HVAC Contractors Practically Make Their Living On These

I just got ripped off this way. I was charged $2,000 to replace the capacitor and the fan motor. After it was all done I looked up the part numbers and it was just under $300 in parts. This is a very highly rated HVAC company in central Texas. Never again.

My cousin got his HVAC career started on a bad capacitor. He began with a large HVAC company but got tired of constantly being pressured to sell optional repairs and stuff. So, he branched out on his own. One of his mom's friends called her for an HVAC referral because she had just been told she needed a whole new unit, and she wanted a second opinion. His mom told her about him, and all he had to do was replace the capacitor. He didn't charge her anything even though she insisted. She bought a half-page ad for him for her church's program for some function, and that ad was what kickstarted him. Sorry for the long story, but having heard it a bajillion times, I couldn't help myself.

Im a one man Hvac business owner. Im licensed and insured 21 years experience in Florida. Today 5/25/24 I got a service call. I charged 395 dollars for a 45/5 capacitor,1.5 Lbs of 410a,new valve cores(They were leaking), new valve core caps and a I vacuumed the drain line. We are not all out here to screw you over.

I was once was charged $500 by a "good friend" HVAC repairman to change the capacitor. I remember telling my wife" This guy is ripping me off." I even asked him how much the part was, and he said, "It's around $500, so I won't charge for labor." Needless to say, he's no longer a friend. That's why I say YouTube was the best thing to happen to DIYers. Thanks for all you do. You've saved us millions of dollars.

My pop’s worked HVAC manufacturing his whole life and I remember calling him when our AC went out 2 summers ago. The first thing he did was check the capacitor and told me to go ahead and order a new one. We got the new one, he showed me how to replace it, and that brought the unit back to life. He said I just saved you a ton of money and heartache.

Retired HVAC guy, I always check for power even if I pulled the disconnect. I was almost zapped because someone wired the box wrong.

I was quoted $550.00 to replace my run capacitor and told him to go. I bought one on Amazon for $18.36 and took me 15 minutes to put it on! Thanks for being honest to your viewers!

Some HVAC gal was talking down to me about how the AC needed a $900 repair, but she wouldn't touch it until the circuit box was replaced AND there would be no warranty. I declined her uninspiring offer, opined that I didn't like her tone, and with that she left. $35 later I had a new cap in there. That was years ago, the HVAC still works.

I have used my HVAC company for years. They are really honest. I'm lucky. I just had my units replaced... it was time. There was an electrical issue that shut one of the units down... it happens. The company dispatched a tech and he said I need to replace BOTH of them. I have a good relationship with the owner and called him. He came out with the tech and Op's manager. It was a fuse. A $1 part. The owner was embarrassed. More like appalled. He fired the tech right in front of me. The owner was very apologetic stating over and over again "my father would have never allowed this, this is not how we operate". He fixed it right then... himself. There are good ones out there. Few and far between, for sure. Aaron- you are the man.

Man, my AC went down in the middle of a heat wave a couple years ago because the capacitor failed. I called one of the big name HVAC companies in town. Thankfully, the tech that came out had my back. He said he had to charge me the $90 service call fee no matter what. But I could either pay another $500 for him to fix it or try to replace the capacitor myself. He wrote down the part # and address to the supply house for me. I decided to try to fix it myself. I about fainted when the supply house said it was only $20! 🤯🤯 I replaced the capacitor EZPZ and called that tech directly and told him I owe him dinner or a case of beer. I think this video will be a lifesaver for some people like that tech was for me. 👍🏻👍🏻

I had an HVAC guy come out for a service call after I tried to self-diagnose why my unit wasn't running. I took your advice and ordered a new capacitor (from your link) and replaced it. I took before-and-after pictures to make sure I connected the proper terminals. When the tech arrived, I told him I had replaced the capacitor, but nothing had changed. He insisted I wired it wrong. When I showed him the pictures before and after, he insisted the original capacitor was wired wrong. That's when I knew it was time to call for a different tech. The next guy found a small leak in the rusted-out dryer filter. Thanks for this video; it helped weed out bad techs.

Had a tech come out and quote $2300 to replace my capacitor. Ordered one off of Amazon, being careful to mirror the specs on the old capacitor. Pulled the electrical disconnect, unfastened the capacitor (it was bulging on top), and I was careful to reinstall the wires where they were located on the old capacitor. Threw the old capacitor in the garbage and fired up my air conditioner. Worked like a charm. Saved $2285. And these HVAC guys had 4.9 stars on google and 5 stars on the the local classified here in Salt Lake City.

After watching this clip, my faith in humanity is restored! I love you man!

As a mechanical engineer and frequent viewer of DIY Guy (among others), I find the DIY HVAC Guy offers the most concise and easy understood explanation of HVAC maintenance. This Guy has saved me money with everything from backup solar hookups to condenser cooling. And he does this with short and to the point videos. I have my spare capacitor on order now. Good stuff. Thanks.

AmRads former name was American Radionics. They been making capacitors for decades. The Radionics part of the name was when they used to make all kinds of capacitors for radios. Their products are super quality. They would ship samples to you in a sealed plastic bag full of water to show just how moisture proof the were. Support them. They're a great USA company.

Your HVAC videos have saved my family thousands of dollars and kept me safe while doing so. Thank you! Keep it up.

I'm an automotive locksmith and some times I have the opposite problem. This channel is dedicated to help people DIY. I get calls for simple things and try to walk the customers through over the phone so they don't have to have a service call. Some take me up on it but many either get annoyed and just say they don't want to try and would rather pay us to come out for a simple thing. The annoyed ones get mad and make snarky comments like if I wanted to do it myself I wouldn't have called you. lol I charge them accordingly. Once in a while I get a surprise from an older lady who is willing to crawl through glass to avoid a service call and I can usually get those people going.

Around here, most of the successful local owned HVAC companies have been purchased by private equity firms, who turn the techs into salesmen, on commission. This is a great video!

I've learned more from this young man for my 2 homes than anything or anyone Ive seen on YouTube. Fantastic job. Also, if there are Hate comments, they are most likely the companies that charge $2000. A Houston based company called Elmers had a guy that tried to charge me $33,000 to change out my unit, attic unit and new ducts.... On a 2019 New Home! I Simply cleaned the fins and changed a capacitor and Ice Cold inside. Houston area folks, Beware of Elmers HVAC.

I just fixed my AC with a new capacitor!!!!!!!! My AC died 3 days ago (old system) I thought here we go😢. Woke up to your video (never have I seen your channel) God works wonders...have faith!!!!! God bless you & thank you!!! Cost $37 & prayer.✝️🙏🏽🇺🇸✊🏾