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Just crossed 500 fridge compressor replacements this month without a single callback
I work out of a small shop in central Ohio and I've been keeping a rough tally for the last 6 years. This month I hit 500 compressor swaps on fridges and freezers, and I realized I haven't gotten a single callback for a failed install in that whole time. It's not a huge number compared to some guys who do 3 a day, but for me it matters because I mostly work alone and I'm picky about the jobs I take. I started writing down the serial numbers and model info just to track what brands were failing most, and that little habit kept me honest about my brazing technique and vacuum pulls. The milestone hit me when a customer from 2018 called me back for a new dishwasher, and I still had his old fridge info in my notebook. Has anyone else kept a tally of a specific repair they do a lot of, and did it change how you approach the job over time?
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annajenkins1mo ago
Started tracking my own tally years ago but for water heater elements (the electric kind, not gas) and it turned into a weird obsession with checking the anode rod every time I went into a basement. That little notebook habit really does something to your brain, like it makes you pay way more attention to the little stuff you'd normally rush through.
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foster.jordan1mo ago
Read an old forum post from a guy who bragged about never checking superheat on walk-in coolers, said he could just feel it. That mindset always bugged me because logging compressors like you do is actual proof, not just gut feelings. It's the difference between guessing and knowing. Your notebook habit probably saved you from the kind of sloppy work that leads to callbacks, like not purging nitrogen long enough or rushing a vacuum. I bet most guys who swap three a day don't even remember the serial numbers by lunchtime, let alone six years later. That kind of attention to detail is rare and it shows in your numbers.
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