You keep on saying "peace work instead of hourly" there is no such thing as "peace work". The correct term is "piece work" which means "work done and paid for by the piece."
Keep picking the wet backs up. You get 1,000.00 dollars of work for 100.00 and home depot loves it.There trying to help the wet backs the more you safe on labor the more you can buy in threr stores.Home depot insider!!!
You know what's the worst? When you know what you are actually doing, but people don't believe that in independant person could know more information than a big business company, who they don't care if they lose a few clients where as to oppose if I lose my client I will lose 10 potential others. Good to see you care.
The run cap bandit is not just in Phoenix, there's A couple( I say that because I've seen too many to all be installed by one tech) in Chicago too. I don't know which HVAC school teaches this, but if I find out I'm going to call in an airstrike on it.
Wow I had to stop the video at 2:00, my eyes were burning,,can't take it anymore! I don't know where to start, but I definitely know where not to stop and buy a house. Typical House jockey application, I wonder if the homeowners requested a "Drug test review from the contractor,,,, Being as I'm a General Contractor, I would have brought out the MDTU (Mobile Drug Testing Unit) and everyone would "Fill-up-the-cup!" If you were hot, your fired and your Auto insurance company got a copy as well!
well i have to agree with all of the scewed up installs there except 1.The one about the comp. bolts missing...If you would have took the time to read so manuals u would see that the comp bolts are just there for shipment and that if u have a noise issue can be removed to get the noise level down if the vibration is coming from them.....
Don't worry folks. With the future of this business going geothermal and mini split, there will be a lot less of a need for shoddy repair and installation work. Just remember that there is so much low EER equipment and laughable installations that we are really in a great industry for the comming "green" bubble. Enjoy!
prepare to work about 75 percent of the time cause its so slow I've never seen it this bad, and your job placement counselor doesnt know about the real hvac world , your just a person they want to get out the door, look in the paper,online see how many are hiring this field is saturated with service techs, installers good luck
Yeah I am an installer of twelve years. I've been off since july. Thats why I am going to school, cause I am tired of sittin on my ass. I didn't want to give up the 12 yrs. I am gonna add to it.
I've had to clean up several TXVs the installers left the sensing bulbs attached the coil while brazing. It would have taken a minute to take it off and put it back on, but instead it takes me about an hour and a half to replace it.
when i was goin to school ..most of the techs students were smoking weed and crack in class and not paying atention in learning ..thats what happen when u put them in a job ...
This what happen when you don't use UNION workers you get a bunch of wetback Mexicans installing your a/c and stealing your jobs.....Buy American Buy Union because the job you save might be your own!
I started out laughing,but by the end of the video I was very upset.The 90's installed on all the drain pans had to be the best though.LMAO Could you imagine all the units that have been changed out due to these hacks misdiagnosing compressors?
Do you people go around the internet,waiting for some one to slip up,and use bad grammar???Most people type so fast they don't really think about it.If you are such a good speller,join a spelling bee.
This is some jacked up stuff. No p trap on the primary drain, no float switch in the pan, no supply plenumn on the one unit just flex tied on near the heat exchanger.I can see a no cooling call now because the txv will not open.
I just can believe people would think half that stuff would work. Packaged unit in an attic? ha, i laughed. No way it will be able to keep up in the Summer. Plus, how much moisture did it create up there? Did mold grow?
Does Arizona have any hvac unions? Here in Chicago that would NEVER pass. I strictly do commercial/industrial hvac/r. My company just took over all 39 Applebees in the Chicagoland area. It took us 2 months to get everything up and running normally. The old company would bypass all the safties. They wired the compress to come on first then when the blower motor came on, the condesor fans came on. I like walking into accounts like this because i get hours and I can prove the customer that the last
fuck man these fucks all payed for there Cards and now install on commercial union jobs man hahah fucken card buyers hahah and the companies love this shit
Most of these guys have no training except a little on the job.
The company can take a tech, train him how to SELL hard starts, t-stats and filter. Then send him out on jobs (mostly residential) and never have to prove to anyone that they know what they are doing. They can touch refer, electrical AND plumbing here. Every once in a while a distributor might want to make sure you have an EPA card. And $30 and a little test gets you that.
well is what i ment was i run into these types off residential Hacks on commercial jobs posing as journeymen sheetmetal workers, they buy there Union Card and go right to work hack slash hack slash its gross and insulting to Real Craftsman.
look i currently have an 14 year old carrier 3 ton air conditioner. 3 years ago the old fan motor died and some hackers came. they changed the run cap and the fan and i discovered they left the wires hangin on the fan grill and also the capacitor hangin i will upload my first video soon.
Indeed. But these hacks in southern Arizona have no clue, don't get permits, don't get inspections, and somehow this shit is allowed to fly. Heck, the techs don't even need any REAL training or certs to walk into homes and work on the gas furnace!
Oh yeah,. The "Over/Under" American Standard units at 1:45 drew in condenser air form the free space, then they installed a HOOD over the condenser fans and ducted it to a vent in the side of that attic space. I left that company before I could watch those fail in the summer time! Not too mention the sheet metal hood blocked the condenser fans completely as well as the control panel to the one unit that is positioned in between those two units. Nice huh? No permit no inspection...
Some of the Arizona residential companies try to breed that mentality all too much as well. I worked at one place where I'd hear it from my coworkers and/or managers if I replaced a ODM in a 7 yr old unit. A unit needing it's first real repair. Shit. The funny thing is newer and newer units seem to be less and less reliable. So are we really doing anyone a favor by replacing vs. repair?
This all just goes back to the old saying You Get What You Pay For. It doesnt matter if you are going out to eat or if you are having a furnace installed in your house.
Some people are just as happy as can be to save a few bucks by calling out some unqualified person to work on their A/C-maybe a buddy who changes oil at Jiffy Lube during the week and does HVAC work on the weekends. As long as they are saving a dime they are happy. I put alot of the blame with the customers myself.
I get your point. But you should get the point that certain clients don't care. So stop working for them and let them work with the "hack's".
By the way, careful when pointing blame... someone could just as easily point out you wear a ring while working on electrical ... so, who's the "hack" now?
And yes... piece work... not peace work, your showing that you're illiterate.
Retired Contractor because ... sick of the HVACR zoo.
I don't work for them anymore. But it's cool to look back at the memories of such hackery. As for the ring.. can't win if you do or win if you don't. I haven't had it on for a while and the wife gets pissed off. I wear it and some peer gives me shit for it.
Also, get a grip. I type-o'd the "PEACE work" into the film and couldn't change it once uploaded. Litterate people could read more into my info or other comments and see it's already been brought up 100 times. It seems that people who DEFEND this work always look for unrelated things to bring up.
To be fair, I have seen a couple of TXV installs like the ones in this video. All the other stuff depicted is few and far between in the areas I work at least. It sucks that Phoenix, AZ installers blow so much. Thats an area that needs good HVAC more than most. =[Random Thought]= Humidifiers in Arizona would have really messed up Doc Holiday's plans for a "drier climate." /=[EndRandom Thought]= Oh well, in reality it comes down to the quality of the company...not the way employees are paid.
I don't think the way these guys are getting paid has anything at all to do with this. They clearly just don't give a damn, and neither does the company they work for. If anyone where I work did something like anything in this video they would be fired so fast they wouldn't know wtf happened. I assume that "paid commission" means they get paid flat-rate by the job. The business I work for does that for installers, but we also have service managers who come by our jobs when we're done and inspect
Well I'd say FLAT RATE promotes this crap. But what your boss does is have a REAL Quality Control checkup to ensure those guys know that they WILL be accountable for their work. When I saw this stuff, the company was too out of control to bother doing anything about it.
Wow!!! There are some serious idiots out there . I cant believe people are sorry enough to do that stuff to a customer. I hate going on a service call and seeing rigged up stuff like that. Don't these techs know not only are they ripping people off but in some cases putting a customers life at risk. Money really makes people crazy!!!
Thanks for putting this up, I did get a good kick out of it lol.
No problem. This area just has no code enforcement at all. And they don't have anything set up to ensure the installers or techs are educated enough to even install/repair furnaces like they do in some other areas of the U.S.A! They don't even ask for your EPA card here except in rare occasions!
Thanks for doing this video! As an HVAC homeowner/customer, and one willing to pay for quality work, it makes me mad as hell to see this kind of crap. A HVAC technician paid on commission? Sounds fishy to me...
Unfortunately this kind of stuff makes it difficult for customer and good practice journeyman alike.
When I need HVAC service, you've given me some good questions to ask. Many thanks.
You should come down to South florida sometime and document the crap we come across every day down here. I showed these videos to the guys at work after a couple of beers yesterday evening and we damn near pissed ourselves- especially with the elbowed out condensate pans... I don't know if it's just funny because we see this every day, or because we've all been guilty of RCBanditry.. Never-the-less, good videos man- keep up the quality work...
"Side Job Charlies" LOL! Actually, all of these jobs were done by the larger HVAC companies in the area! Not the low bid side jobbers! That is why it really bugs me that they don't ensure REAL training and quality control. Not too mention any codes.
seriously i got a good laugh outa that. indiana is alot worse tho. not only do we have salestechs we have kid techs. im talking 16 yr old kids doing tech work for school. its ridiculous. im glad my union is payng me to be a baby sitter for kids who shouldnt be left alon with a spork. last week alone i had a 18 yr old temp run a new o.d.t wire for me to the thermostat. wat does the genious do? runs me a ten two 220 wire instead of a 2 wire. DUMBASS!!! surrounded by morons
This was too funny... You got to love the predictability of stupidity. The best one I've run into so far was a 460 lead left dangling out of its J-box with no cap or tape. Good thing no one got brave in the supermarket and tried to inspect the Condensing Units on there own.
Well, these guys help make it clear what the difference is between a Hack and a Tech. Makes it allot easier to pickup new accounts. Kinda feel bad though for some customers, the ones on a tight budget, that had to keep throwing money at their units because some hack's work just kept bringing up problem after problem.
DSC in Phoenix seemed to train their techs to do that or something. Probably in one of their tips to the sales-techs so they can replace run caps faster and then move on to the next victim!
HvacrTalk . com welcomes Techs contractors and consumers to join free and discuss and trade infor and learn meet others in the trade. good links and resources...all you need is a valid email to activate your account.
I noticed that after I uploaded the video. I don't exactly hire and EDITOR to check these things for me! LOL! If you read the video info to the right, you would see that I did spell it right over in that info.
Looks like you clean up alot of CR's installs to lmao. Why bother with using a blower when you have condensor fans on you truck lol. I had a customer yesterday that said they paid 350 bucks for zero ice. I felt so bad for them. That and hey you really need a hard start kit with this unit, if it needed it the factory would put it on. That and dont bother with filter dries the metal flakes like to collect in your coil, so we will be back in a month to change that too.
LOL! Actually CR actually gave their techs OEM motors for all the motor change outs. But DSC was the one where I found the condenser motors in the blowers! That's because the techs got paid by the job their, not hourly like CR. No way they gonna leave to get the correct part if they can still make the money with the wrong part! Zerol Ice... that shit is defenitely SNAKE OIL! LOL! Although I never seen anyone pay $350 for it! DSC was charging $225 and I thought that was insane for a gimmick!
LOL! I went union last fall. Defenitely weeds out the hacks AND the training is BETTER than what you get at the local HVAC trade school (RSI, etc)! Installs like these shown ARE easy. Seems like they worked really hard at that company to do them WRONG!
Well, in THIS video the company's abbreviations would be D.S.C. out of Phoenix, AZ. :) All the hacked trane's in the other videos are the work of C.S. in Sun City West, AZ. :)
ive watched a few of your vids and love em, there are heaps of cowboy tradies over here too, we had a floor put in by a builder friend of ours then had too pay $4000 to fix it
That is what is bad about doing business with friends. You want to give them the work. But when something goes sour you are stuck deciding to offend the friend or live with the work he didn't do very well.
All three! So therefore I'd say I have a very BUSY life, thankyou! :p BTW, all of the photos were taken BY ME. So I am an EXPERT WITNESS at what a HACK looks like? Do YOU do A/C work? If so, i hope you don't do this shit!
hahahha an attic rat or a pair of baboons haha hilarious..im taking hvac right now with a really good instructer hopefuly if i dont get too stoned i can do better than this
The real serviceman is dead and salesman are bred oh and don't forget to sell every customer a service agreement. My last boss told me he never wanted to see another invoice turned in with just a diagnostic charge... My last day with the company ended over me not charging 30 bucks to re-set the breaker on the customers panel box for their a/c due to a power outage!! What has become of our trade? I would have became a car salesman if all they want me to do is sell sell sell
Dude, you are preaching to the choir!!!! And my point exactly! I have told people that very thing. If I wanted to be Joe Salesman at every job, I'd just go sell cars and never work on a roof or in an attic!!!! At companies like that, I call it "SalesTechs" that they send to the homes. Certainly NOT HVAC Technicians! Obviously you have realized how dishonest some companies and boss' can be! Honest people like you are becoming more far and few. :(
In residential maybe about 15% do what they think is doing the customer right. About 40% are just crooks bred by the company themselves. The rest just take what they are given (too many calls per day) and rush through it without ever raising their voice to their manager, etc. I am like the 2% that can't keep his mouth shut and am not afraid to tell the management when I think something is BLATENTLY bad for the customer, or plain dishonest. Not many blo-n-go managers like that in a tech.
Hi me again. I have a tech question for you. My aunt has a roughly 4,500-5,000 square foot colonial in Northern Virginia, built 1981. It has a single-zoned Trane heat pump that does a good job of cooling the first floor, but on the second floor there is absolutely no air coming out of the vents. Also, in the winter, the heat pump does a lousy job heating the house. Do you have any ideas as to why this might be happening. Everything except the ducting has been replaced and it still does not work.
I remeber installing new units and finding that the real problem was a clogged filter drier after start-up. Shit pisses me off too man. I hated working for companies that paid peacework because of all the callback dipshits I had to go behind.
Yup. Piecework surely increases the crappy work. It enables them to install it faster and taking shortcuts all while making the same pay as the guy doing it right! :(
man what a birds nest of non up to code stuff, the people who installed these units in this slideshow are idiots they dont have the slightest clue on what they r doing, id like to use a compressor from one of these units or a refrigerator and make it into a tire pump
Thanks for the comment. "...of non up to code stuff," is the problem right there. Codes. They don't enforce them in Phoenix, AZ. I've never EVER seen a permit pulled or a system inspected on residential since I moved here!
well the city should enforce the codes because half the installations if not all of them in this video are fire or safety hazards, if i installed one of these things id follow all codes and the installation instructions to the letter hell id even have someone help me to make sure this HVAC unit is put in right
The city/county is either incompetant or on the take for years. I haven't figured out which. But yeah it's horrible! Before I moved here I did service and install before that. If we had an issue with passing inspection guess what, we had to FIX IT! And we did whatever it took to do it right.
J/w I know from watching these videos and your many others that you live in the united states, don't they have governing authorities who inspect electrical, gas ,a/c applications?. In Canada were governed by the TSSA, and every 3 years each tech is audited, and a handfull of the techs previous jobs are inspected. Up here they are alot more strict,build it by code , or its locked down
LOL you hit the nail on the head! The very thing that made me start posting pictures and videos was the fact that I've noticed the builders/contractors/inspections are very CORRUPT in this area of Arizona! Once I moved form another area to this area of Arizona i saw a MASSIVE difference in how residential and commercial building get inspected and somehow, PASS inspection on this crap! Actually, I've never SEEN a city/county inspector OR permit since I've moved to this area! Phoenix, AZ = BAD!
wow, that is quite corrupt, looks like a bunch of shoe-makers in your area installing A/C's , I've followed your Runcap Bandit videos too, and,I find that just entertaining lmao, I bet you dont, having to service this kind of stuff on a regular basis. When you first moved to AZ I bet those 1st couple of baboon jobs amazed you, but now I bet your seing it all the time, by your rate of videos lol.
I actually lived in Payson, AZ about 100 miles NorthEast of Phoenix. We had to pull permits and pass codes all the way down to having the ratings sticker on the gas flex line and they'd measure the distance of the disconnect form the condenser unit and they wouldn't pass us if it wasn't per code! Then i moved down to Phoenix which is in another county. Night and Day difference! I was in Prescott, AZ Monday and all the gas lines had drip legs, etc. Another thing they SKIP here in Phoenix!
This deregulation of many industries (service, government, etc.) is the result of deregulative legislation from a republican ("conservative") congress and executives (Reagan, Bush, GW Bush) over the lasr thre decades. I remember when Reagan insisted that the FAA deregulate the quality/controls on the airline industry, particularly the preventive maintenance programs which were costly to the coeporate owners....then parts started falling from the sky...it didn't take long until PM's returned.
LOL that's sad. I am not sure how much of a hand they had in our local area. Seems like it's been BAD here for about 20 years or so. If only the city/county enforced permits more and did honset inspections it would FORCE the builders and all subs to do shit a LOT better! As well as straighten out the sloppy HVAC change outs that residential companies throw in as well! They sell any unit to anyone and no one goes and looks at it after the install to make sure it's safe and accessable for service
Isn't that the worst, when you work with the guys that do this shit? The worst thing is that they didn't care. Just get the check and move on to the next customer!
The one drier on the main line was dropping a few degrees across it too! Man these guys were IDIOTS! And the company didn't care as long as the installers and techs kept getting checks from customers!
Sounds like DONLEY SERVICE CO. They once rewarded a tech for selling a homeowner a CO2 detector and it was an all electric house.
BuffaloRange 1 week ago
@BuffaloRange
HA HA HA! Wow. Nice guess!
hackfreehvac 5 days ago
Are there such things as inspectors in AZ.
ILSappr 2 weeks ago
@ILSappr
In Gila County AZ the inspectors would make us relocate our furnace if we were just 2" short of the requred 30" to any obstruction.
This HACK FEST is in Maricopa, AZ
hackfreehvac 5 days ago
thanks for sharing!
gaunukese 3 months ago
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slapcompany 7 months ago
You keep on saying "peace work instead of hourly" there is no such thing as "peace work". The correct term is "piece work" which means "work done and paid for by the piece."
Peace = opposite of war.
taltamir 7 months ago
We have so many problems like this in Houston.
joshthibodeaux 11 months ago
If you hire a company that hires Illegals this is what you deserve. LOL
fixmyhvac 1 year ago
yee haw that there some quality workmanship if i ever seen it...................
lmfao
killit2012 1 year ago
Keep picking the wet backs up. You get 1,000.00 dollars of work for 100.00 and home depot loves it.There trying to help the wet backs the more you safe on labor the more you can buy in threr stores.Home depot insider!!!
WEHVAC 1 year ago
You know what's the worst? When you know what you are actually doing, but people don't believe that in independant person could know more information than a big business company, who they don't care if they lose a few clients where as to oppose if I lose my client I will lose 10 potential others. Good to see you care.
Alytoner 1 year ago
Omg this is funny! I cant stop laughing haha! This is soooo going into my favs! Thumbs way up!
Fastenjaw 1 year ago
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gofixmechickenpotpie 1 year ago
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gofixmechickenpotpie 1 year ago
1:45 Damn.. it must be 150 Deg F in that attic when those RTU's run.
klabkebash 1 year ago
how about the TXV buld laying loos so the coil will flood the coil ...what a jack ass
fishman0069 1 year ago
The run cap bandit is not just in Phoenix, there's A couple( I say that because I've seen too many to all be installed by one tech) in Chicago too. I don't know which HVAC school teaches this, but if I find out I'm going to call in an airstrike on it.
reedscuba 1 year ago
that is not a txv that is a axv
rob73069 1 year ago
@rob73069
AXV?
Is that sarcasm for what they turned the TXV into?
hackfreehvac 1 year ago
@hackfreehvac i bet you that most of those installations were done by Chass Roberts... man in so sick of them ...
crackx2008AZ 1 year ago
@rob73069
this video is so gay
sookdeo1 1 year ago
Wow I had to stop the video at 2:00, my eyes were burning,,can't take it anymore! I don't know where to start, but I definitely know where not to stop and buy a house. Typical House jockey application, I wonder if the homeowners requested a "Drug test review from the contractor,,,, Being as I'm a General Contractor, I would have brought out the MDTU (Mobile Drug Testing Unit) and everyone would "Fill-up-the-cup!" If you were hot, your fired and your Auto insurance company got a copy as well!
offsetfragmentor 1 year ago
@offsetfragmentor
Imagine working for the company who had the guys doing this stuff!
I certainly didn't condone it just because I worked there. I draw a line in the sand and I wont condone hackery! :-)
hackfreehvac 1 year ago
im glad ill be using swamp cooling when i move to AZ!
hellsmaw84 1 year ago
This is sad but true. I will share this with all.
jerseyrufneck 1 year ago
well i have to agree with all of the scewed up installs there except 1.The one about the comp. bolts missing...If you would have took the time to read so manuals u would see that the comp bolts are just there for shipment and that if u have a noise issue can be removed to get the noise level down if the vibration is coming from them.....
racoutlaw 1 year ago
Have had to repair or replace equiptment in the same shape alot
freamerican37 2 years ago
I have seen quite a few nightmares myself and my cell phone is filled with pictures and videos!
jazbar66 2 years ago
Don't worry folks. With the future of this business going geothermal and mini split, there will be a lot less of a need for shoddy repair and installation work. Just remember that there is so much low EER equipment and laughable installations that we are really in a great industry for the comming "green" bubble. Enjoy!
orangekayak 2 years ago
that was hilarious
brianadams1000 2 years ago
aint nohing wrong with using cable ties to put on a tx valve bulb just as long as you use 2 and do them tight.
Gonzarelli 2 years ago
I have seen some shady work from Union workers. Yes I think its better to be union but doesnt always mean your getting better work.
NorthernRefrig 2 years ago
I am going to Vatterott, thanks for the pointers on the the dont's.
deyenak1 2 years ago
prepare to work about 75 percent of the time cause its so slow I've never seen it this bad, and your job placement counselor doesnt know about the real hvac world , your just a person they want to get out the door, look in the paper,online see how many are hiring this field is saturated with service techs, installers good luck
fanlimits 2 years ago
Yeah I am an installer of twelve years. I've been off since july. Thats why I am going to school, cause I am tired of sittin on my ass. I didn't want to give up the 12 yrs. I am gonna add to it.
deyenak1 2 years ago
I've had to clean up several TXVs the installers left the sensing bulbs attached the coil while brazing. It would have taken a minute to take it off and put it back on, but instead it takes me about an hour and a half to replace it.
WaltGe 2 years ago
when i was goin to school ..most of the techs students were smoking weed and crack in class and not paying atention in learning ..thats what happen when u put them in a job ...
blera1987ks 2 years ago
you cant say just cause they smoked weed in, , , whait, what was i talking about?
uprrconductor1 2 years ago
This what happen when you don't use UNION workers you get a bunch of wetback Mexicans installing your a/c and stealing your jobs.....Buy American Buy Union because the job you save might be your own!
JukeI3ox 2 years ago
of course! there HAD to be the idiotic comment like always,thanks for the tip ignoramus
KingRhaul 2 years ago
holy shit @ 1:45
are you kidding?
YodaPala 2 years ago
Great stuff...my only suggestion would be to remember us old guys who can't read so fast... ;-)
Excellent soundtrack.
shaygetz1960 2 years ago
I started out laughing,but by the end of the video I was very upset.The 90's installed on all the drain pans had to be the best though.LMAO Could you imagine all the units that have been changed out due to these hacks misdiagnosing compressors?
d16king 2 years ago
Good show about showing some or the many issues out there. But I find it ironic that you mock the uneducated while misusing words.
Piece work not Peace work. There is an enormous difference.
BGreenHVAC 2 years ago
Do you people go around the internet,waiting for some one to slip up,and use bad grammar???Most people type so fast they don't really think about it.If you are such a good speller,join a spelling bee.
d16king 2 years ago
BGreenHVAC He clearly said it was a mistake.BTW...it's some of the many issues,NOT...some or the many issues.
d16king 2 years ago
he installs here are as bad. sorry i can't get videos with my camera to work on movie maker but i will get a new camera soon
acthetech 2 years ago
holy shit i thought las vegas was bad.
ngags702 2 years ago
The HVAC@R schools in AZ are not that great, it wouldnt suprise me if they were graduates.
wolfofworld 2 years ago
This is some jacked up stuff. No p trap on the primary drain, no float switch in the pan, no supply plenumn on the one unit just flex tied on near the heat exchanger.I can see a no cooling call now because the txv will not open.
outonalimb84 2 years ago
do you mean that the airconditioner will fail with out the capasitor?
windoes98se 2 years ago
Comment removed
outonalimb84 2 years ago
can an air conditioner run without a capasitor?
windoes98se 2 years ago
Fail.
mazzmari 2 years ago
Nice video, I think i might start snapping some pics of the hack jobs I see daily here in Bakersfield.
stumbo2w 2 years ago
Thanks. Seems that hacks make it everywhere. We are just blessed with a epidemic of them here in phoenix.
hackfreehvac 2 years ago
company just took there money.
I just can believe people would think half that stuff would work. Packaged unit in an attic? ha, i laughed. No way it will be able to keep up in the Summer. Plus, how much moisture did it create up there? Did mold grow?
thebacon1lb 2 years ago
I didn't stay there long enough after this stuff to see what happened.
I was already there trying to make it work when they just installed this.
They had a half dozen goofy commercial accounts that would drive a tech insane because of the bad access alone.
hackfreehvac 2 years ago
Does Arizona have any hvac unions? Here in Chicago that would NEVER pass. I strictly do commercial/industrial hvac/r. My company just took over all 39 Applebees in the Chicagoland area. It took us 2 months to get everything up and running normally. The old company would bypass all the safties. They wired the compress to come on first then when the blower motor came on, the condesor fans came on. I like walking into accounts like this because i get hours and I can prove the customer that the last
thebacon1lb 2 years ago
fuck man these fucks all payed for there Cards and now install on commercial union jobs man hahah fucken card buyers hahah and the companies love this shit
dan2135 2 years ago
Cards?
Most of these guys have no training except a little on the job.
The company can take a tech, train him how to SELL hard starts, t-stats and filter. Then send him out on jobs (mostly residential) and never have to prove to anyone that they know what they are doing. They can touch refer, electrical AND plumbing here. Every once in a while a distributor might want to make sure you have an EPA card. And $30 and a little test gets you that.
hackfreehvac 2 years ago
well is what i ment was i run into these types off residential Hacks on commercial jobs posing as journeymen sheetmetal workers, they buy there Union Card and go right to work hack slash hack slash its gross and insulting to Real Craftsman.
dan2135 2 years ago
I'm in the Union now. But it has less than 1% of the HVAC force within it.
The current company actually does good at getting hours to do shit right. And the techs are trained.
That sounds crazy how those guys had that Applebees wired.
hackfreehvac 2 years ago
look i currently have an 14 year old carrier 3 ton air conditioner. 3 years ago the old fan motor died and some hackers came. they changed the run cap and the fan and i discovered they left the wires hangin on the fan grill and also the capacitor hangin i will upload my first video soon.
acthetech 3 years ago
Please do. Attach it as a video reply. That would be great from a home owners perspective.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
how can you have package units in an attic. package units are supposed to be outside like ALLWAYS.
acthetech 3 years ago
Indeed. But these hacks in southern Arizona have no clue, don't get permits, don't get inspections, and somehow this shit is allowed to fly. Heck, the techs don't even need any REAL training or certs to walk into homes and work on the gas furnace!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Oh yeah,. The "Over/Under" American Standard units at 1:45 drew in condenser air form the free space, then they installed a HOOD over the condenser fans and ducted it to a vent in the side of that attic space. I left that company before I could watch those fail in the summer time! Not too mention the sheet metal hood blocked the condenser fans completely as well as the control panel to the one unit that is positioned in between those two units. Nice huh? No permit no inspection...
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
... And that was done to a historic church in central Phoenix!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
@acthetech way to state the obvious.
ILSappr 2 weeks ago
Here in Florida the hacks usually don't repair anything, they just sell a new system on every call.
buckners1 3 years ago
Some of the Arizona residential companies try to breed that mentality all too much as well. I worked at one place where I'd hear it from my coworkers and/or managers if I replaced a ODM in a 7 yr old unit. A unit needing it's first real repair. Shit. The funny thing is newer and newer units seem to be less and less reliable. So are we really doing anyone a favor by replacing vs. repair?
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
This all just goes back to the old saying You Get What You Pay For. It doesnt matter if you are going out to eat or if you are having a furnace installed in your house.
Some people are just as happy as can be to save a few bucks by calling out some unqualified person to work on their A/C-maybe a buddy who changes oil at Jiffy Lube during the week and does HVAC work on the weekends. As long as they are saving a dime they are happy. I put alot of the blame with the customers myself.
ZX2ManDave 3 years ago
Actually, this company charged top dollar.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
I get your point. But you should get the point that certain clients don't care. So stop working for them and let them work with the "hack's".
By the way, careful when pointing blame... someone could just as easily point out you wear a ring while working on electrical ... so, who's the "hack" now?
And yes... piece work... not peace work, your showing that you're illiterate.
Retired Contractor because ... sick of the HVACR zoo.
Other thoughts... spend your time
ProfArcher 3 years ago
I don't work for them anymore. But it's cool to look back at the memories of such hackery. As for the ring.. can't win if you do or win if you don't. I haven't had it on for a while and the wife gets pissed off. I wear it and some peer gives me shit for it.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Also, get a grip. I type-o'd the "PEACE work" into the film and couldn't change it once uploaded. Litterate people could read more into my info or other comments and see it's already been brought up 100 times. It seems that people who DEFEND this work always look for unrelated things to bring up.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
FYI - it's spelled "piece work" not "peace work". Peace Bro.
iwantithere 3 years ago
It was a "type-o" and I think someone already mentioned it a while back in the comments. :-P
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
To be fair, I have seen a couple of TXV installs like the ones in this video. All the other stuff depicted is few and far between in the areas I work at least. It sucks that Phoenix, AZ installers blow so much. Thats an area that needs good HVAC more than most. =[Random Thought]= Humidifiers in Arizona would have really messed up Doc Holiday's plans for a "drier climate." /=[EndRandom Thought]= Oh well, in reality it comes down to the quality of the company...not the way employees are paid.
beardfish 3 years ago
Humidifiers are a rare thing to see out here. You could only imagine these installers doing such a task!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
I don't think the way these guys are getting paid has anything at all to do with this. They clearly just don't give a damn, and neither does the company they work for. If anyone where I work did something like anything in this video they would be fired so fast they wouldn't know wtf happened. I assume that "paid commission" means they get paid flat-rate by the job. The business I work for does that for installers, but we also have service managers who come by our jobs when we're done and inspect
beardfish 3 years ago
Well I'd say FLAT RATE promotes this crap. But what your boss does is have a REAL Quality Control checkup to ensure those guys know that they WILL be accountable for their work. When I saw this stuff, the company was too out of control to bother doing anything about it.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Wow!!! There are some serious idiots out there . I cant believe people are sorry enough to do that stuff to a customer. I hate going on a service call and seeing rigged up stuff like that. Don't these techs know not only are they ripping people off but in some cases putting a customers life at risk. Money really makes people crazy!!!
Thanks for putting this up, I did get a good kick out of it lol.
applesaucemcgee123 3 years ago
No problem. This area just has no code enforcement at all. And they don't have anything set up to ensure the installers or techs are educated enough to even install/repair furnaces like they do in some other areas of the U.S.A! They don't even ask for your EPA card here except in rare occasions!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
UA all the way!
IGuessImLeft 3 years ago
Local 469
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Thanks for doing this video! As an HVAC homeowner/customer, and one willing to pay for quality work, it makes me mad as hell to see this kind of crap. A HVAC technician paid on commission? Sounds fishy to me...
Unfortunately this kind of stuff makes it difficult for customer and good practice journeyman alike.
When I need HVAC service, you've given me some good questions to ask. Many thanks.
RL - Atlanta, GA USA
rlewis1946 3 years ago
Glad to help.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
You should come down to South florida sometime and document the crap we come across every day down here. I showed these videos to the guys at work after a couple of beers yesterday evening and we damn near pissed ourselves- especially with the elbowed out condensate pans... I don't know if it's just funny because we see this every day, or because we've all been guilty of RCBanditry.. Never-the-less, good videos man- keep up the quality work...
mrniceguy121 3 years ago
Thanks! Nice to hear that you got a good laugh out of it. :-)
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
In Chicago, same thing, but NO ONE wants to pay a real tech. Thats why theres a million side job Charlies that do shit work.
nh2600 3 years ago
"Side Job Charlies" LOL! Actually, all of these jobs were done by the larger HVAC companies in the area! Not the low bid side jobbers! That is why it really bugs me that they don't ensure REAL training and quality control. Not too mention any codes.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
seriously i got a good laugh outa that. indiana is alot worse tho. not only do we have salestechs we have kid techs. im talking 16 yr old kids doing tech work for school. its ridiculous. im glad my union is payng me to be a baby sitter for kids who shouldnt be left alon with a spork. last week alone i had a 18 yr old temp run a new o.d.t wire for me to the thermostat. wat does the genious do? runs me a ten two 220 wire instead of a 2 wire. DUMBASS!!! surrounded by morons
badmannnnnnn90 3 years ago
Damn. Ten gauge wire for a t-stat? Wow! LOL!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
This was too funny... You got to love the predictability of stupidity. The best one I've run into so far was a 460 lead left dangling out of its J-box with no cap or tape. Good thing no one got brave in the supermarket and tried to inspect the Condensing Units on there own.
lopaka79 3 years ago
You gotta love that! Seriously. Some people must have it in their head that no one else is ever going to go behind them and see this shit!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Well, these guys help make it clear what the difference is between a Hack and a Tech. Makes it allot easier to pickup new accounts. Kinda feel bad though for some customers, the ones on a tight budget, that had to keep throwing money at their units because some hack's work just kept bringing up problem after problem.
lopaka79 3 years ago
I love the cap boxes....LOL
radiomike69 3 years ago
Those were great weren't they?
DSC in Phoenix seemed to train their techs to do that or something. Probably in one of their tips to the sales-techs so they can replace run caps faster and then move on to the next victim!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
HvacrTalk . com welcomes Techs contractors and consumers to join free and discuss and trade infor and learn meet others in the trade. good links and resources...all you need is a valid email to activate your account.
hvacrdude1 3 years ago
your vidoes are very helpful, thank you
NasCormega 3 years ago
No Problem! :)
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Payson,
It's not "Peace Work", check your spelling man!
fixyourfurnace 3 years ago
I noticed that after I uploaded the video. I don't exactly hire and EDITOR to check these things for me! LOL! If you read the video info to the right, you would see that I did spell it right over in that info.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
LOL...........cool.......just busting your chops man! Take care, you have great videos though.
fixyourfurnace 3 years ago
LOL! Thanks. :)
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
what's the company name??
KingRhaul 3 years ago
Initials are D.S.C. in Phoenix Arizona. LOL!
A fairly popular residential company who also attacks commercial jobs as well. But they have no clue and don't care as long as they get paid!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Looks like you clean up alot of CR's installs to lmao. Why bother with using a blower when you have condensor fans on you truck lol. I had a customer yesterday that said they paid 350 bucks for zero ice. I felt so bad for them. That and hey you really need a hard start kit with this unit, if it needed it the factory would put it on. That and dont bother with filter dries the metal flakes like to collect in your coil, so we will be back in a month to change that too.
zorthous17 3 years ago
LOL! Actually CR actually gave their techs OEM motors for all the motor change outs. But DSC was the one where I found the condenser motors in the blowers! That's because the techs got paid by the job their, not hourly like CR. No way they gonna leave to get the correct part if they can still make the money with the wrong part! Zerol Ice... that shit is defenitely SNAKE OIL! LOL! Although I never seen anyone pay $350 for it! DSC was charging $225 and I thought that was insane for a gimmick!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
god bless the union!!god bless local 94!!new york!!!
nocivo85 3 years ago
LOL! I'm local 469 now. :)
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Looks to be extremely NON UNION work---Union till I die...RATS GET A CLUE..How hard is it to install a residential unit too ya goofs!!
bm399engineer 3 years ago
LOL! I went union last fall. Defenitely weeds out the hacks AND the training is BETTER than what you get at the local HVAC trade school (RSI, etc)! Installs like these shown ARE easy. Seems like they worked really hard at that company to do them WRONG!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
what was the companys name...go head tell us
Romans724 3 years ago
Well, in THIS video the company's abbreviations would be D.S.C. out of Phoenix, AZ. :) All the hacked trane's in the other videos are the work of C.S. in Sun City West, AZ. :)
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
ive watched a few of your vids and love em, there are heaps of cowboy tradies over here too, we had a floor put in by a builder friend of ours then had too pay $4000 to fix it
roadwolf2 3 years ago
"Builder Friend"? Oh man that had to suck, being your friend and not all business! :(
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
especially since ive known him for 20 years
roadwolf2 3 years ago
That is what is bad about doing business with friends. You want to give them the work. But when something goes sour you are stuck deciding to offend the friend or live with the work he didn't do very well.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
I love those truss notches!! Ahahahahahaa
unicursalhex 3 years ago
Yeah the cut trusses was classic! Wow! I can't believe those guys were set free with a sawzall!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
What a dork get a life do you work on A/C units? do undercover work? or just do videos?
Chance4099 3 years ago
All three! So therefore I'd say I have a very BUSY life, thankyou! :p BTW, all of the photos were taken BY ME. So I am an EXPERT WITNESS at what a HACK looks like? Do YOU do A/C work? If so, i hope you don't do this shit!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
hahahha an attic rat or a pair of baboons haha hilarious..im taking hvac right now with a really good instructer hopefuly if i dont get too stoned i can do better than this
nonfamerik 3 years ago
"...don't get too stoned!" That was funny shit and made me laugh! :) Yet totally true dude!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
The real serviceman is dead and salesman are bred oh and don't forget to sell every customer a service agreement. My last boss told me he never wanted to see another invoice turned in with just a diagnostic charge... My last day with the company ended over me not charging 30 bucks to re-set the breaker on the customers panel box for their a/c due to a power outage!! What has become of our trade? I would have became a car salesman if all they want me to do is sell sell sell
duncan1482 3 years ago
Dude, you are preaching to the choir!!!! And my point exactly! I have told people that very thing. If I wanted to be Joe Salesman at every job, I'd just go sell cars and never work on a roof or in an attic!!!! At companies like that, I call it "SalesTechs" that they send to the homes. Certainly NOT HVAC Technicians! Obviously you have realized how dishonest some companies and boss' can be! Honest people like you are becoming more far and few. :(
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Well one good thing from all of this, You definitely have job security!! even though its aggravating security..
Oskinvold 3 years ago
Yeah. Lots of work, but very aggrivating indeed!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
is their any honest techs outtheir?
bsm1177 3 years ago
In residential maybe about 15% do what they think is doing the customer right. About 40% are just crooks bred by the company themselves. The rest just take what they are given (too many calls per day) and rush through it without ever raising their voice to their manager, etc. I am like the 2% that can't keep his mouth shut and am not afraid to tell the management when I think something is BLATENTLY bad for the customer, or plain dishonest. Not many blo-n-go managers like that in a tech.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Hi me again. I have a tech question for you. My aunt has a roughly 4,500-5,000 square foot colonial in Northern Virginia, built 1981. It has a single-zoned Trane heat pump that does a good job of cooling the first floor, but on the second floor there is absolutely no air coming out of the vents. Also, in the winter, the heat pump does a lousy job heating the house. Do you have any ideas as to why this might be happening. Everything except the ducting has been replaced and it still does not work.
classifiedinfo 3 years ago
Someone would almost have to go there to figure that out. Could be many things. Size, leaks, worn / dirty parts. Etc.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
I remeber installing new units and finding that the real problem was a clogged filter drier after start-up. Shit pisses me off too man. I hated working for companies that paid peacework because of all the callback dipshits I had to go behind.
hemiownzu 3 years ago
Yup. Piecework surely increases the crappy work. It enables them to install it faster and taking shortcuts all while making the same pay as the guy doing it right! :(
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
man what a birds nest of non up to code stuff, the people who installed these units in this slideshow are idiots they dont have the slightest clue on what they r doing, id like to use a compressor from one of these units or a refrigerator and make it into a tire pump
coondogtheman1234 3 years ago
Thanks for the comment. "...of non up to code stuff," is the problem right there. Codes. They don't enforce them in Phoenix, AZ. I've never EVER seen a permit pulled or a system inspected on residential since I moved here!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
well the city should enforce the codes because half the installations if not all of them in this video are fire or safety hazards, if i installed one of these things id follow all codes and the installation instructions to the letter hell id even have someone help me to make sure this HVAC unit is put in right
coondogtheman1234 3 years ago
The city/county is either incompetant or on the take for years. I haven't figured out which. But yeah it's horrible! Before I moved here I did service and install before that. If we had an issue with passing inspection guess what, we had to FIX IT! And we did whatever it took to do it right.
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
J/w I know from watching these videos and your many others that you live in the united states, don't they have governing authorities who inspect electrical, gas ,a/c applications?. In Canada were governed by the TSSA, and every 3 years each tech is audited, and a handfull of the techs previous jobs are inspected. Up here they are alot more strict,build it by code , or its locked down
AndyL420 3 years ago
LOL you hit the nail on the head! The very thing that made me start posting pictures and videos was the fact that I've noticed the builders/contractors/inspections are very CORRUPT in this area of Arizona! Once I moved form another area to this area of Arizona i saw a MASSIVE difference in how residential and commercial building get inspected and somehow, PASS inspection on this crap! Actually, I've never SEEN a city/county inspector OR permit since I've moved to this area! Phoenix, AZ = BAD!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
wow, that is quite corrupt, looks like a bunch of shoe-makers in your area installing A/C's , I've followed your Runcap Bandit videos too, and,I find that just entertaining lmao, I bet you dont, having to service this kind of stuff on a regular basis. When you first moved to AZ I bet those 1st couple of baboon jobs amazed you, but now I bet your seing it all the time, by your rate of videos lol.
AndyL420 3 years ago
I actually lived in Payson, AZ about 100 miles NorthEast of Phoenix. We had to pull permits and pass codes all the way down to having the ratings sticker on the gas flex line and they'd measure the distance of the disconnect form the condenser unit and they wouldn't pass us if it wasn't per code! Then i moved down to Phoenix which is in another county. Night and Day difference! I was in Prescott, AZ Monday and all the gas lines had drip legs, etc. Another thing they SKIP here in Phoenix!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
This deregulation of many industries (service, government, etc.) is the result of deregulative legislation from a republican ("conservative") congress and executives (Reagan, Bush, GW Bush) over the lasr thre decades. I remember when Reagan insisted that the FAA deregulate the quality/controls on the airline industry, particularly the preventive maintenance programs which were costly to the coeporate owners....then parts started falling from the sky...it didn't take long until PM's returned.
redmark2007 3 years ago
LOL that's sad. I am not sure how much of a hand they had in our local area. Seems like it's been BAD here for about 20 years or so. If only the city/county enforced permits more and did honset inspections it would FORCE the builders and all subs to do shit a LOT better! As well as straighten out the sloppy HVAC change outs that residential companies throw in as well! They sell any unit to anyone and no one goes and looks at it after the install to make sure it's safe and accessable for service
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
man that looks like something my company would do. not me thou, i'm duct mechanic.
domino772 3 years ago
Isn't that the worst, when you work with the guys that do this shit? The worst thing is that they didn't care. Just get the check and move on to the next customer!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
LOL the one at 2:53 is funny as hell extra dryers for fun
Manny32V 3 years ago
The one drier on the main line was dropping a few degrees across it too! Man these guys were IDIOTS! And the company didn't care as long as the installers and techs kept getting checks from customers!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago
Note: As tired as I was, I mis-spelled "Piece Work" as "Peace Work". Believe me. There was no PEACE working around this sh*t!
hackfreehvac 3 years ago