Need To Hear From Some Appliance Guys

[uzzo2]

Just recently got laid off of my job and the only places hiring right now in my area are the companies that couldn't keep any help all summer long. I am considering for the time being doing some appliance repair. I know there's not a lot of money in it but I gotta do what I gotta do to keep the lights on. I actually hate working on them, especially all of this newer stuff. I've been told that with a lot of the newer stuff you have to have some diagnostic equipment. Does anyone know what type of diagnostic equipment is needed?

[Deathpunch0311]

My wife is an appliance tech.
She has all the same tools I do. Except a few little ones that she needs to pull a wash plate, change a gear case etc.

[DavidDeBord]

The Appliance Repair field is well paying & in demand Uzzo.

I've had several customers talk me in to fixing a garbage disposal, clothes dryer, & even refrigerators.

It got to the point where I picked up several manuals, sought out several local Supply Houses, & took it on as part of the Business.

It also could "open th' door" to meeting the Customers HVAC needs as well, if while there working on an Appliance that you learn of other issues that they have.

Good Luck!

[Answer-Man]

Appliance such as Residential stuff and different from commercial and restraunt refrigeration; Appliance repair pays well but the sad thing and many customers realize, most times it is more cost effective to buy new over repair. I will do appliance stuff when asked, and if it is source of income while laid off, go for it

[Dad]

Are you asking about residential or commercial appliance work?

[uzzo2]

Are you asking about residential or commercial appliance work?

Hi Dad, I'm glad you're still here! I'm considering the residential side of things. There's nobody in my area that fools with them hardly anymore. I had one of my residential HVAC customers call me about a year ago for a problem with his refrigerator. I told him that if it was less than 20 years old to just go buy a new one. They don't put service ports on them from the factory so it's cheaper to just go buy a new one in a lot of cases. Well, this fellow calls me about a month later and asks me if I'll come check on his fridge. I was like, T.J. I thought I told you to go buy a new one. He says, I did; that's the one I'm calling you about.

So I asked him where he bought it from and he tells me he got it from Lowe's. So I said to him, it should be under warranty, you need to call Lowe's. To which he replies, I already did, they don't have anyone in this area that they can send. So they told me to choose my own service provider and they would reimburse me, so I choose you. And I was like darn T.J. that's the reason I told you to go buy a new one because I didn't want to fool with it. The complaint was for water dripping on the top shelf of the refrigerator. It looked like a plain jane over and under. But this thing had an ECM and either 2 or 3 control boards in it. Man, when I took that thing apart, I couldn't believe how cheap it was put together. The only thing securing the evap coil was a couple pieces of styrofoam.

So, they can't even get anyone in my area to do the warranty work. And I'm pretty sure that's the only way I would even consider doing warranty work. Let the customer pay me and get the manufacturer reimburse him. I had just heard that there was some software or apps you had to buy to be able to diagnose this stuff nowadays. To be able to communicate with the ECM and/or control boards. The other thing I've been thinking about is for the guys like me that own the older stuff and don't want to spend a fortune getting this newer junk fixed. The county in which I reside has like 7 or 8 "convenience centers" which is a fancy name for garbage collection sites. So they have the dumpsters for garbage and they have recycling bins. I can go to the one closest to me on any given day and there will be at least a couple of refrigerators and maybe a freezer or two.

I do work for the guy that's in charge of all of them for Advanced Disposal and he's told me I can get them any time I want. So I actually picked up a side by side a few years ago when things were slow and brought it home. The only thing that was wrong with it was the evap motor was seized up in it. I took it out, oiled it up, unseized it and put it back in. I sold it for a hundred bucks and as far as I know it's still running. So, I can get them for free and get them running and make a little money that way. I don't know, it's just something I'm kicking around until things pick up in the spring hopefully. I'm really glad you commented, although I haven't had much time to stop by and visit here. I wonder how some of you guys are getting along. Thanks to everyone else for the advice as well. I've tried to thank them for the post but it won't work for some reason.

[Dad]

Well... let me say this

If you want to make money stay out of residential appliances. If you want to get by do residential.

I am thinking you are in the Macon area. The Atlanta area appliance companies are always looking for sub contractors.

Learn the commercial appliance end, stay a one man operation and enjoy the benefits.

Residential = Poo


Just my .02 but I did commercial appliance for the first 20 years of my career. I'm retired now... young.

[uzzo2]

Well... let me say this

If you want to make money stay out of residential appliances. If you want to get by do residential.

I am thinking you are in the Macon area. The Atlanta area appliance companies are always looking for sub contractors.

Learn the commercial appliance end, stay a one man operation and enjoy the benefits.

Residential = Poo


Just my .02 but I did commercial appliance for the first 20 years of my career. I'm retired now... young.

I knew I could always count on good advice from dear old Dad
I'm about 1 hr. northeast of Macon, about 1.5 hrs southeast of Atlanta and about 1.5 hrs west of Augusta. Any suggestions on what appliance companies I should talk to?

[Dad]

Yeah... sparse area compared to Atlanta.

Get with the big guys in Atlanta such as Whaley, GCS and Heritage to see what their needs are but the closer in you are to Atlanta the more work you will have. Maybe even consider moving closer in as there is a void of techs here. Specialize in commercial appliances then learn light duty commercial refrigeration. That should be 100k a year if you are a busy one man band. If you go to work for one of the big three you will only do about 65k a year with truck and benefits.

[uzzo2]

Yeah... sparse area compared to Atlanta.

Get with the big guys in Atlanta such as Whaley, GCS and Heritage to see what their needs are but the closer in you are to Atlanta the more work you will have. Maybe even consider moving closer in as there is a void of techs here. Specialize in commercial appliances then learn light duty commercial refrigeration. That should be 100k a year if you are a busy one man band. If you go to work for one of the big three you will only do about 65k a year with truck and benefits.

Thanks again Dad! Yeah, I live in Putnam county on lake sinclair. There's not much going on here as far as work goes. However, Milledgeville and the Greensboro/Lake Oconee areas are expanding rapidly. I got the hell out of Atlanta in the late 90's and haven't regretted it one bit. But, I do realize what you're saying. The Atlanta market is much bigger and the pay is better. The biggest thing that keeps me here is that everything is paid for. My house, land, vehicles, etc... I'd rather make the drive every day or just stay local and make a little less than to have to deal with Atlanta traffic every day. I did it just about every day when I worked for Reddy Ice and hated it pretty much every single day. I already have some commercial appliance/refrigeration experience. I had several convenience stores with deli's in them that I used to keep up. Reach in and walk in coolers/freezers, prep tables, ice machines, etc. One of them that's close to my house I still do work for from time to time when they need me. It's interesting that you mention Whaley. I actually had a phone interview with them on the 20th of last month. I haven't heard from them since. But I got an email from a headhunter with TWC services yesterday wanting me to fill out an application, so there's that.

The issue with me is I just turned 48 in October. So I'm getting towards the end of my productive years. I still do pretty good but working 7 days a week, 12-14 hour days and being on call all the time is pretty much over with for me. I didn't think I was going to make it this past summer. I'd come in from work, eat and go straight to bed. I'd sleep 8 hours and wake up feeling just as tired as I was when I went to bed. It was probably the middle of November before I started feeling normal again. I was super burned out. So time is running out on me due to my age. So I'm looking for something a little more laid back. Know what I mean?

[Dad]

That's the catch 22. If you want work you must deal with the city issues. I'm just north of Woodstock now retired, 20 minutes from the mountains with no pans on heading south again.