Repairmen in your home: advice?

Just throw a sheet over everything you want to keep private and don't give it a second thought.

I doubt the repair man will even think twice about it, as he's probably got ten more places to visit after yours and just wants to get the job done as quickly as possible.

First, find an HVAC guy through a referral from a friend. Make sure to ask if he is bonded, licensed, etc... you'll be much more likely to find a reliable guy who you can trust. I've had a couple of my own experiences where as soon as any workman sees my gun safe, he will start talking about his own guns! I actually made a good friend just like that.

as an alternative though, you could always throw sheets on stuff. Especially in a garage where you could be sawing wood, you might want to protect things on the work bench from sawdust, or any other crap that floats around in garages.

yup a sheet blanket what ever might even paint Frigidaire on that safe hehehehehe

True story....

In 11/2013, I went by my friend's house to visit. He lived in the Penn Hills section of Pittsburgh PA.
While there, a emergency repair had to be made to his heater.
My friend had a few reloading benches & gun stuff in his basement near the unit.

I also had my M&P Compact .45acp on my hip, .
The Trane repair guy was cool & didn't get very worked up. I'm sure he & other service techs have seen a 1,000,000 things doing service work & repairs.
We talked mostly about cigars(he said his cousin helped start the Nub brand).

Rusty

I always try to work from home when I can if there will be a stranger in the house - my wife is a stay at home mom / freelance photographer, but I dont like the idea of strangers in the house with her anyway. I understand this isnt an option for some.

Trying to hide the fact is a bit different, but certainly a fair concern. Covering with a sheet would certainly hide immediately what is behind it, but IMO kind of says, "hey theres something here I dont want you to see". I guess most would ignore, but if a guy did have less than good intentions, he might key on it. That said, if moving the guns/equipment isnt a practical option.... I cant say I have a better idea.

Maybe note that so-and-so was in the house on whatever date and likely could have noticed the collection. That way if anything disappeared in the coming months, you could at least mention it as something out of the ordinary to the police.

sheet, blanket, tarp, whatever...

If they see it, you have to kill them!

No, seriously, i would worry way less about a reputable repairmen, or cable guy, then 98% of the friends my kids used to bring home!

IMHO: Any man that choses that trade to work in is probably as honest & law abiding as you are.

Otherwise he would turn to crime to keep from crawling around in spider infested crawl spaces, 155 degree attacks, and freezing his butt off all winter fixing furnaces in unheated houses.

I would not think a thing about it.
As long as you don't hire a guy in a beat-up pickup with no door signs who doesn't speak english you found on Crags List.
Because he was cheaper.

rc

I have let more than one repair man shoot more than one of my guns. The guy that put in my security system spent almost an hr shooting up my ammo. Then he told me I had the best security system in the world, a dog and neighbors who know I'm armed. This is also another good reason to build a range in your back yard.

Put a sheet or tarp over it and print out this picture and tape it on the front.

Trip the breaker yourself and he won't need to go in your garage.

Any A/C repairman that would trust a home owner to trip a 220v breaker for him would already be a dead man!

BTDT with another 'skilled' repairman at work and almost got fried by it!

rc

Agreed...this boils down to lockout tag out of the electricity. The repairman needs to have full access to the power...but around here there's a breaker next to the ac unit for that purpose. It may be part of an installation code but I'm no hvac guy to know for sure. Either way he can check it with a meter and verify energy control then take personal control of the energy by disconnecting the power wire and taping it up securely. No real reason for him to come inside unless it's a thermostat issue.

Texas we have to have a 220v breaker box buy the a/c unit. They might need to have access to the breaker that controlled the controll unit I work on that live it is only 24 volts and low current.

I am retired so I am home when ever any one comes to work ok it. My gun stuff is out side in a large portable building. The safe is in the house in a closet hidden behind a wall with all the clothes in front. Hidden hinge wall if front too. It is on the wife's side so it is full.

My buddy is a DirecTV technician.
Gun safes and reloading benches are by far some of the least memorable things he's seen.
Cover them if it makes you feel better, and make sure you find a reputable guy.
Other than that, as others have said, you are likely to be gone from his memory before he pulls out the driveway on his way to the next guy

Most guys are bondable, or they don't get hired on for that kind of work. Have to be able to trust them somewhat. It would not be a bad idea to double check, and go with an outfit/HVAC mechanic with a good reputation.

mgmorden said:

Curious guys - my AC just died. I'm likely going to have to put in a call to an HVAC contractor to fix the issue. Here's where things get sticky: my breaker box for the house (which I'm sure they'll need access to) is in my garage - which is where my gun safe, reloading benches, etc are. I don't like to advertise the fact that I have a large gun safe full of guns.

I mean, I supposed I could cover everything with sheets or something but that might look weird and suspicious. Would you guys cover things up or is having such people view your stuff just a fact of life?

Thanks.

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I'm of the opinion throw a sheet over them and don't leave the person unattended (ever). Bonded or not, loose lips and all that....

I'm an HVAC man myself.

If I saw sheets on your stuff in the garage, I wouldn't think twice as I'd be worried about the job at hand and the other work orders I have to take care of before the day is over!

Fix it yourself. It is probably just a bad capacitor.

This approach saves you money, improves you as a human being (A fair measure of a person's quality is their ability to handle life's little hiccups with aplomb. Even AC hiccups count.), helps protect your privacy, and is less morally ambiguous than the traditional approach of burying workers after a job is done so they can't talk.

I know exactly what the OP is talking about. I recently had a satellite TV technician and a Verizon FIOS technician come out to the house, and by necessity they had to enter my "holies of holies" (man caves). I felt that I was being raped. My consolation was that these were busy people and didn't have time to do much snooping in detail. Besides, I was there the whole time supervising them.

Out of sight, out of mind......

In the early 2000s, I lived & worked in a low end apt complex in a medium size city. I sometimes did security escorts to the service contractors & repair guys who didn't want to leave tools laying around or get bogus complaints from the residents.
A few times we would go to units & see knives, weapons, $$$, high value items, etc laying out unsecured.

If you plan to have any work orders or service work done in your home or property, secure your guns/jewelry/tools/etc then it won't be a problem. Most service workers are honest but we had a high turn over of repair guys. Most were cheap & willing to work under the terms the property owners laid out. Few that I recall were even certified in any trades or held state licenses; HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pools, etc.

If the stuff is in the garage, doesn't everyone walking or driving by get a good look every time the overhead door opens?

As was pointed out, there should be a disconnect box by your condensing unit so there is no need for the repairman to be in your garage. As to turning the breaker off or on yourself, I don't know why not. With all due respect to RC a service man who does not verify the status of an electrical circuit with a meter before working on it is a fool. I have been in the commercial refrigeration service business for over 30 years and check the circuit even when I have turned it off myself, as breakers are often improperly labeled.

Most of the people in the service business who are honest and skilled that I have known are very conservative and shooting oriented so I don' think you have a worry. That said, I also believe that close to 50% of the people in the service business are either dishonest individuals or incompetent. Take some time to find a good one and don't believe the advertisements, lots of advertising on TV, radio, newsprint, and billboards usually means high charges (not to be confused with high hourly rates) and a lot of part sales. If you want to PM me your symptoms and want to take a shot at resolving the issue yourself I will gladly give you my opinion on what may be causing your problem.

my breaker box for the house (which I'm sure they'll need access to) is in my garage - which is where my gun safe, reloading benches, etc are. I don't like to advertise the fact that I have a large gun safe full of guns.

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If the stuff is in the garage, doesn't everyone walking or driving by get a good look every time the overhead door opens?

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Ditto. Not only not wanting the repairman to see what everyone on the street can see when the garage door is open but also keeping everything in the garage where tools are readily available for use to break into things and beat and pry on the safe.

Cardboard and stack a bunch of junk all around it and he won't even look at it.