Subject: [Shop-talk] Any of you guys fool around with HVAC/refrigeration?

From: Scott Hall <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 7 May 2021 14:02:24 -0500

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I just spent the morning calling maybe twenty different results under
"Appliance Repair" on Google to fix a Sub Zero refrigerator that came with
the new house.

Literally every one Just Doesn't Want to be Bothered. The Sub Zero dealer
WILL take my money--$700 for the part--and another $800 for the labor. This
is an undercounter fridge that I can just toss, and Google tells me the
part is $150 online. I don't like it $1500, especially when it looks like
their labor rate is $400/hour (including drive time) and the part has a
400% markup.

Separately, I have two 1950s-era Coca Cola bottle vending machines. They
have sentimental value so I don't want to toss them, but a while back I
tried calling around to have them repaired because they don't cool. That
was worse than trying to have a refrigerator fixed.

These are all just compressors attached to evaporators, etc. The vending
machines are stone ax-simple and the cool thing about the Sub Zero is that
it is, too--all the parts are designed to be easily replaced and are either
out in the open or behind easily-removed panels. I actually like this
thing; it's like the opposite of our Mazda on which even an oil change made
me want to trade in the car (seriously, Mazda, why locate the oil filter
*under* the exhaust manifold and make only accessible from the top of the
car? I know you guys are in Hiroshima, but that was a LONG time ago. Let's
move on.)

And watching the Sub-Zero guy do his thing, he used a Harbor Freight vacuum
to pull vacuum on the system, and the gauges looked like HF stuff too. And
I feel like if I can rebuild a car engine, I can probably handle this.

Anybody get involved with this stuff? At this point I feel like I'd be less
frustrated in learning to fix these myself than I am trying to get someone
to come out and fix them.

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<div dir=3D"ltr">I just spent the morning calling maybe twenty different re=
sults under &quot;Appliance Repair&quot; on Google to fix a Sub Zero refrig=
erator that came with the new house.<div><br></div><div>Literally every one=
 Just Doesn&#39;t Want to be Bothered. The Sub Zero dealer WILL take my mon=
ey--$700 for the part--and another $800 for the labor. This is an undercoun=
ter fridge that I can just toss, and Google tells me the part is $150 onlin=
e. I don&#39;t like it $1500, especially when it looks like their labor rat=
e is $400/hour (including drive time) and the part has a 400% markup.</div>=
<div><br></div><div>Separately, I have two 1950s-era Coca Cola bottle vendi=
ng machines. They have sentimental value so I don&#39;t want to toss them, =
but a while back I tried calling around to have them repaired because they =
don&#39;t cool. That was worse than trying to have a refrigerator fixed.=C2=
=A0</div><div><br></div><div>These are all just compressors attached to eva=
porators, etc. The vending machines are stone ax-simple and the cool thing =
about the Sub Zero is that it is, too--all the parts are designed to be eas=
ily replaced and are either out in the open or behind easily-removed panels=
. I actually like this thing; it&#39;s like the opposite of our Mazda on wh=
ich even an oil change made me want to trade in the car (seriously, Mazda, =
why locate the oil filter *under* the exhaust manifold and make only access=
ible from the top of the car? I know you guys are in Hiroshima, but that wa=
s a LONG time ago. Let&#39;s move on.)</div><div><br></div><div>And watchin=
g the Sub-Zero guy do his thing, he used a Harbor Freight vacuum to pull va=
cuum on the system, and the gauges looked like HF stuff too. And I feel lik=
e if I can rebuild a car engine, I can probably handle this.</div><div><br>=
</div><div>Anybody get involved with this stuff? At this point I feel like =
I&#39;d be less frustrated in learning to fix these myself than I am trying=
 to get someone to come out and fix them.=C2=A0</div></div>

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