and they sold me not only a new ignitor, but the better non-spiral type of ignitor.
We cannot buy HVAC parts here in Gainesville, FL. I needed a compressor for my "Brand X" package heat pump, and had to go through **** to get it.
A local company that advertises on the radio and in print wanted $6700 for a low end unit, and $10,700 for a Trane. I can get a Goodman 5 ton package heat pump for $1600 off the internet!
A local company that advertises on the radio and in print wanted $6700 for a low end unit, and $10,700 for a Trane. I can get a Goodman 5 ton package heat pump for $1600 off the internet!
Easier in big city areas vs. country areas, IHMO.
grainger will sell you HVAC parts. One of the local pumbing supply shop will sell me parts for my work, the other won't becuase my company doesn't have a contractor's license. The local HVAC supply will let me buy some parts, filters, ducting, etc for cash but won't let my company have an account for the above reason.
the HVAC industry does a good job of protecting it's self.
I can get a Goodman 5 ton package heat pump for $1600 off the internet!
I reccomend you do some reading at www.hvactalk.com before buying a goodman unit, unless you would like to buy a goodman unit for a really good price in another couple of years.
the HVAC industry does a good job of protecting it's self.
I can get a Goodman 5 ton package heat pump for $1600 off the internet!
I reccomend you do some reading at www.hvactalk.com before buying a goodman unit, unless you would like to buy a goodman unit for a really good price in another couple of years.
Goodman=Janitrol, my mom's house has a Janitrol put in by the builder 10 years ago, still going fine.
One could argue that the "cozy" relationship between the HVAC service industry and the HVAC supply houses operates in "restraint of trade." Are there any public advocate attorneys or FTC attorneys listening?
Tom Slick, tell me your opinion of Goodman equipment.
I am not an hvac tech nor do i play one on tv but i have read at that hvac site that the techs don't care for goodman equipment and quite often complain about it.
www.hvactalk.com is a website that was setup specifically for hvac pros. they allow anyone to sign up and post questions. if you want to read what the guys that work on the stuff for a living think go over and take a look.
as you probably know hvac work is very specialized and you can really screw stuff up or even kill someone if not done correctly. it doesn't really bother me that they don't sell to the general public.
www.hvactalk.com is a website that was setup specifically for hvac pros. they allow anyone to sign up and post questions. if you want to read what the guys that work on the stuff for a living think go over and take a look.
as you probably know hvac work is very specialized and you can really screw stuff up or even kill someone if not done correctly. it doesn't really bother me that they don't sell to the general public.
They can probably make much more money selling Trane and other high-margin brands.
The situation gets even more wacky! A few outfits that won't sell to you through their "front door" will sell indirectly to you through their "back door," if you go through an internet intermediary. Items will be sent directly to you by branches of the company in another state. It's a very sleazy "good ole boy" industry, at the local level, that operates to restrain competition and keep prices artificially high. This industry really needs to clean up its act fast!
[ July 22, 2005, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: TxGreaseMonkey ]
[ July 22, 2005, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: TxGreaseMonkey ]
Restraint-of-trade even goes into the design of parts. Trane, for instance, will have GE design a unique condenser fan motor and run capacitor package that forces you to go back to Trane for replacement parts. Nobody but Trane, for instance, uses a 440V, 40/12.5 MFD dual round run capacitor for 1/4 hp motors. You cannot go to a cross-reference table and buy an equivalent replacement. Trane is notorious for this. You are forced, if you are a do-it-yourselfer, to install a different motor and run capacitor. On your own you cannot buy Trane replacement parts. You have to have a licensed HVAC technician, who Trane will deal with, install Trane parts. Because of this restaint-of-trade, the do-it-yourselfer has to be very careful and spend much more time to select replacement parts.
[ July 22, 2005, 12:59 PM: Message edited by: TxGreaseMonkey ]
[ July 22, 2005, 12:59 PM: Message edited by: TxGreaseMonkey ]
If anyone witnesses with their own eyes an individual release freon ( r-12, r-22, etc.. ) into the open air and turns them in to the e.p.a. they receive a reward ( ?? not sure $$ but there is a reward ) and the offender is issued a 1st time offense fine of 10,000 minimum. No joke, i've seen how the e.p.a. works and you really don't want to get sideways w/ them. They make osha look like snuggly fluffy playthings. I am a CFC certified tech in Idaho and thats all well and good, but the right to work laws and over-infestation of people flocking here have glutted the job market to where its impossible to get any real job and ask for anything in wages because they dont have to pay them.... someone will surely undercut ya to get anything. it's just ridiculous actually. the employers have gotten so arrogant that its common to hear that every 90-180 days they roll out the entire force as to not pay benefits of any kind. and its perfectly legal thanx to right to work.. I fell on a knife once and severed two tendons in the palm of my left hand. the two that run the index finger flexion. My employer promptly fired me claiming 'hardship on them' ... no kiddin, I was off 7 months and 2 surgeries later I was shoved back into the work force. I luckily found a job easily but that was 9 years ago. today no such luck.I say if ya don't cover your a ss , you'll get poked, but some need to take care of themselves and their professions. many 'think' they can handle something and when they screw it up and it costs twice as much to fix they cry foul... my motto is ' if I do the work its 25 if you help its 50 if you tried to fix it first its 100.... )
44H
44H
It's basically the same here. It is illegal to work on equipment or use prescribed refrigerants without a license.
It's also illegal to work on electrical equipment here unlicensed. Our power supply is 240V 50hz single phase/415V 50hz three phase.
It's called safety.
I've seen far too many instances of someone "having a go themselves, after all, how hard can it be ?" and then having to call in a tradesman to 'fix' it/make it safe.
If you don't have a two stage high vacuum pump for evacuation, aren't scrupulous about ingress of moisture/air/contaminants, don't use a filter/dryer at all, or of adequate capacity for polyol ester oils and don't purge with dry-nitrogen during brazing, (very important with a new installation or installing components such as a new compressor or reversing valve) why on earth would you want to work on your own equipment when you are setting it up to fail ??
Added to that, the new refrigerant comming on stream to replace R22 in A/C equipment, R410A, works on substantially higher pressures (1.6x) and requires specific gauge manifolds/hoses, and it is strongly advised to use the new eccentric clutch type flaring blocks to make a correct, adequate flare for the newer, deeper faced nipples/nuts.
More tools needed !
Swapping out simple things such as a faulty run or start capacitor I can understand, but why would you want to try and change a compressor without the right gear or knowledge, or having first worked out why it failed ?
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