HVACBossPro Blog — HVAC Software

Equipment Records on Every Job: System, Brand, Model, Serial, Tonnage and Filter Size

A tech pulls into a driveway for a fall tune-up. Before getting out of the van, they want to know four things: what kind of system it is, what size filter to grab off the shelf, where the unit is, and how old it is. If the answers are on the phone, the visit starts right. If not, the first ten minutes go to a phone call or a trip to the attic to read a data plate.

Why Equipment Comes First

In What a Small HVAC Company Actually Needs From Software, equipment on the address was the first item on the list. That is because it is the one thing that makes software HVAC software instead of a generic scheduler.

Every other trade can get by with an address and a notes box. Heating and air cannot. The equipment decides which filter to bring, how long the visit takes, what might be wrong on a service call and whether a replacement conversation is coming.

The Fields HVACBossPro Keeps

Each address in HVACBossPro can hold the equipment as proper fields rather than free text:

• System type: Central AC + Furnace, Heat Pump, AC only, Furnace only, Mini-Split, Boiler or Package Unit.
• Brand and model number.
• Serial number.
• Year installed.
• Tonnage.
• Filter size, written the way your techs read it, like 16x25x1 or 20x25x4.
• Unit location: attic, closet, garage, basement, crawlspace, roof or outside.
• Access notes: attic ladder, gate code, dog, thermostat location.

Because they are fields, they show up in a predictable place every time, and the office can fill them in from a phone call while the tech fills them in from the data plate.

Where the Equipment Shows Up

The equipment line appears under the address on the office lists and on the tech's job card. A typical one reads:

“Central AC + Furnace · Trane XR14 · 3 ton · installed 2012 · filter 16x25x1”

The serial number sits on the next line. That one line answers most of the driveway questions at a glance. The tech knows to grab a 16x25x1, knows it is a split system, and knows the equipment has some years on it.

The office benefits too. When a customer calls with no heat, whoever answers can see the system type and age while they are still on the phone, which helps decide how urgent the call is and which tech should take it.

Enter It Once, Use It Every Visit

The value of equipment records builds over time. The first visit to an address is where they get filled in: the tech reads the data plate, notes the filter size and unit location, and takes a photo for the file. After that, every visit shows the same details without anyone asking again.

A few habits make the records stay useful:

• Fill it in on the first visit. Make it part of every first tune-up or service call, not a project for later.
• Photograph the data plate. Before-and-after photos stay with the job, and a clear data plate photo settles any question about the model or serial.
• Update it on replacement. When a system gets replaced, change the brand, model, serial and year right away, or the next tech will be looking for the old unit.
• Correct the filter size when it is wrong. A wrong filter size on file is worse than none, because the tech trusts it.

Equipment on Estimates

Equipment details can also be filled in on an estimate and carry onto the job when the customer approves it. That is handy for replacements: the estimate lists the new system, and when the work is scheduled and done, the address already shows what was installed.

It also helps on repair quotes. A capacitor, contactor or blower motor estimate makes more sense to the customer, and to the next tech, when the model and age of the system are right there.

What Good Records Do for the Business

Equipment records are not just a convenience for techs. Over a season they change how the company runs:

• Fewer calls to the office. Techs stop phoning in for filter sizes and unit locations.
• Better-stocked vans. A tech can look at tomorrow's tune-ups and load the right filters the night before.
• Any tech can run any route. When the regular tech is out, the fill-in has the same information.
• Replacement conversations come up naturally. When the year installed is on the card, the tech knows which customers are running older equipment and can mention it when it makes sense.

The unit location and access notes deserve their own guide, because they are what get the tech to the equipment in the first place. That is next: Unit Location and Access Notes: Attic Ladders, Gate Codes and Thermostat Locations.

Getting Started With Equipment Records

You do not need to fill in every address before you start. Import your customer list, then add equipment as techs visit each address. Maintenance customers fill in within a season, because each one gets at least one tune-up.

To see how equipment records fit with tune-ups, dispatch, the tech app and billing, visit the HVAC software page.