Austin Air Companie Blog : Posts Tagged ‘New AC replacement’

How To Do Air Conditioning Yourself

Wednesday, July 27th, 2016

You go outside and take a look at your AC condenser, you peer inside see a few parts and say “hmm, this doesn’t look very complicated.” I think I could do this myself.

I can’t tell you how many times a year that I get calls from people who thought they could fix it themselves only to make the repair more costly because they damage something or worse yet spin the unit so far into the ground to the point it is not worth repairing.

I named this subject this way to hopefully warn those who think this way is really a rational way to solving their AC problems. Your home is the most expensive asset you will likely own in your lifetime. You should be more interested in protecting this asset than potentially destroying it. Hopefully I am saving you from the extremely possible nightmare that lies in front of you.

How To Buy AC Equipment Online

Worse still is if you think you can buy the equipment online and then get someone to install it for you. Certainly you can buy the equipment online. This is no secret, but if you have a problem with the unit, if a part fails look at the fine print on the website from which you plan to buy this equipment from. No one installing the equipment for you will warranty anything you bought online, that becomes your burden. When you don’t have the HVAC licensing backing you up you’re in shark infested waters to say the least. A Technician does not have an HVAC license. A Technician has only the ability to work under the ‘SUPERVISION’ of a Licensed HVAC Contractor. A Technician who does ‘side’ work, faces immediate termination from their job in most cases if they’re caught. Why do you suppose? Any person willing to install equipment for you this way is likely not worth their salt anyway. Now think for just a few seconds on how I could possibly know this.

Licensed HVAC Contractors Carry General Liability Insurance

Ah-ha the very important difference between a Technician and a licensed HVAC contractor. What happens if the Technician burns down your home while trying to install a AC system on your property?

What happens if after the Technician installs the system on your property and the AC system does not cool well? Who will take the blame? The Technician will likely blame the equipment and thusly you because you bought it. Do you see the error of your ways yet? Without a HVAC Contractors license backing you up you have no recourse what so ever. You are ‘STUCK’ in a big bad way.

HVAC Manufacturer’s Void Warranty For Purchases Online

Ok, So now prove it to yourself with what I just said: visit the manufacture website of your choice and find out the fine print of the warranty documents they provide: purchases of equipment online the warranty is void. Go ahead and look if you don’t believe what I am putting here. Every Manufacture has an Online purchase policy, it makes no difference which manufacturer’s product you choose.

HVAC Licensing And Building Codes

Ah yes the fine little details to keep your home legal and avoid serious health problems, not to mention damage to your home up to and including burning it to the ground or turning it into a health hazard years later with mold growth. Watch the evening news. There are at least a half dozen stories a year in which a fire originates in the attic of a home. Why do you suppose?

As a Licensed HVAC contractor myself I am required by law to be licensed within the segment of the HVAC market in which I perform work for others. On top of this licensing I am required to carry General Liability Insurance, not to mention commercial vehicle insurance. I am also required to follow current building codes, this type of knowledge and know how is to ensure you get what you are paying for. I am what is called a ‘working’ HVAC contractor. I do all the work, including new HVAC installations. From a quality stand point on the product(s) I offer there is no substitute. I back this quality pledge up with prompt service after the sale should your new system ever need repairs. If you take any other route to accomplish this you are on your own. There is no HVAC company I know of that will stick their neck out on a HVAC installation gone bad. The cure in many cases is to rip it all out and start over. Remember hindsight is always 20/20.

Home Inspections Prior To Selling Your Home

Certainly you had a home inspection prior to buying your home didn’t you? But you think you are somehow going to pull a fast one and when you go to sell this home that others will forgo a home inspection prior to buying it? Certainly you could sell the home to the ugly home buying people, but they will only give you pennies on the dollar for it. So much for your home being an asset.

Realize what I say in this blog post is a ‘popular theme’ these days. Part of my job as an HVAC contractor is to deal with the dirty side of the market and warn those who may be thinking such things. The lure of what appears to be a ‘great deal’ winds up being a great deal of trouble up to and including the loss of your home and maybe effects on your health.

When it comes down to it, all I can do is warn you. In 21 years of doing this for a living, I can tell you it matters not one bit how much I write or warn about this subject. There are always those who must learn by experience rather than by me warning them. Hopefully ‘you’ are not one of them.

About the author of this blog:
My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas | Richmond, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

Austin Air Companie
832.475.6895
“Your home comfort from A to Z”
Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

For more information on everything air conditioning and heating

for your home visit me at my main website:

www.austinairco.com

Better Service. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.

New Air Conditioning System

Saturday, March 12th, 2016

It’s that time of the year again in Katy, Texas when you start contemplating the hot summer and realize it might be time to replace that old air conditioning system and maybe the heating system as well.

Some times this may be done at the spur of the moment when it’s already 90 degrees or more in your house and you’re under stress to just get it done. If you happen to be reading this earlier in the season before the summer arrives you have a bit more time to make a more informed decision.

Many people tend to approach this as just finding the lowest price possible to replace the AC unit. In some cases this may be all that’s needed if you plan to sell the home a short while later. However, with the current real estate market near the top more people are deciding to stay in their homes longer. This is a fine balancing act to decide exactly what you want. To complicate this further air conditioning manufacturer’s make so many different models, different SEER ratings, different configurations, more features, differences in warranty coverage that it’s enough to make your head swim.

To top all of that off, you call a few HVAC companies for a AC replacement quote and you may determine that these are merely salesmen looking for a quick score. For those of you that don’t know, a salesman only gets paid to sell. The problem with that is more times than not they don’t have your best interest at heart. Sorry, but the only way to sell “crap” is to embellish what it can do and how cheap they can install it for. The salesman however won’t come back once the sale is complete.

HVAC manufacturer’s make HVAC systems. That is how they are designed is as a complete systems. So if you only replace “part” of your HVAC system you are getting what is often called a “piece meal” AC system or “mismatched AC system” meaning that the parts of the system are of a different model design and in some cases a different manufacturer. On top of that, if you are buying a complete system it may be an inferior model, an outdated model, a system that has been sitting in a warehouse for an extended period. Do you want an older model because it’s cheaper? Do you want a new model that is better, fresh off factory floor with better features? How will you know this difference if you are talking to a salesman?

The piece meal option doesn’t always mean anything bad, other than the less of your system you replace typically the more likely it is that it will break down again. Additionally what it also means is that it likely won’t be quite as efficient as the rating of the new equipment suggests. This depends greatly on what your current HVAC system configuration is. No two homes are alike in this regard.

Everyone likes a “good deal” when it comes to just about anything. Are you going to measure a good deal in price alone or are you going to measure a good deal in quality, features and performance?

A good deal in price alone is often fleeting because the electric bill is coming to your house every month whether you like it or not. Your air conditioning system efficiency and performance makes up the majority of that bill, so if you skimp on one side you pay for it on the other. To top that off if the price one company is offering is very low compared to other quotes, they are cutting corners somewhere. There is no way around that, and you will wind up paying for it at some point.

A Good Deal For A New HVAC System

When it comes to these things I often say “the devil is in the details”. You are buying an HVAC system for comfort. If it doesn’t truly fulfill that purpose then why buy it?

Your installing HVAC contractor is who you should be calling if and when the system breaks. All AC brands can and do break down, don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise. If you can’t depend on the HVAC contracting company that installed your AC system then what are you left to consider?

It’s not uncommon for me to repair a dozen or so HVAC systems a year that were installed by other companies. These aren’t free calls, the manufacturer doesn’t warranty improper installation, systems that were purchased over the internet or any other illogical method that some people consider.

If the HVAC system pays you back thru reduced utility cost, provides you the comfort you desire and you have a professional licensed HVAC contractor that can repair your air conditioning and heating system when that need arises why would you want anything else?

Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope I might have saved you from making what could be a costly mistake. National average life of an AC system is 15 years. That is a long time to live with a mistake.

Make your new HVAC system a GREAT one!

Choose Austin Air Companie

About the author of this blog:

My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

 

Austin Air Companie

832.475.6895

“Your home comfort from A to Z”

Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

 

For more information:

videos, tips and everything air conditioning and heating

for your home you can always visit me on my main website @

www.austinairco.com

Better Stuff. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.

Air Conditioning NEW BREED: Communicating HVAC System

Monday, August 24th, 2015

Air Conditioning NEW BREED: Communication between parts makes for one smart air conditioner and a really comfortable customer.

It also delivers better performance, better comfort, better reliability, and better warranty coverage. So what is the catch?

It’s designed as a complete HVAC system. There are no piece meal options to get this kind of Air Conditioning system for your home.

You might be thinking at this point what exactly is piece meal and what exactly is a complete HVAC system? Most HVAC systems are Natural gas furnace with electric or grid tied air conditioning that consists of an out door condensing unit and an evaporator coil with two copper tubes known as what is called a line set that runs between the condensing unit and the indoor evaporator coil.

With the above type system there are 4 parts to the HVAC system that make up a communicating HVAC system. Now just because you replace the whole HVAC system at once doesn’t make it a communicating system. This is a special system with special parts and special controls. The outdoor equipment communicates digitally with the indoor equipment for the best performance available today in mid tier HVAC systems. Currently it is my opinion these systems are the most reliable with the best in warranty guarantees and because of this makes them a best buy when buying a complete system. Everything you would want in an HVAC system right?

Because of the energy efficiency achieved by them in most cases the cost of the system will be recouped within the life span of the equipment and in some cases even faster depending on usage habits and the age of your current HVAC system.

So now that you understand the number of pieces that make up a complete HVAC system you are probably wondering what a piece meal system is. To describe it accurately it is otherwise known as a mismatched system. Mismatched more or less means the brands of the system are different, there is no ARI number available to determine efficiency and so on. In other words if your out door unit (condenser) failed and you only replace the out door unit condenser without replacing the furnace and the evaporator coil in side the home either attic or closet at the same time that you replace the other pieces.

This method doesn’t necessarily mean the piece meal system won’t work, it just means that it won’t work as well and won’t have many features (it’s either on or off) and won’t have as good of guarantees or warranty coverage of the communicating system and it won’t be as energy efficient as the communicating system either.

Air Conditioning Energy efficiency is very important for us Texas residents with the last heat wave with temperatures in the triple digits for 30 days or more. I’m sure people all over this area are going to be complaining of ‘crazy’ high light bills for the next couple of months. This is why an energy efficient HVAC system is a wise investment and will probably do you a big favor to sell your home if and when the time comes. Other people are no different than you when they look for a new home. For some it’s the first thing a prospective home buyer will look at (the AC system).

For those that want to take this to comfort levels out of this world you could add a zone system to this equipment. Stop those thermostat fights dead in their tracks… stop that constant fight of upstairs versus downstairs temperature wars. A zone system added to this type of system is comfort at it’s best. Best reliability, best comfort and efficiency that blows the roof off. How do I know you might ask?

I have had one of these zone systems in my own home since 2007. Realize only a properly designed zone system will perform this way. I have installed several zone systems as of this writing, they are complicated beasts in most scenarios. If the design is not right it will not work. Remember the system has to perform in 80 degree weather just as well as it has to perform in 100+ degree weather as well as 20 degree weather. I design them to work and perform reliably as well as simplicity if the need arises to fix the system. Certainly you don’t want to sit in Texas heat for any longer than necessary. Which brings me to the last very important part.

SERVICE AFTER THE SALE!

I don’t leave my customers in the heat after installing new HVAC equipment or a new HVAC zone system. I stand behind the systems and units I sell and install and I can fix them if that need arises. This is why I say brand doesn’t matter. It’s more important that I can fix it when it breaks. I have been in the HVAC industry for over 20 years there is not a single HVAC brand out there that out lives another brand… just clever marketing and advertising.

If I can fix and repair any Air Conditioning brand… then please tell me what difference does a brand name make?

About the author of this blog:
My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

Austin Air Companie
832~475~6895
“Your home comfort from A to Z”
Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

For more information you can always visit me on my main website @
www.austinairco.com

Better Stuff. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.