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.

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

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.

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 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.

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!

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. 👍🏻👍🏻

Had Ac failure, tried a different repairman. He charged $169 for service and $175 for the capacitor. Took him about a half hour to complete the job from the time he drove up. He left the old capacitor with me, so I looked it up. It was $8-9 from parts suppliers and $12 from Amazon. 11:25

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.

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.

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.

Dude...thanks so much. I stumbled on this video a week BEFORE my capacitor failed (last night) with a peak heat of 98 F today. I went to Amazon and found a good capacitor eligible for overnight shipping. It arrived right when I removed the cover. Replaced it in 3 minutes, and now my air is cool again! I'm a subscriber for life. Thanks!

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

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!

Hey Man, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. It's been over 100 degrees here in SE Washington State for several days, and that trend will continue through at least the 22nd. It was 108 today, 110 yesterday and my AC stopped blowing cold air. Before I realized what was going on, it was 80 degrees inside the house! I had watched this video and another one of yours about the AC Capacitor remove and replace a few weeks ago. Based on these video's I ordered the proper capacitor from Amazon for like $15 so I had it on hand when the old one went out. I pulled the cover like you instructed, saw my capacitor was swollen, discharged it, removed it, and replaced it all in about 20 minutes which also included a good rinse of the fins on the unit. Turned the AC back on and the cold air is flowing freely. My kids are happy, Wife is happy, and I'm happy. Wife said I get a gold start for the day. I like the fact I just saved several hundred bucks on an easy peasy job. YOU ROCK HVAC Guy!!!!!

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.

I myself had this exact same experience. I had the cap blow and needed a new one. I had to find out what the cap was rated which I found on the schematic on the unit. Then ordered the Turbo 200 for no reason other than made in the USA. Installed it myself and the saved $2500 an AC guy said it would cost. Great video.

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.

If people don't watch anything else about HVAC, they need this one. Great simple explanation. I got bit many years ago when I was young and dumb and full of (you know). Youtube can be a great place. I keep a capacitor, contactor, thermostat and even a X13 rescue motor in reserve now, will get a condenser fan when I find the exact rating. Places around here won't sell to consumers and it gets to hot to wait a few days for a replacement.