Quoting an RTU Retrofit or Replacement vs Repair So the Customer Can Decide on the Spot
You're on the roof with a 12-year-old 7.5-ton packaged RTU: failed compressor, R-22 charge, rusted-out heat exchanger, and a building owner who wants a number before you climb down. R-Pro's field app pins the actual fault and logs the unit, while the office ERP turns that into three side-by-side options — repair, retrofit, or full replacement — so the customer can decide on the spot instead of "waiting for a quote."
On the roof: confirm what's actually wrong before you price anything
- Scan the rooftop unit's nameplate to auto-capture model, serial, tonnage, refrigerant (R-22 vs R-410A), and electrical data — no squinting at a faded label and retyping it wrong into a quote.
- Run AI fault diagnosis against 600+ real HVAC/refrigeration cases: a locked compressor, an open hermetic winding, a slab-cracked heat exchanger, or a low-suction R-22 leak each point to different repair-vs-replace logic.
- Separate 'repair the symptom' from 'the unit is end-of-life': age, R-22 phase-out cost, cabinet corrosion, and a second major component failure are the details that justify replacement — capture them now while you're standing on the curb.
- Snap photos and dictate a voice memo on the spot ('compressor failed to ground, coil 60% blocked, R-22, controls obsolete') so nothing gets lost between the roof and the truck.
- Pull this customer's service history right there — if you replaced a contactor and a fan motor on this same RTU last season, that's the evidence that tips an owner from repair to replacement.
In the office tool: build repair, retrofit, and replacement as three clear quotes
- Generate three itemized quotes side by side — (1) repair: replacement compressor, drier, R-22 recovery/recharge, labor; (2) retrofit: convert to an alternative refrigerant or swap to a like-for-like new compressor and controls; (3) replacement: new packaged RTU, crane/rigging, curb adapter, electrical, startup.
- Use itemized construction-style quoting for the replacement line items — crane day-rate, disposal of the old unit, refrigerant reclaim, and permit — so the big number is transparent, not a scary lump sum.
- Set your own country's tax — VAT, GST, or sales tax with your name and rate — so the on-site total the owner sees is the real total, not an estimate that grows later.
- Pull compressors, driers, and contactors straight from inventory and suppliers, with real parts pricing, so the repair quote reflects what the part actually costs you today.
- Convert the chosen option to an invoice or tax invoice the moment they say yes, and issue a receipt on site if they pay a deposit.
The connection: one decision flows from roof to books with no double entry
- The unit you scanned and the fault you diagnosed in the field app become the basis for the quote in the office ERP — you describe the problem once, not again at a desk that night.
- Whichever option the owner picks, the won quote rolls into the customer ledger and accounting automatically — the sale, the parts purchase, and net profit update without re-keying.
- Parts you committed to the repair or replacement draw down inventory and can trigger a purchase order to your supplier, so the new compressor is on order before you leave the roof.
- Because the whole flow works offline, a no-signal rooftop or a basement mechanical room doesn't stop you from showing numbers and closing the decision on the spot.
- Next visit, this RTU's full story — diagnosis, the three options you presented, what they chose, what you charged — is one tap away in the per-customer history.
Diagnose the rooftop unit and quote all three options on the spot
R-Pro gives you two strong tools in one subscription: a field app that scans the RTU nameplate, runs AI fault diagnosis on 600+ real cases, and works fully offline on the roof — and an office ERP that turns that diagnosis into side-by-side repair, retrofit, and replacement quotes, then handles the invoice, parts, and accounting. Diagnose on the curb, present the numbers before you climb down, and let the won job flow into your books automatically. In 10 languages.
Get R-Pro →FAQ
How do I show repair vs replacement so the owner actually decides on the roof instead of stalling?
Put all three options in front of them as itemized quotes — repair, retrofit, and full replacement — with your real tax included so each total is final. When an owner can see that a compressor swap plus R-22 recovery on a 12-year-old unit is over half the cost of a new RTU, the decision usually makes itself. R-Pro's office ERP builds the three quotes from the fault you diagnosed on site, so you present them before climbing down.
This RTU is on R-22. How do I factor the refrigerant into the repair quote?
Scan the nameplate so the field app captures that it's R-22, then in the repair quote line out recovery, reclaim, and recharge at today's R-22 pricing — which is exactly what makes a repair look expensive next to a new R-410A unit. The retrofit option lets you quote a refrigerant conversion or a new compressor-and-controls package as a middle path. All three totals carry your own VAT/GST/sales tax.
Can I quote a full RTU replacement with crane and rigging, not just parts?
Yes. The office ERP does itemized, construction-style quotes, so the replacement option can list the new packaged unit, crane day-rate, rigging, curb adapter, electrical, old-unit disposal, refrigerant reclaim, permits, and startup as separate lines. The owner sees a transparent breakdown instead of one intimidating number.
If they say yes to replacement, do I have to re-enter everything back at the office?
No. The won quote flows into the invoice, the customer ledger, and your accounting automatically, and the parts pull from inventory with a purchase order to your supplier if needed. You diagnosed and scanned the unit once on the roof; the books and the parts order follow from that single decision with no double entry.