I put my name on the work.
I’m Dima, founder of Better Call Dima. Engineer by training, technician by trade — I diagnose and repair air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps across North San Diego County.
- Background
- Engineering. Field service. Operations.
- Certification
- EPA Section 608 Universal
- Languages
- English · Ukrainian
The person behind the name
An engineering approach to HVAC diagnostics.
My path began in Ukraine. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Automation and Computer-Integrated Technologies and worked in engineering before moving into hands-on HVAC work in San Diego. That training still shapes the way I diagnose a system: understand how its parts work together, then test the explanation.
My HVAC experience includes installation, commissioning, service, and diagnostics. Later, I took on operations at a heating and air-conditioning company: training technicians and installers, performing installation quality control, coordinating service and the call center, and resolving difficult technical and customer problems.
Working on both sides of a service visit taught me something important. A correct repair matters. So do the scheduling, the explanation, and what happens when a customer needs help afterward. I built Better Call Dima around all of them.
How I work
My first tool is a conversation.
My most important tool in a repair is a conversation with the customer. You do not need to understand your system to give me useful information. I have always taught other technicians one rule first: listen to the customer. If a technician cannot get the answers that help identify the problem, the technician has not asked the right questions.
Finding the fault is not where I stop. My job is to understand what caused it and what needs to change to prevent it from happening again. Then I assess the system as a whole and look for other weak points.
I believe even the most difficult faults can be repaired. Whether that repair makes financial sense is a different question. I document my findings in your invoice and explain the available options, so you have a clear picture of your HVAC system and can decide how to proceed.
Your system. Your decision.
Repair or replacement? Start with the facts.
I do not impose my own preferences on a customer. On my own equipment, I might choose to repair at almost any cost. I enjoy difficult work: replacing a compressor, troubleshooting inverter electronics, or fine-tuning a multi-zone system. But a repair for your home has to serve your needs—not my enthusiasm for the challenge.
When several components are similarly worn, an expensive repair may not make sense if another major part is likely to fail soon. Even then, there can be two different paths: replace the equipment, or—where safe and practical—keep the existing system running as long as possible with minimal further investment.
I explain what each option can realistically achieve. You choose the approach that fits your situation.
Service call, repair and pricing questionsThe name stays personal.
My name on the company means I take responsibility for the work. If something isn’t right, contact me directly.
I chose this trade for more than a paycheck. The best tip is seeing a customer both relieved and surprised when I repair a problem that several previous technicians could not even diagnose. After that, they know who to call: Better Call Dima.
Off the clock.
I ride and race bikes: criteriums, longer road events, gravel, and mountain biking. Fair warning: ask me about bikes and you might get more detail than you bargained for.
I also co-founded Nails Done Studio with my wife, Mila.
nailsdone.studio (opens in a new tab)