Is your furnace or air conditioner making a funny sound? Is the temperature on your thermostat dropping or not reaching the appropriate setting? Is there air coming out of the vents but it is not warm or cool? Are you unsure what is going on with your HVAC system and need some help? Marx Mechanical and our team of trained service technicians are here to help!
What to Expect When I Call, Text, or Email Marx Mechanical
If you call our main service line 289-301-0720, you will be greeted by one of our customer service representatives. They will start by asking for some of the details of your heating, cooling or other HVAC problems. Common questions include: the age of the equipment, size, make and model, previous service history, any sounds, smells or other clues that can help with the diagnosis.
In addition to a phone call you can also email us at sales@marxmechanical.com, or send a text message to 289-301-0720 to receive a quick response.
What Should I Expect the Service to Cost?
Once we have an idea of your service needs, our CSR will then outline what you should expect with regards to pricing. It will go something like this:
Marx Mechanical has an initial Dispatch/ Diagnostic fee of $195+ HST which covers the fuel, drive time and 1 hour of work onsite. In order to diagnose the problem with your HVAC equipment our technician will have to make a trip out to your home. While onsite the technician will inspect and test your equipment to determine the root cause of the issue. Commonly, within this first hour, the technician will either be able to perform a repair (if it is something routine) or will communicate that there is a larger problem that will require a quote for repair or replacement.
If the service is complex and requires more time and attention, beyond the first hour of service we have a time and materials price model that will allow the technician to remain onsite to continue diagnosing or repairing the equipment.
“Time” is charged out at an hourly rate of $99 + HST and materials are charged out as required by the nature of the repair.
Please note that Marx Mechanical will ask for a credit card only to be placed on the file before dispatching a technician to your home. Credit cards will only be charged once the service is complete.
Example 1
Technician is dispatched to site spends 1 hour onsite and is able to complete repair or get system back up and running within the first hour.
$195 (Diagnostic Fee) charged via credit card once the technician leaves site
Example 2
Technician dispatched to site and determines that an OEM part is required to complete the repair. Dispatch fee is charged for the initial visit and a quote is provided for the full repair to be approved by the customer before proceeding.
$195 (Diagnostic Fee) charged via credit card once the technician leaves site
Quote provided for OEM blow motor repair
Cost for work once approved: Labour cost ($294) + OEM Blower ($859) =$1,153 + HST
Example 3
Technician is dispatched to site and spends 1 hour diagnosing the issues. At the one hour mark the technician communicates to the customer that more time is required to complete the repair the same day which takes an additional hour to replace an ignitor and repair some loose wiring. In this scenario you can expect the following charges.
$195 (diagnostic fee) + $99 (1 hour) + $65 (ignitor+wiring) = $359 + HST Charged via credit card once the service is complete.
What if the Repair Cannot be Made on the First Visit?
If while onsite we determine that an OEM part needs to be replaced or something more complex is going on with your heating or cooling system we will provide a detailed quote with our recommendations for repair or replacement. You’ll then be able to review and approve the work before we return to complete the work. This allows for transparency and ensures that everyone is on the same page about scope of work and expectations on additional costs. Our goal is to provide repair or replacement quotes in a timely fashion, ideally on the same day or at the latest the next day from the initial service. In some cases, there may be delays due to part availability and supply chain constraints.
What Do Typical Parts Cost?
To give you some ballpark numbers of parts, here are some prices for common replacement parts. Prices do not include HST. Prices for your specific unit will depend on the make model and other details related to the diagnosis. Below prices are for parts only with labour being charged separately.
Furnace
- Furnace Blower Motor ($500 – $2500)
- Ventor Motor ($500 – $2000)
- Control Board ($150 – $1000)
- Pressure Switches ($30 – $100)
- Flame Sensor ($30 -$100)
- Ignitor ($30 – $100)
Air Conditioner
- Capacitor ($30 – $75)
- Contactor ($30 -$100)
- High Pressure/ Low Pressure Switch ($30 -150)
- Fan Motor ($400 – $2000)
- Compressor ($1000 – $2000)
Service Call Disclaimer:
Unless you are an existing customer or Marx Mechanical installed your equipment, due to the unknown condition and history of your equipment we cannot guarantee the final cost of a repair before we first have a look at the equipment and get a chance to diagnose the problem. This means that the minimum cost for a service call is $195 plus HST. Even if you do not carry on with any further recommendations or quotes the initial diagnostic fee will apply. If our technician must stay past the initial hour, further time and materials charges will apply as described above.
Our commitment is to ensure that our technicians communicate with you once the first hour has finished so that you can make a decision on how best to proceed.
When Considering Repair vs Replace
Lets use a furnace as an example:
Depending on the age of your furnace, there are considerations to consider when deciding whether to repair or fully replace the unit. In many cases, if the furnace is over 10 years old and out of warranty and the repair is over 25 – 50% of the cost to replace, it usually makes some financial sense to replace the unit.
The reason for this is that mechanical systems get a lot of use and as they age, more and more issues can crop up. If a furnace costs say $5000 (ballpark) dollars to fully replace and the repair cost is around $2000 dollars, a repair could be the incorrect decision in the long run as there is no guarantee that other issues will not come up shortly after the initial repair. Sort of like if an older car needs new brakes and then a transmission all in the same month. These are unrelated systems in a car and they can break independently of each other. Sometimes, depending on the customer’s situation it is better to do a full replacement and get a brand new 10 year warranty plus 2 year workmanship warranty as well as the peace of mind that additional repairs costs won’t be around the corner again.
We never want our customers to end up in a situation where the cost of the repairs amounts to what could have been a replacement and they are still living with an old piece of equipment. We try our best to make the best judgement possible and ask our customers to work with us to make the best decisions for their individual situation. That usually requires communication and transparency from both parties to ensure things go as smoothly as possible.
What if I am Just Calling for an Installation or Replacement Quote?
Marx Mechanical provides free quotes on installation and replacement services that do not involve a service call and diagnosis!
