Air conditioner refueling and repair workshop: starting a small business with moderate investment and high profitability.

Global climate changes on the planet are already evident; they have affected many countries of the previously temperate climatic region, not excluding the South of Russia. Changes in the economic situation in the country are much less obvious, but it is all the more dangerous for the automotive business not to notice them. In the last decade (and this is well known to the owners of used cars), there has been a sharp turn in the interests of the buyer: people are no longer interested in vehicles without air conditioning. Military medicine has long established the fact that a pilot in an uncomfortable temperature environment is a bad fighter, the reaction time of even an ace slows down by half at an air temperature in the cabin of +40, compared to the most comfortable +22 ... + 25 degrees.
Therefore, air conditioning in a car in summer is a matter of the survival of the driver, passengers and the safety of the cargo. And the drivers realized this: the era of car air conditioning has come to Russia.

Let me remind you that for the first time the possibility of installing an air conditioner as an option was laid down in the VAZ G8, and imported cars already in the nineties, as a rule, came with it.
And the question arose: where to serve? The car service market in Russia turned out to be catastrophically unprepared for this surprise. And if the merchants were able to just bring in cylinders with freon, then a stable network of auto repair shops that provide refueling service for car air conditioners not yet formed.
In this regard, the purchase of equipment for refueling automobile air conditioners with R-134a refrigerant is one of the priority areas of business development in this area, and since the market for this service has not yet settled down, this gives a start-up business a unique chance to start working with high profitability and are simply ridiculous. in comparison with other methods of its beginning, starting costs. This new topic is not ignored by the already promoted, but still limited in the range of services provided, private firms: car washes, tire shops, body repair establishments. In contrast, all that is really required to start a business is a garage and a 220V outlet. The power consumption of the installation for refueling air conditioners is minimal and fluctuates in the region of 200 - 300 watts with the compressor running (sometimes, however, it is required to turn on the heating belt for the freon cylinder, where the power can increase to a kilowatt, but firstly, this is required only in the cold season, secondly, in modern installations, such heating is turned on mainly manually.) Thus, apart from the desire and minimal training costs, nothing more is required from a novice businessman. The cost of an automatic installation for refueling air conditioners has now also dropped to affordable, some Chinese manufacturers offer installations even for 80,000 rubles, in a word, for the price of a used chisel, you can purchase an installation that will make money for you. And this is not a metaphor. With the cost of one machine maintenance in the region of 100-400 rubles, the cost of this service on the market is from 500 to 2000 rubles and more. In fact, when the cost of work is close to zero, the owner of the workshop sells nothing more than his own working time: and, to be more precise, the operating time of the installation in automatic mode. Business model close to the ideal. The machine is working, the person has a rest and receives money... The situation is that high-quality car maintenance on this topic simply must take at least 40 minutes: it is determined by the time of mandatory vacuuming of the system, without which no responsible master will undertake to fill the client's air conditioner, and no self-respecting car owner will.

During vacuuming, not only is it removed, possibly, air that has entered the system (this is especially critical after the repair of the system), but traces of water are also removed, including from the receiver-dryer, and this process simply physically cannot go faster, the vacuum pump creates practically full vacuum in half a minute, but degassing and dehumidification of those substances that contain the elements to be removed, does not proceed faster than physical laws permit. Thus, there is a sale of working time, and this business process cannot be disrupted even by very wealthy competitors. Even the most expensive installation makes vacuuming no faster than the cheapest one. Vacuum along the way carries out two more important functions: checking the system for leaks, and adding special oil to the car system (the unit measures a given amount of oil by weight or volume, but it does not have any oil pump - oil is pumped into the car air conditioner by the force of a vacuum previously created If the system does not hold a vacuum, a portion of oil cannot be added.) In case of leaks in the system, it is impossible to fill it with freon without adding a portion of oil, the one who does this runs the risk of running into an expensive compressor replacement at the client, since Despite the fact that there is always a certain amount of oil in the system, the refrigerant dissolves oil in an amount of about 20-40 grams per volume of refrigerant in an average passenger car. If the freon has been completely removed from the system - released, pumped out, or leaked out on its own - the addition of such an amount of oil with a full refueling is strictly necessary.
A car air conditioner refueling workshop can also make good money on associated services associated with minor repairs of climate systems. These works are quite within the power of qualified personnel: a banal break in electrical wiring, visible to the naked eye or determined by a tester, replacing the poly V-belt of an air conditioner compressor or adjusting its tension - do not require either special knowledge or special tools. Moreover, such types of repairs as replacing the coil of the electromagnetic clutch of the air conditioning compressor or the entire clutch assembly, replacing the bearing in the clutch and adjusting the clearances do not require depressurization of the system and can be performed in your conditions. Somewhat more difficult, but also more profitable, is the work associated with replacing the main components of an automobile air conditioner after accidents. First of all, this is the replacement of the condenser, tubes and rubber hoses, receivers-dryers, with the obligatory deep vacuum of the system and a full cycle of filling with oil and freon. Modern air conditioner refueling units perform a full service cycle in automatic mode, for this, a large database of cars of all manufacturers is wired into the electronic control unit: the amount of injected refrigerant, the recommended amount of oil, etc. These databases can be updated manually and via the Internet. Also, any such installation allows all procedures to be carried out in manual mode, as a rule, modern manufacturers leave a sticker under the hood indicating the amount and type of refrigerant and oil to be charged. Freon R-12 is no longer used, all talk about it is in the past, it is banned in the European Union, and even those very few cars manufactured before 1992 that worked with it are usually already converted for R-134 or are simply inoperable. for compressor wear. For the overwhelming majority (more than 98%) of customers, a single-system installation, designed for the 134th refrigerant, is sufficient.

Seasonality.
There is an opinion that the refueling service is a seasonal summer line of business. This is not the case, and more and more knowledgeable car owners understand this. As you know, on "tinsmith's day", condensers are the first to suffer. Depressurization of a car air conditioner in an accident requires immediate restoration of the tightness and dehumidification of the system, otherwise the owner of the car flies in to replace its most expensive parts - the compressor and the receiver-dryer. The fact is that the precision-made parts of the compressor inside it are made of ordinary (rusting) steel. Which instantly begins to rust when moisture gets inside. The situation is also aggravated by the chemical reaction of the refrigerant and water with the release of hydrochloric acid (for R-134a), as well as the oxidation of the compressor oil with the formation of oil-like films, which are deposited on the filter screens and parts inside. From all this it follows that with the correct explanatory work, work for installing air conditioning service will also be found in winter. In addition, there are a lot of cars in which engine repair and even a simple timing belt replacement requires dismantling the air conditioner compressor with the inevitable complete procedure for evacuating freon and then refueling it back. To provide additional services, the workshop can purchase a leak detector, a kit for locating refrigerant leaks by injecting a special dye that fluoresces with a strong green light in the rays of a special ultraviolet lamp, repair kits for seals and spools, and much more.

Bottom line.
Automotive climate control systems are rapidly breaking into our lives. Be the first in your car air conditioner refueling business! The Servisproekt company offers a wide range of equipment for refueling air conditioners - from the most inexpensive models to full automatic machines.

If you are the owner of a car service, car wash, tire fitting or other type of activity related to cars and their owners, then this additional type of earnings will certainly interest you.

This car service does not require large investments, at least at the very beginning of the activity, and you do not need to buy expensive equipment. The process of refueling the air conditioner itself is quite simple and there is no need to carry out complex personnel training.

Refueling of an air conditioner in a car can be carried out in automatic mode using a station, and manually, without using this expensive equipment. The acquisition of the station at the initial stage is not entirely appropriate. First, you need to gain experience with simpler and cheaper equipment.

Equipment for filling air conditioners

To implement an extended car service business plan, you will need:

1. "Freon-134a" for refueling the vehicle air conditioning system.
2. Gauge manifold designed for this freon.
3. Electronic scales for tracking the amount of refrigerant charged.

You will definitely need an additional set of accessories. It must include:

1. An ultraviolet lamp that diagnoses air conditioning systems. It connects to the on-board battery.
2. Special protective goggles, without which it is impossible to work with an ultraviolet lamp.
3. Electronic leak detector that reacts to freon.
4. Moisture meter. Its indicators are needed to assess the humidity of the air before and after refueling. It will also help you understand how the car's air conditioning system works. It should be understood that with proper operation of the air conditioner, the evaporator will draw moisture from the air. If the air humidity is high, it means that the cabin filter is clogged or the evaporator is faulty. During normal operation of the evaporator and the entire system, the outlet temperature should be 6-8 degrees Celsius. 10-12 degrees indicate system failures.
5. Oil injector. It ensures that oil is added to the system in the required quantities. The injector is put on a cylinder or a hose of a filling station and, together with freon, is fed into the system.
6. Adapters. They are needed to connect the monometric manifold to any vehicle.
7. Special pullers for disconnecting the air conditioning pipes. They are relevant for American and Japanese cars.
8. Special valve puller. Sometimes leaks are in the valves where the station is connected.

Making a car service business plan a reality (business expansion)

Approximate prices for the purchase of the necessary materials and tools:

• Freon-134a - 4800 rubles.
• Manometric manifold - 2500 rubles.
• Electronic scales with high accuracy (5 grams) - from 5000 to 9000 rubles.
• Adapters (quick-detachable valves for the manifold). Set - 800 rubles.

For this you will spend about 17,000 rubles. and about 10,000 rubles more. for an additional set of accessories for the operator. Only 27,000 rubles.
Refueling one car from 800 to 2500 rubles. The price will depend on the degree of complexity of the work done and on the amount of freon charged, so that your costs will pay off very quickly in total. You only need to refuel 10-30 cars!

Most modern cars are air-conditioned to keep the driver and passengers safe on a hot or rainy summer day. It becomes a shame when you turn on the air conditioner in the car, but it does not work as it did when you bought it. And it's all about the loss of freon. Every third car with "kondey" has such a problem. Therefore, you can make good money on refueling car air conditioners.

The service is supposed to be provided with a visit to the client or directly to everyone on the road. The procedure is very simple and does not require a lot of training, all the main points are "automatic" and you only have to follow the indicators. The simplest example of refueling a car air conditioner on the road is the procedure for refueling it with freon.

Schematic diagram of making money on filling air conditioners

To refuel with freon, you need the simplest set of equipment. Metrological (gauge) station, popularly called a comb. Several hoses, quick-detachable adapters for connecting hoses to the air conditioning line in the car, and the freon brand itself R-134a(used by almost all cars since 1992).

We connect the red hose to the freon cylinder, the yellow high-pressure hose can be muffled (since we mean that the system only needs to be refilled and it is in good working order, this line is used to check the operability of the evaporator and compressor, evacuate the system and do other services), the blue hose is connected to the low pressure line of the vehicle air conditioning system through a special fitting.

Then we start the car, raise the engine speed to 1500, turn on the cooling to the maximum, turning on the recirculation. Don't forget to open the windows.

Using the blue pressure gauge, we check the pressure inside the auto-air conditioner system. Ideal values ​​are 275-285 kPa. If lower, you need to refuel. Open the blue tap carefully and in small doses. On the control peephole on the comb, you can see how the freon is boiling (if not, the cylinder is empty). Having brought the pressure to 280 kPa, it is necessary to close the valve and let the system run for about 7-10 minutes. The pressure will jump, but it should not exceed 285 kPa. If there are jumps above the data, then the system is faulty (not tight and sucks in air) and needs to be repaired.

If everything is in order, the system is up and running.

The cost of the equipment is the amount of earnings. Service nuances

The average cost of this service is 1000-2000 rubles in 15 minutes... The cost of equipment with freon - from 3600 rubles... A 10 kg cylinder is enough for up to 90 refills. That is, all the equipment will pay off by the 4th order.

Questions arise that the correct filling of the air conditioner should include evacuating the system, refilling with oil and other services. Yes it is. If the system is faulty and all (most) of freon gone - here, of course, you need more than refueling. And if it took a few grams of freon (it tends to evaporate through seals and joints), then even in a car service, they will simply refuel you according to the above method, without a deep check, since if the system holds pressure, then it is in good order.

To provide a full range of services, in addition to the metrological station, you will need to purchase:

Vacuum tank (vacuum pump)- a device for evacuating air conditioner systems. With it, all freon is removed from the system, leaving a vacuum (a yellow hose is used at the gauge station). The procedure takes up to 30 minutes, depending on the power of the pump, the operation of the device is monitored according to the readings of the manometer. After reaching the required values ​​(on the pressure gauge 0 or 1), the system is turned off and another 30 minutes is observed in the off state. If the readings on the manometer do not change, the system is hermetically sealed. If not, you need to look for a leak.

Leak detector- a device for finding freon leaks, there are various types. The most popular device in Russia is CPS Leak Seeker LS7908 ... Allows you to search for leaks with millimeter precision. The cost of the device is from $ 50.

Topping up oil in the air conditioning system- now there are mixtures of freon and oil, using which there is no need for a separate pouring of oil into the air conditioner. If you are going to use just freon, then you need to use polyalkylene glycol oil (PAG). Filling takes place according to the norms established for a particular car. Oil is added to the system through a hole in the crankcase of the air conditioning compressor, or using a special device connected to the air conditioning line.

Attention! After evacuating the system, freon and oil are added to the system by weight, and not by pressure (freon is weighed the cylinder before filling and after), so you will also need to purchase a scale.

The total cost of the equipment is from 8500 rubles... Service cost - from 2000 rubles... The procedure takes up to 2 hours.

Household air conditioners can be refueled (installed) with similar equipment (it is only necessary to use freon of a different brand), however, it is more profitable to refuel cars, since there are more of them, and the refueling time is an order of magnitude lower.

6 Apr

How to make money by refueling air conditioners?

How to make money on refueling air conditioners?

The customer lifetime value concept says that one of the ways to increase the amount of money a customer will leave in your car service during their "life together" is to sell him as many different additional services as possible. Moreover, the client does not always know about these services and does not always have an idea of ​​what they are for.

For Russian servicemen, the introduction of innovations at the service station is seen as a waste for the purchase of additional equipment, personnel training, and the allocation of additional space. It is important to be able to invest!

Equipment is an investment that will pay off in a specific time frame.

"Ready Business Plan"

Service "Diagnostics and refueling of an air conditioner"

Probably every third car service is already doing this. And it is clear why - there are more and more cars with air conditioning, and the equipment for this is not so expensive.

One employee can, in a 12-hour working day, make about 20 gas stations. Moreover, to perform this type of service, a lift is not required, therefore, during the season (summer) this can be done on the street, in the adjacent territory.

The average cost of the service in Kirov is ~ 1000 rubles. (2-circuit system - 2000 rubles)

Includes diagnostics, complete refilling and evacuation of the air conditioner.

So, the usual complex of primary services costs the client an average of 1,500 rubles.

Of which the cost of consumables will be:
A standard refrigerant cylinder holds 13.6 kg ~ 5000 rubles. to refuel one car, on average, 800 g is required, i.e. 0.8 kg ~ 300 rubles
3.76 liters of oil = 3500 rubles. i.e. 0.03 l ~ 30 rubles.

Total - 330 rubles.

Remaining: 1500 - 330 = 1170 rubles. - 40% (Employee salary)

Accordingly, the average profit from one filling will be ~ 700 rubles.

It takes ~ 20 minutes to refuel one car.

In total, for 1 working day (20 cars), one employee earns ~ 14,000 rubles for you.

• Why choose an automatic air conditioner refueling unit?

Process automation,

1. this is a reduction in the cost of working time (with an automatic refueling cycle, the operator can quite do something else useful, and not constantly stand, observe and control the process);
2. it is the minimization of the human factor, i.e. reducing the likelihood of error due to the fact that a person is distracted;
3. compared to purely manual installations, this is the ability to control the real amount of work that was performed on the installations, since there are situations when, according to the master, no one came, there is no revenue, and in the meantime the cars of all the master's friends are filled with freon. The installation will not allow you to do this, since it records the work carried out, i.e. the owner can completely control his business.

The price depends on the performance and functionality of the station.

Based on our many years of experience, the best choice would be:

2nd ~ 137 800 RUB (can be equipped with a printer)

It turns out if your technical center serves ~ 20 car air conditioners per day,

then you will recoup the equipment in 1 week (7-10 days) and come out on a net profit!

It is also imperative to offer additional services:

• Replacing filters - 400 rubles.
• Departure of a specialist - 350 rubles. at one o'clock.

Everything else depends on how many customers will be in your service today ...

The very fact of providing a service is not as important as your ability to sell this service to a client.

According to research by GiPA Russia, more than 55% of vehicles under 2 years old are equipped with air conditioning. Among 3-4 year old cars, about 40% have air conditioning, and among 5-6 year old cars even slightly more than 40% of cars. If we take a breakdown by car brands, we will see an even more joyful picture - according to data for 2008, the level of equipment among foreign cars does not fall, below 65% (for the Germans) and reaches almost 88% (among the Japanese). And only Russian brands have a level of equipment floating in the region of only 5.5%.

We reveal a big secret - many people have no idea that an air conditioner needs to be serviced. Especially the owners and owners of new foreign cars.

Train your clients

The best way to sell a service to a client is a complete and detailed story about how this service will be useful to him, what benefits it will give and what problems it will get rid of.

You are in constant contact with clients, once a week, sending advice on car care, place information on the maintenance of the air conditioner on your website. And if possible, it is worth making a separate brochure. In these materials, you should promote the importance of regular maintenance of the air conditioner and describe all services. Why, why, what they are for, what is the frequency, what can happen if this is not done, and so on.

If you teach a client that it is necessary to periodically carry out routine maintenance of the air conditioner and at least once a year to refuel, change the cabin filter, receiver-drier and do antibacterial treatment of the system, then consider that you have received a guaranteed annual increase in profit.

The business of installing, servicing split systems and air conditioners is a profitable and relatively simple undertaking for novice entrepreneurs. Climate technology is used everywhere, so there will be no shortage of a potential client in need of high-quality installation and service of such equipment.

Where to start a business

Initially, you need to register your future activities with the tax authorities, that is, register as an individual entrepreneur. Why do you need such documents:

• passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation and an application for state registration;
• receipt (check) confirming payment of the state duty,
• scanned copy of the TIN certificate.

Registration of an individual entrepreneur is the least expensive in terms of finances and time. In this case, a simplified taxation system will be applied, in which 6 to 15% is levied in favor of the state (either from net profit or from gross income). When submitting an application, indicate the following OKVED codes:

• 29.23.9, is responsible for the provision of installation, repair work and maintenance of industrial refrigeration and ventilation equipment;
• 45.33, regulates the conduct of sanitary works at facilities.

The following additional codes may also come in handy, which will allow you to expand the scope of the enterprise in the legal field:

• 51.43.1 - Wholesale trade in household electrical appliances;
• 52.45.1 - Retail sale of household electrical goods;
• 74.20.15 - Design in the field of air conditioning, refrigeration, etc.

Licensing of activities

If we are talking only about the maintenance of air conditioners (without installation work), then no permits are required for this. When the activity also extends to the installation and repair of climatic equipment, which are equated to the construction industry, then in order to be admitted to such a business, you need to be a member of a self-regulatory organization (SRO). To enter the SRO, it is necessary to pay an entry fee, as well as justify a sufficient level of competence and ability to professionally carry out engineering surveys and installation work.

Office organization

At the start of a business you can do without an office, negotiating with clients on their or neutral territory, as well as by phone. But in the future, it is better to have your own representative office, and in the area where it will be convenient for you to serve the largest number of customers. For organizing an office, a room of 20-30 sq.

It is advisable for a novice businessman to locate an office space in a large residential area, where there will be a large amount of work in multi-apartment high-rises. It is good if the construction of residential areas with developed infrastructure is underway. Then it will be possible to receive orders for service or installation of climate control not only in apartments, but in shopping centers, beauty salons, pharmacies and other organizations.

How much money is needed at the start of a business

The amount of initial investment depends on the climatic conditions of the region, local pricing policy and demand for the service. At the initial stage, you can only deal with the maintenance of air conditioners and split systems.

Your responsibilities: replacement, refueling of components and other services without dismantling / installing equipment. Therefore, the start-up capital will go to:

• lease of office space - 20,000 rubles;
• advertising campaigns - 25,000 rubles;
• purchase of office equipment, household expenses, office equipment - 8,000-10,000 rubles;
• Fuels and lubricants and other expenses - 40,000 rubles.

If you plan to install purchased air conditioners or split systems, then it makes sense to purchase (order) several options for equipment at the wholesale of different price groups and configurations. To resell them later with installation. This will require, in dollar terms, in the regions of the Russian Federation from 20 to 50 thousand, and up to 150 thousand - in Moscow and the region.

How profitable is the business

The peak of the request for service for the installation, inspection or repair of climatic equipment falls in the spring-summer. Service prices depend on the model of the device. For example, diagnostics of a conventional window air conditioner costs 1150 rubles, and a split system (cassette) - 1300 rubles. Checking the operation of a multi-split system (both blocks) will cost the client 6500 rubles. etc. Cleaning the indoor unit (including the evaporator and drainage) in various modifications and without dismantling can range from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles. Service with dismantling at a price reaches 7 thousand rubles, and serious repairs - the upper price limit of about 20 thousand rubles.

Plus - filling the cooling systems with freon averages 1200 rubles, and the price of freon is 1000 rubles per kg. The average cost of delivery and installation of one air conditioner reaches 25-30 thousand rubles. Serving two or three orders per week for installation, several for diagnostics, you can reach an income of 300-700 thousand in the first month of activity.

In the future, having gained experience and clientele, it makes sense to expand the range of climatic services, since the registration of entrepreneurship in accordance with the OKVED codes allows this. Since it is not only air conditioning, but also ventilation and heating. In addition, reputable firms sign contracts for year-round maintenance of climate control.

A one-time service during the period of operation of the equipment can cost the client within 3500-4000 rubles. Regular maintenance, for example, 3 split systems under a contract, which includes refueling, can cost from 3 to 20 thousand per year. The price depends on how many service works the company undertakes to do and on the type of equipment.

HVAC technology installation and service, installation equipment

Service for maintenance of air conditioners consists of: cleaning filters in the indoor unit and in the drainage system, controlling the temperature difference and cleaning the heat exchanger inside the unit, checking the operating pressure in the system, charging with freon, as well as diagnosing various malfunctions. It is possible to dismantle the equipment in order to detect a malfunction, repair, and more.

The process of installation of air conditioning equipment consists of: installation of outdoor and indoor units, laying of inter-unit communication. A fairly simple technology requires a certain professionalism from the installers. Since the ingress of dirt and dust into the refrigeration circuit will disable the unit. Also important is the aesthetic appearance of the entire system and its connecting elements. Therefore, it is better to have your own trained staff rather than hiring outside workers who can create an unattractive image for your company.

To carry out work on the installation of air conditioners will require the following list of tools:

• punchers (at least 2 pcs.);
• wall chaser, in extreme cases, a grinder;
• vacuum pump - removes moisture / air from the cooling circuit;
• industrial concrete pump;
• charging cylinder and gauge manifold;
• an apparatus for testing the cooling circuit for tightness;
• tools for cutting, bending, scraping and rolling pipes;
• equipment for pipe soldering.
• kits for working with freon.

The cost of a set of tools (assembly, repair, diagnostic) can range from five hundred to five thousand in dollar terms.

Advertising and promotion of climate services

At the start of a business, you will need a large advertising campaign to be recognized in the service market. To do this, you need to use banners, streamers, print media and online advertising. Distribution of brochures in residential and office areas, personal acquaintance with the heads of construction companies, and so on. Do not skimp on the website, where information about the service, prices, contacts and the ability to order any work online will be presented in an accessible form.