troypt Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I am thinking of getting a PAR meter for my birthday in the next few weeks. I am wondering if people would be interested in me coming to their house and measuring their PAR? I would not be interested in loaning out the meter as something could happen, but would be willing to go to people's houses. If you are interested, would you be willing to pay for this service? How much would you pay? Troy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michae52 Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 That would be service I would be interested in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Troy, may I suggest that you have two componants to your rate. A base rate, which everyone pays. Then use milegae to adjust time traveled to location. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 That is a good idea. Something that I would be interested in as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I would probably pay for this. Perhaps you could consider creating a graph of the levels in the tank as well? Either a picture of the tank with the readings on the picture, or a graph that is to scale. Just a thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+o0zarkawater Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I'd be interested, especially with some upcoming LED experiments I plan on doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I would pay as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I would be interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FragIt Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 ill pay......anytime you are ready Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJones Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I would also be willing to pay for this service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I'd be happy to pay for this service if the price is right. If you except coral for payment, you may have a really stocked tank by the time you make a couple of rounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troypt Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 I like Patrick's idea, there would be a base rate. Then depending on how far away-for gas and time there would be some variance. I live in Cedar Park, so if I had to drive to South Austin, that would take much more time compared to someone who lives closer. I would of course consider coral frags as part of payment, would depend on the coral. I think knowing the PAR of your own tank is important, but I also want to know the PAR of the tank where I get a frag from, so I can know where to place it in my tank. I am also considering switching from MH to LED and am interested in the PAR difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troypt Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 For those who are interested, what would you consider a fair price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesreyn Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Sweet. Looks like you will be getting a free par meter. Might look into getting a really good one since so many people are interested. Since so many people want this service, it would be really interesting for you to start a thread posting results. You dont have to post whos tank it is, just the numbers. I always wonder before I buy lighting what is the most bang for the buck and there is not much information in this. You could do the graph idea for each fixture you test and have how high it is mounted and par at different depths and spread. This would give people a really good idea on what fixtures would be good for their tanks. What were you thinking of charging for this service? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaarrrggg Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I'd be interested! I have Radions over a pretty deep tank and I'm never sure what intensity I should have them at so I don't burn/starve anything. I have no idea how much I'd pay. Maybe start a poll with some figures? (sorry of there's a poll already, I can never see them on TapaTalk) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 How long would it take? I too would like to see others numbers. Just for fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 For those who are interested, what would you consider a fair price? Dunno, maybe something in the $15-$20 range? Does that seem fair? Too high? Too low? Hard to say, I personally have never seen anyone offer this service before.... Hopefully some others that would like to use this service will throw some ideas on pricing as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesreyn Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 For those who are interested, what would you consider a fair price? Dunno, maybe something in the $15-$20 range? Does that seem fair? Too high? Too low? Hard to say, I personally have never seen anyone offer this service before.... Hopefully some others that would like to use this service will throw some ideas on pricing as well. I personally wouldn't go all the way to someones house for $15-20. By the time you drive there do the work and drive back its probably going to be a hour or 2. Seems very inexpensive to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 $15 sounds good for a base rate then maybe .35c a mile for mileage. Gotta make yourself cash for time and effort but also need to make sure you keep the service reasonable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 For those who are interested, what would you consider a fair price? Dunno, maybe something in the $15-$20 range? Does that seem fair? Too high? Too low? Hard to say, I personally have never seen anyone offer this service before.... Hopefully some others that would like to use this service will throw some ideas on pricing as well. I personally wouldn't go all the way to someones house for $15-20. By the time you drive there do the work and drive back its probably going to be a hour or 2. Seems very inexpensive to me. You bring up very good points that is why IMO it would be very hard to price a service like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I'd say $30 base rate plus mileage for tanks larger than 100 gallons, and $20 base rate plus mileage for less than 100 gallons. This would more than likely be a one time service since our lighting changes minimally once you set it up for the most part. I'll probably have this same metal halide/VHO setup on my tank until it's time to get a new one or they are giving away LEDs. I might pay for another session just to see how much my bulbs lose intensity over time. For those that are interested in a nice output of data and willing to pay more, you can graph the results and do a nice overlay of results on a photo of the tank itself for an additional $5-$10. For the cost conscious, they can sit there with a sheet of paper and just write down their own results while you move the meter around. Just ideas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Okay, as a private music lesson teacher I had to deal with how to charge for my time and deal with stuff like distance. I charged $40/hr, which is about the going rate in Austin for the instrument I teach (maybe a little on the low side but I'm compassionate). Since we don't have a PAR market for you to judge off of, you might wait till you get the PAR meter and figure out how long it's going to take you to do the readings. If it's an hour on a small tank, you may not be able to charge enough to recoup your time. But if it's only a half hour for a 200+ tank, you don't want to set your rates so high people feel taken advantage of. Doing some practice runs on your own tank will help you establish how many readings to take and how long the process will last. You may also want to establish a baseline for how many readings/at which depths you will do them. Deeper tanks may need more readings, longer tanks more readings, this takes longer and you may want to charge more; basically you have to decide, are you charging for the service or for how long it takes you to do it? Are you going to pull your hand out of the tank every time to chart the readings or is the tank owner supposed to help with this? If you're charting, it will take you longer. What will your policies be if, say, you drive out to someone's house and they stand you up? It's easy to say, oh, we're all hobbyists helping each other out and I'll just handle the occasional misunderstanding on a case by case basis. However, it is much easier to avoid hurt feelings, resentments, etc. if you have policies in place (which you can then choose to enforce or not) and clearly understood up front. As far as mileage goes, you can charge per mile; I think the gov't rate is around 50c/mi (you should be able to look it up on IRS.gov). This can quickly add to the price. One solution would be to say that people within a certain radius pay X rate, people in the next radius away pay Y rate, people farther than Y pay Z rate, and you refuse to go out past Z radius. This avoids the tedious necessity of noting your odometer when you leave and when you go home, arguments over whether tolls are included, you feeling guilty if you detour to get gas and that ends up in the mileage reading, etc. Also keep in mind mileage and the amount of time it takes to drive somewhere, because of traffic and time of day, may not always equal the same value... a flat rate will even things out and make it easier for you to choose the route of your choice without an argument from a tank owner who's sniffing an up-charge. Obviously my business was very duration oriented (parents paid for a certain amount of my time spent teaching their child) but knowing that you are getting paid for your time really helps on a night where you're beat, don't really want to be in the car, and the traffic just won't move. just food for thought... hope it helps. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troypt Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 My birthday is next Saturday, so I should be getting the PAR meter in 1-2 weeks. Still haven't figured out all the details of how I am going to work things. I will post and let everyone know soon Troy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 You got some incrediable detailed info from ethannet. Now you know why ARC did not buy one to be rented out. As another option, you may consider renting the meter out by the day. Individual that are interested could pick it up at a destination of your choice. To prevent misuse, you wold have to require a deposit for the cost of replacement. When the meter is brought back in working order, you refund deposit and receive payment for days used. In this manner, the rental fee can be much softer, like a $20-$30 rental fee. In this manner, you are not investing your time. I have had my PAR meter for ten years. It is very durable and easy to use. At that time, the Apogee Quantum Meter was just under $200http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/quantum/?gclid=CIy1jvHepq4CFSFeTAod9Xv3QA The model that I have is no longer manufactured. The present quantum meter is $330. The best money that I have ever spent. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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