Austin Air Companie Blog : Posts Tagged ‘professional ac repair’

Air Conditioning Contractors and the importance of who you choose

Sunday, July 26th, 2015

I keep getting quite few calls in regards to AC systems that were recently installed. When I say recently I mean within 3 years or less. You have to realize that an AC system is a 15 year appliance. (National Average Life.)

These calls tend to be from homeowners who either can’t get service from the original HVAC contractor because they are out of business, putting the homeowner off or “out of the area” so to speak or other reasons way out in left field.

I also got a call from someone in which the work had already started and from the sound of it she had kicked him out. These kinds of situations are dicey and I’ll tell you why.

First the more people who touch the system– “if” you develop a problem with the system each person will blame the other for the problem. That puts you in the middle and nothing gets resolved. It’s what is commonly referred to as a “Third Party Contract”.

Why would I want to get involved in such a mess? Run the risk of bad press, or potentially something even worse? You wouldn’t do it so why should you expect me to do it… This is why you need to do your homework first. It’s not about how much you spend, it’s about how much you waste.

Let me put it to you another way… You come down to two choices one from AC company A and one from AC company B

Say you could spend $1500 more on solution A and that AC solution lowers your utility bill $30 a month plus the system runs for 8 years problem free.

Say that solution B is $1500 cheaper than solution A your utility bill goes down $15 a month but there was a problem with the installation that took literally a month to get fixed having to call and recall the installing contractor, but the system still has broken down every other year since it was installed. After the fiasco with the installation you broke ties with the installing contractor and so now you’ve had half a dozen AC companies work on it. How much is your time worth?
Fill in your savings here ____________
( I listen to these kinds of stories all the time… remember I’ve been doing this for 20 years.)

The problem with this is you don’t know if there will be just as many problems with the one that costs $1500 more. This is where you have to ask the tough questions to your HVAC contractor. Because the contractor you choose to do the install should be the one you call to service it in the event it breaks down.

If you don’t look at it this way… I will have plenty to write about in another blog post. I see these kinds of things over and over.

You’re here for a good reason. Hopefully you didn’t find this page too late. Choose wisely… ask the tough questions — get a great system that lasts a long time with little to no trouble. That is the definition of a “good deal”.

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.

Air Conditioning Freon Leaks

Monday, May 18th, 2015

Air Conditioning Freon Leaks
(video included below “My AC Evaporator Is Leaking Freon? WHERE?”)

Freon in this case more or less means refrigerant, because you could in fact have a system that uses R410a that is also known as Puron. Puron is a trademark name commonly used to describe this new air conditioning refrigerant.

R22 Freon and R410a Puron are the only two EPA & Manufacturer approved refrigerants for use in a High Temp air conditioning application like residential air conditioning or commercial air conditioning. Notice I said High Temp… This application design temperature is to maintain temperature of a structure between 70 to 80 degrees. There are other applications and many different refrigerants. So you need to realize before reading any further this subject is on High Temperature Central Air Conditioning application ONLY.

When a home air conditioner is low on refrigerant, it will perform inadequately not putting out enough cooling in all areas of the structure. However, a low refrigerant suspicion doesn’t mean something else could be at play with your system. Guessing will not fix your air conditioning system. I’m not paid to guess just as much as I am not paid to “play around” with your system. I can only get to the root of your problem by diagnosing it and that requires a visit to your home in person. This is what I do for a living.

Many people to this day, believe their air conditioning system uses refrigerant and this liquid needs to be replaced or refilled at some point. Wrong. The only time you need refrigerant is when you have developed a leak or the refrigerant circuit needs repair. However, if you simply refill the system and there is a refrigerant leak then it will leak back out again a short time later depending of course how large or bad the leak is.

Refrigerant leaks can be caused by:
Formicary Corrosion
Defective part in refrigerant circuit
Poor servicing methods
unit vibration
improper or neglected maintenance
equipment age (worn out)
poor equipment design or installation
Dog urine
Freezing of the Evaporator Coil

Refrigerants CAN NOT be:
Mixed
Installed in wrong equipment
USED

Doing such things listed above will void ANY manufacturer warranty, not to mention add serious costs to repair up to and including the replacement of your AC System.

When you look at your AC equipment you don’t see anything leaking from it, so it must be OK? Condensation or moisture isn’t refrigerant. Water leaks are an entirely different subject.

Just because you don’t see anything when looking at your AC system doesn’t mean much…. Refrigerants turn to vapor under our atmosphere many times you will not be able to visually see the leak without the help of a refrigerant detector.
(Watch the embedded video below for better understanding.)

Trying to guess where a refrigerant leak is without testing for it is NOT RECOMMENDED under any circumstance, UNLESS you are replacing the whole Air Conditioning System or you enjoy the possibility of wasting money.

National average life of an Air Conditioning System is 15 Years. If yours didn’t last that long you may want to consider making a change some where.

I hope this information saves you from making a costly mistake.
Have a GREAT Summer! Thank you for visiting.

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.

AC Repair Cypress

Thursday, March 5th, 2015

AC Repair Cypress
(video embed below)

This blog post focus for Air Conditioning Repair Cypress Texas is about what the difference is between an Air Conditioning Technician and a Licensed HVAC Contractor in the state of Texas.

The main purpose for this blog is that you the home owner have a big decision to make if your AC system breaks down this summer. Whatever decision you ultimately decide upon could effect you and your families comfort in some profound way.

Just picking an air conditioning company based on what seem as favorable terms often thrown around within the HVAC industry without factual checking isn’t really what it’s cracked up to be when you’re talking about one of the most expensive systems you operate within your home.

You pay for this system repeatedly via your electric bill, repairs made to the system and eventual replacement of the HVAC system. The difference typically comes down to experience, design and service quality.

The truth is when it comes to an AC technician there is no real reliable way to discern how much experience one HVAC technician has comparable to another. You can only hope who ever the company sends is qualified to work on your system.

Do you see a problem with that? Watch the video below for a more in depth view as to the differences from what it takes to be an AC technician versus a full fledged Licensed HVAC Contractor. I think this might surprise you.

There is additional information in regards to 2015 EPA Regional Efficiency Standards as well as information on R22 Freon Ban in 2020 included in the video.

Thank you for visiting with me today, I hope this information helps you make a wise decision.

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.