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Thread: AC install costs

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    Default AC install costs

    Hi everyone

    I have been looking arround for installation for the AC unit and i have been getting some far out there prices.

    So the unit i selected is a MHI 2.5kw unit.
    the house is single story wood.
    there is power to where the unit is going a dedicated line on an AC circuit.

    I have been getting prices ranging from $650 to $800.

    now i want to know what the justification for that price is? having installed a few kelvinators before the process is to mount the indoor unit bracket level, drill hole for pipes and cables.
    install conduit install head unit, bend pipes, flare refrigeration line connect to head unit with electrical wiring, place outdoor unit on pad flare the joint and connect to out door unit, pressure test check joins for leaks. draw a vacuum while doing so connect to AC. check the vacuum holds then open the refrigerant valve. top off or subtract depending on the run length.

    last time i did it the cost of pipe was about $30 worth $40 for the conduits etc

    now in my case the charge is correct for the length. so really we are talking about $550 to $700, it took me 2 hours to do the kelvinator units. so there for we are looking at $275 to $350 per hour.

    now last time i went to the doctor it they charge $80 for a 15min consultation that by 4 to make the hourly rate would be about $320 so how is it that it costs more than hiring a doctor for 2 hours to perform a simple installation?



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    15 years ago my Refrigeration mates i used, charged me $600 per Split System (less Electrical)
    Then i'd be $300 or so for the Electrical (Dedicated Circuit, Circuit Breaker, Isolation Switch, Conduit where needed and Interconnecting cable and fit off)

    I used to be shocked at what the Refrigeration guys would charge, even if it was a "Back to Back install"... Piece of piss for them

    Although, all of our installs were complex, multistory, hiding the pipework in walls, hiding the OD unit under the house or under a deck


    If you want a price justification, ask a Small Appliance Repair person to justify Travel Time + $30 for 15min blocks|
    12 years ago, friends got a Appliance Person out to repair thier dishwasher, he explained his charges before coming, they agreed (Wife agreed).

    He got there, spent 45 mins and told them he couldn't fix it, then put his hand out for $175 ..... That was 12 years ago!!!
    No Uni, No Trade School, No Licence, No anything.... He wouldn't leave until they paid, he ended up driving the wife to the ATM to get his money
    Last edited by ol' boy; 15-04-20 at 11:31 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by ol' boy View Post
    15 years ago my Refrigeration mates i used, charged me $600 per Split System (less Electrical)
    Then i'd be $300 or so fo the Electrical (Dedicated Circuit, Circuit Breaker, Isolation Switch, Conduit where needed and Interconnecting cable and fit off)

    I used to be shocked at what the Refrigeration guys would charge, even it was a "Back to Back install"... Piece of piss for them

    Although, all of our installs were complex, multistory, hiding the pipework in walls, hiding the OD unit under the house or under a deck
    thats fair enough however i still argue that having done one of these installations myself before it does not cost anywhere near as much as they charge for it.
    they would make a proffit if they charged $250 for an install + parts (that would be more along the lines of what i am willing to pay.)

    electrical connection is already there ready to go.

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    yep i had same question so in the end i
    1: mounted my internal units
    2: setup the external unit on concrete pads
    3: had pipes clipped and ready for flaring and connection
    4: had all the electrical done

    then got them to just do the connection and commission $120

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    Quote Originally Posted by bazzy View Post
    thats fair enough however i still argue that having done one of these installations myself before it does not cost anywhere near as much as they charge for it.
    they would make a proffit if they charged $250 for an install + parts (that would be more along the lines of what i am willing to pay.)

    electrical connection is already there ready to go.
    Things that have changed in the last 15 years

    Now they must be licenced Plumbers, and have a Licence to by the Gas, etc etc
    Huge fines now
    Electrical has always been licenced, no change there.

    I agree, i think they make a fortune for #### all
    And most i've used leave a leaking connection or don't open the valves on the OD unit correctly. And rarely ever use a Vac Pump

    If you are comfortable, just do it yourself
    Last edited by ol' boy; 15-04-20 at 11:36 AM.
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    yep i had same question so in the end i
    1: mounted my internal units
    2: setup the external unit on concrete pads
    3: had pipes clipped and ready for flaring and connection
    4: had all the electrical done

    then got them to just do the connection and commission $120

    +1 ..this is the way to do it if you have the required handyman skills.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ol' boy View Post
    Things that have changed in the last 15 years

    Now they must be licenced Plumbers, and have a Licence to by the Gas, etc etc
    Huge fines now
    Electrical has always been licenced, no change there.

    I agree, i think they make a fortune for #### all
    And must i've used leave a leaking connection or don't open the valves on the OD unit correctly.

    If you are comfortable, just do it yourself
    yeah i am seriously considering doing it myself, the main reason i have not is the MHI has 5 years warranty but if maintain that warranty costs the equivalent of another air conditioner then its not worth it.

    The others i installed myself because they where cheap and warranty was short.

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    Quote Originally Posted by wotnot View Post
    +1 ..this is the way to do it if you have the required handyman skills.
    The trick is finding someone willing to work that way. I have struggled to find someone thats even willing to perform an installation without supplying the unit too.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bazzy View Post
    yeah i am seriously considering doing it myself, the main reason i have not is the MHI has 5 years warranty but if maintain that warranty costs the equivalent of another air conditioner then its not worth it.

    The others i installed myself because they where cheap and warranty was short.
    There is a website (i'm not sure which) where you put you job on it and many Trades People get back to you with a Price
    A builder friend just did this to Paint his 2 units he built as his regular Painter was busy.

    He got 3 prices, took the cheapest, the guy had a website and many good reviews
    Was prompt, neat, professional.... And did a brilliant job.

    So maybe you can still shop around, there is plenty of people looking for work now, i'd say you can name your price more than they can
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    Quote Originally Posted by bazzy View Post
    The trick is finding someone willing to work that way. I have struggled to find someone thats even willing to perform an installation without supplying the unit too.
    That is certainly true ~ I think it's easier if you live in a country/rural area in this regard, although given the current human malware situation, my bet is there'll be tradies out there looking to take on any jobs going.

    The units typically come with installation instructions, so the DIY part is relatively easy to do while ensuring you stay inside install criteria that satisfy warranty conditions, but like you say, getting someone to just do 'final' can be a pita.

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    I think part of the problem is that the retailer wants it to be easy for them to quote a price to supply the unit. Typically the guy who comes out to quote on the job is not a qualified tradie, but just a salesman. They want a way to easily and quickly scope out the job and tell the customer: "it will cost $x".

    That means they build a fair bit of fat into each install to cover the jobs that turn nasty and take much longer than the salesman who scoped the job expected. It's be better if you could just engage fridgie at x dollars per hour, instead of at a fixed rate to do the job and then wear the risk of the job taking longer than expected yourself.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ol' boy View Post
    And rarely ever use a Vac Pump
    You must have had some REAL dodgy installations if that were the case!

    Can't Imagine doing it without Vaccing the lines down. Normally you do that and leave the pump running while you are doing something else. Not something that takes more than a couple of Min in reality.

    If someone put in a system for me and didn't Vac the lines down, I'd throw them out the door on their arses!

    Only thing I don't Vac down is car AC but then I flush the lines out a couple of times before hand and Pump them Down on the compressor.

    Getting the air and Moisture out is essential. Probably why they won't warrant machines unless a pro installs them because they know DIY'ers don't have Vac pumps.
    Not that they are expensive as they used to be these days.

    If one can't afford to have a unit installed properly, shouldn't be buying the thing in the first place.

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    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    Quote Originally Posted by george65 View Post
    You must have had some REAL dodgy installations if that were the case!

    Can't Imagine doing it without Vaccing the lines down. Normally you do that and leave the pump running while you are doing something else. Not .
    I think they used to purge the copper lines and units with the stored refrigerant from the OD unit
    Still dodgy, but at least there was some reasoning involved
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    Quote Originally Posted by george65 View Post
    You must have had some REAL dodgy installations if that were the case!

    If one can't afford to have a unit installed properly, shouldn't be buying the thing in the first place.
    as i have clearly stated in my post i did a full price breakdown on what is involved in performing this installation (having done more than 3 myself with no issue. i even was asked by someone "who did your AC installation they did a good job")

    I own all the tools needed to flare to evacuate etc.

    I don't object to to paying a reasonable price however when quotes are up around the $550 to $800 mark that is unreasonable. and pretending that it is anything else other than "we hold the licence so you have to pay whatever unreasonable robbery we demand" then your kidding yourself.

    if installation costs me $800 and the aircon costs me $750 i may as well just put the $800 in the bank and if the warranty wont cover a defect in the unit then i would be better off throwing another split system at it.

    would be even easier, hole already made, just replace the split.

    what i object to is how expensive the job is to do. I had a large hole in a wall fixed that took a lot to be done, the tradesman asked 250 to do the job. when i was looking at what he was doing it was much harder than installing the AC. that tradesman would have done an apprenticeship too.

    i am also surprised that that they are willing to charge so much given the economic climate.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bazzy View Post

    i am also surprised that that they are willing to charge so much given the economic climate.
    Where have you been? Fridgee's are worse than Plumbers!

    They just invent prices
    As for a break down, i'd love a break down for my Council Rate too, i have no idea what i'm getting for $4500 a year?

    Do these companies supply Certificates? Plumbing and Electrical... There is a cost in just obtaining a cert, let alone filling it out, and onselling it to the customer
    Last edited by ol' boy; 15-04-20 at 01:36 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by ol' boy View Post

    Do these companies supply Certificates?
    not that i know of, i think they are supposed to fill out the paperwork that comes with the unit.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bazzy View Post
    not that i know of, i think they are supposed to fill out the paperwork that comes with the unit.
    ???

    The little Warranty Card??

    That has nothing to do the relevant state licencing regarding Plumbing and Electrical
    Each state is different, although that might have changed with the ARC Refrigerant License.

    In Victoria you needed a Registered Plumber and a Registered and Licenced Electrician (if hard wired)

    I see where you are having trouble, but the cost is the cost

    You could equally have purchased a $299 ALDI Split System and still paid the same $600-700 to have it installed
    Or you could have purchased a $4500 recessed cassette split system and maybe the $600-700 wouldn't seem so bad

    I really don't see the problem, just install it yourself.
    The manufacturer will still cover a warranty claim if its in date. Purchase Receipt is all that is needed.

    They will just send a Tech out
    If they ask questions about the Installer, i'm sure you can think of something to say....
    Personally, i have never been asked, ever....... You just ring up, this doesn't work, here is my receipt, its under warranty, come and fix it.
    Last edited by ol' boy; 15-04-20 at 02:21 PM.
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    Im actually very impressed with this unit. it is quiet and seems far better designed than Kelvinator

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    Quote Originally Posted by bazzy View Post
    Im actually very impressed with this unit. it is quiet and seems far better designed than Kelvinator
    Yeah, they are a good unit..our model outside units are rated at 69dba but that's only where it's flatout at switch on as it processes the initial bulk of the cold/hot air... then it settles back on the inverter control and hushpuppys along. Inside fan unit is the same, efficient, civilized, we've been really impressed with them. Ours is R410A as well btw. We only live 100k or so from Ipswich in the scenic rim, and the units have had no trouble coping with the sorts of weather we get here-abouts. Going by my experience, settle back for at least the next 5years and forget it's even there (well, at least check the units/filter etc periodically ...oh, and watch out for redbacks, they love the outside units =)

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