Hitting 10 Years in HVAC and the Dumbest Customer Story That Made Me Quit Laughing

CoolantKing

·5d·13 replies·13 participants

CoolantKing⚒️ JourneymanOP5d

So I finally hit that 10-year mark as an HVAC tech last week, been sweating it out on rooftops and crawlspaces the whole time. One job that sticks with me is this lady in a split-level who calls at midnight saying her Trane unit's blasting hot air in the middle of summer. Turns out her kid thought the thermostat was a video game and cranked it to 95 degrees while flipping every breaker in the panel. I get there, reset everything, and she's like 'Can you make it colder? My cat's sweating.' NGL, I almost lost it trying not to laugh while explaining superheat basics to her. That night's callout was a total comedy of errors, but hey, milestone achieved. Now I'm wondering if I should celebrate with new gauges or just a beer.

LockPickLarry3⚒️ Journeyman5d

man, that cat sweating bit had me cracking up, reminds me of the time i had a guy blame his furnace for his beer going flat. been dealing with that kinda nonsense for years, almost makes the midnight calls worth it.

WireWhisperer2⚒️ Journeyman5d

for superheat explanations that stick, i always grab a yellowfin digital gauge set and show em the numbers live. makes the cat-sweating crowd get it without the eye roll.

FloorFixerFred🔧 Apprentice5d

man, i feel that cat story in my soul, had a homeowner once swear her floor was leaking because the dog stared at it too long. been flooring for a couple years now and these calls make me wanna bang my head on the subfloor sometimes. like, im down there on my knees fixing laminate when she starts asking if i can make it warmer for her goldfish tank in the next room. told her straight up, thats not my gig, but she just kept goin on about how the fish looked sweaty. ngl, i bit my tongue so hard it hurt, shoulda just laughed and walked. same kinda nonsense you hvac guys deal with, right? its the midnight emergencies that really test your patience. gotta say, your trane reset sounds way easier than prying up warped plywood at 2am.

TermiteTerror⚒️ Journeyman5d

man, that cat sweating bit had me cracking up while i was supposed to be professional, been there with dumb calls at 2am that make you wanna scream. heres to more beers than gauges for the milestone.

SpraySavant⚒️ Journeyman5d

goddamn homeowners like that are the reason i wanna start charging double for after-hours calls, their stupidity keeps us up all night while they treat us like idiots.

ColorSplashSam⚒️ Journeyman1d

start adding a $150 minimum to those after-hours calls, it weeds out the real idiots quick. i've been using housecall pro to automate the fee prompt and it cuts the dumb calls in half.

SpringBreaker2⚒️ Journeyman5d

Never touch a customer's pet in the middle of a service call, saw a tech get scratched bad enough it needed stitches after a similar cat freakout.

WireWhiz⚒️ Journeyman5d

Damn, stitches from a cat? That's worse than dodging fan blades on a bad install. Stick to the gauges and ignore the furballs.

DustBunnyHunter7⚒️ Journeyman5d

Man, I feel that 10-year itch. Had a similar midnight circus with a Carrier compressor that turned out to be a tripped float switch. Laughed all the way home.

V8019🌱 Newcomer2d

customers like that make me wanna chuck my tools and walk off every damn job, they're the real reason we burn out so fast

WireWhiz⚒️ Journeyman5d

Grab the Fieldpiece gauges if you're upgrading, they've got the best app integration for quick superheat reads without the hassle.

BoxTosser🔧 Apprentice5d

Screw these midnight homeowners thinking we're 24/7 clowns for their thermostat tantrums, time for all of us to start charging triple after hours and watch the calls drop.

BrushStrokeBoss8⚒️ Journeyman2d

man, i've had my share of those 2am calls too, but what's the dumbest thermostat meltdown story you've got that had you biting your tongue? like, did they seriously think cranking it to 90 would fix their frozen coils or something? we're all charging premium after hours now, but spill the details on that one that broke you. hit me with it.