>office air conditioner broken >call in one of the approved

>>17285329

this is in california. los angeles if that makes a difference.

>>17285329
Depends on your lease. Was the office leased as air conditioned? If so, they have to deliver air conditioning.

It could be argued - and probably has been, creating a precedent, that in southern California air conditioning is assumed, just like floors and walls.

>>17285347

ill have to get our hands on the lease. i came in to the office years after everything was established. with summer here we need AC, we have no windows that would provide ventilation unfortunately.

california law says its our job to repair the AC but if it cant be repaired i dont know whats up

>>17285358
You could also argue that it needs to be replaced and can't be repaired.

>>17285389

thats literally what the repair man said, however i need to know about the legalities behind this cuz he is a shit manager and will claim its our job and it very well may be. i need to know california law on office buildings.

>>17285329
The first thing to do is call another engineer from a different company out, without mentioning you've allready had someone look at it. I work in a similar industry (gas boilers) and it's not uncommon to tell someone something is fucked when it isn't, the reason being that there's about two orders of magnitude difference between the cheapest repair and the most expensive install. Your average joe has no idea how these things work or what they're meant to look like, so as long as you stop short of telling them the flux capacitor needs changing you can say anything you like and they'll believe you.

A really good technique for pushing those jobs is to go with something like "I can change the thermocouple for £200, but where the burner is corroded the whole thing might only last another month anyway. Or I can install you an ultra modern one that's quiter and cheaper to run for £2,500". You give the implication that they can either pay a medium expense now /and/ a large expense very soon, or just bite the bullet and do the large one now - which is exactly what your bloke has done.

>>17285450

interesting. might want to try that. i was surprised he said he couldnt fix the freeon leak

Is it a legit a/c system or just a window air conditioner?

>>17285503

its a roof mounted air conditioner, like legit system with pipes up to the roof and whatnot

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>>17285329

I work on machinery and equipment a lot, OP, and in my experience it is extremely rare that something simply can't be repaired. All but the most fucked of devices can't be fixed somehow, and I'd imagine that this guy is just trying to get you to buy into something else by telling you something that probably isn't true. It can't be that bad. A decent portion of what I've learned was self-taught by taking things apart and figuring out how they work. It might seem complex at first, but you'd be surprised how straight-forward most machines are.

If it's a hole in the pipes (doubtful) one could always solder over it or cut the pipes and attach new ones. If the seals where the freon is are leaking then the obvious solution is to take the thing apart, and figure out where it's leaking and if possible, why. What looks changed? What looks out of place?

Another favorite (sometimes first solution other times last resort) is simply looking up the ac unit's model number and name and trying to find parts online. You'd be surprised what you can find parts for, regardless of age.

What I'm saying is, there are still a lot of options left. Don't buy into anything this guy tells you get because it's likely a hash. Like >>17285450 said, getting another person to look at it and seeing if he gives a different diagnosis is always a good idea. If nothing else, he may offer a cheaper alternative.

>>17285555
I work in HVAC.
Its usually poor solder that causes leaks in freon. Unless its a gaping fucking hole, refills SHOULD last you a few months. But the guy is right, you have to keep refilling until you get the leak fixed.

That's where the problem comes in. Pipes are going through walls, and you have to basically examine them one by one to see where the leak is. I'm not saying its not possible, but I would charge you a pretty big fee, and tell you in the beginning I might not even find it if your system is big, or its a leak inside the condenser/blower unit.

By then I would just recommend a new unit. More money for me, and a guarantee that it works/ and if it doesn't I'll fix it.

>>17285555
>>17285570
Sorry, meant to quote OP

>>17285329

>>17285570

interesting. i am torn. this is new to me. ive been managing the office for two years next month but im not sure how to make these kind of calls. we have no back up fund for this nonsense.

If the air conditioning unit is part of the apartment, E.G. if you took it when you left and they would charge you for it: Then it is the landlords responsibility. Just like how if the stove stopped working it would be their responsibility to replace it.

Anything that you would be charged for when leaving the apartment is their responsibility to repair.

>>17285589

this is for an office building, and offices are different then apartments. apartments need to have like adequate heating and such, but i know for sure it is our legal job to repair an air conditioner, im just hoping theres something about replacing it cuz goddamn i dont want to have to replace it. i cant see prices, but im told its in the thousands and we just dont make that.

>>17285599
I realized that right after posting because I've been drinking wine all morning

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>>17285610
>

>all morning

please dont give advice.

>>17285580
Who's paying for this?

You or your company? Many people just refill for the summer months. Usually last them through the summer, depending on how fast the leak is.

>>17285628

my company. the way he worded it was it could last a few days or a year. im not sure. we had it repaired right before i started working here, so two years ago, but weve had a LOT of issues with it in general just seemingly not working a lot of days then working the next.

>>17285643
If that's the case, I would rather have the ac replaced. Freon isn't going to do shit when the machine doesn't turn on.

>>17285649

the machine does seem to turn on, just no air making its way to our office. but i only checked it in this particular instance, not in the other times cuz i dont generally have roof access. plus that ladder is shakey as shit so im not going up that unless necessary.

>>17285657
honestly m8. i cant accurately tell you what the problem is without going over and checking it out. it could be a motor problem or maybe your grills just need cleaning. but if its not your money, i would just opt for the new system. freon refills should be pretty cheap <$100. so maybe refill it once, see how long that runs you. and then decide after that.

>>17285672
Sorry, but refills will probably be 100-200. Since I usually overcharge during summer months when demand is high. Forgot about that, your guy might do it too.

>>17285672

like i said the issue isnt whats wrogn or how to fix it, but whether or not the landlord is responsible for replacing it. accordingt to the internet theres no clear cut answer, but it seems that unless the contract says it is my job, then it is his job as its on the roof and thats a thing.

as for freeon replacements, they say its like 700 dollars cuz its an old type of freeon. otherwise id have just filled it and not be having my face melt off.

>>17285728
Kek, cant help you there with who pays.

Just ask

>>17285734

>just ask

the landlord? why would he give me an honest or even educated answer? this is about legal responsibility, not whatever he thinks he can get away with.

im doing research but the best i found was what i mentioned in the last post. trying to find our lease but i dont have a copy of it.

Find the lease. It is key.

Also, did the AC repair guy work for a company that also sells AC's? If so, sort of a conflict of interest there.

>>17285753

im thinking conflict of interest is a possibility. if it is a freeon leak i imagine it is what we needed repaired two years ago, but that was only a 250 dollar repair as opposed to 700.

logic dictates that if it s teh same issue getting another freeon refill should fix the problem but im thinking long term.

my boss doenst plan to die for another 9 years, so it may be better to go for a new one even if we have to pay for it depending on the price.