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

R410a Puron Phase Down & Freon Ban News 2024 | Katy Texas

Saturday, March 9th, 2024

Hello and welcome to Katy, Texas #1 blog post. It’s that time again where you go to your thermostat and kick on the good old AC after a somewhat chilly winter season, (mild but chilly).

Hopefully the AC comes on and works right out of the gate. This coming year (2024) present challenges to the HVAC market that you as a home owner may not be aware of. AC systems can run for years without much fanfare and so while I do my best to inform you of changes there is a wide majority that are shocked to find things in not so good of shape. Probably not a bad idea to get your AC system(s) checked early if you haven’t done this task recently. What makes Austin Air Companie different? You only have me to contend with. I document your service history. When you call again I can look this up for you. Not likely if you are using a big company where you may never see the same AC technician twice. If good service practices for your AC equipment is not followed these things can lead to expensive repairs. If it’s first time for me to your home I have no service history, who was there what was done etc. While age of the equipment often dictates the likelihood of major repairs, in today’s world of HVAC repairs any brand can fail at any time for an assortment of reasons. The more hands that have serviced it, could be partly the reason of trouble aside from age / use related metrics.

If you are a new customer calling me first time 832-475-6895:

New customer how to get thru Robo Screening App. Directions how to reach me. You can also fill out the contact form on this website. Texting will reach me faster.

It may be best for you to text me your name and address and I will call you back to set AC service appt. Robot calls are becoming a big pain, so it may be difficult to reach me if you try calling me as I am sometimes screening my calls and that may seem like voice mail. (It kind of is in a way.)

On top of HVAC service related mishandling, HVAC (air conditioning for your home) often goes thru changes of which if you pay attention to the HVAC market year in and year out the changes can sometimes be like watching grass grow in your yard. When changes actually take effect they can be swift as we saw last year (2023) with the change from SEER to SEER2. Due to that change alone we saw jumps in costs, that invariably have to be passed down to you the consumer of comfort products for your home.

In 2024 the change is more about waiting for new equipment with new refrigerants to show up, understand that when things change in HVAC the changes aren’t always good. We were tricked before and told R410a was environment friendly, now it’s not. So with this understanding I explore the refrigerant changes the HVAC market is undertaking to see if things are as they say rather than just taking the markets “word for it”.

In addition to all that R410a Puron production is being cut an additional 30% from the baseline production numbers for a total of 40% cut to production of this refrigerant in 2024. Supply and demand mean that the refrigerant cost is likely to go up maybe as soon as early summer 2024 time period. We saw price increases in refrigerant last year with only a 10% cut then. This situation only truly effects you if you have a refrigerant leak. The leak(s) will have to be repaired or the costly refrigerant (whatever kind it is) will just leak back out.

This change shouldn’t be confused with the R22 Freon ban of 2020. While R22 Freon equipment is merely an after thought now, I can still buy R22 Freon to service that older equipment. However, due to the cost of R22 Freon it is often times better to apply that money to new AC equipment. With the R410a refrigerant phase out / ban looming this makes these decisions a bit tricky in 2024 as the new equipment with new refrigerants aren’t available just yet. Currently expected to show up in 3rd or 4th quarter of 2024, maybe sooner? No one is saying much right now. (Feb. / Mar. 2024)

So because of all this, the sooner you act in 2024, the better it will likely be for you. I don’t know currently how bad it could get. I am about as well prepared for this as I can possibly be. Things are changing. The sooner you act, the more choices you will have. I am skilled to put a plan for your comfort goals into action. Don’t put it off this year, is about the best advice I can give you right now (March 2024).

Remember that as we move forward with new AC equipment and new refrigerants for that new AC equipment that safety pertains a lot to me as I am in direct contact with these chemicals with a 10 month long air conditioning season in Katy, Texas area. HVAC is a dangerous occupation for more reasons than just hot attics or long grueling summers / dangerous electrical conditions etc. ( I often times have no idea what I am walking into.) I provide small glimpses of this in the embedded video to this Katy, Texas air conditioning blog post as well as information this time around that is rarely if ever talked about in the HVAC industry.

R410a begins 40% reduction in 2024 to end the year with a new equipment ban for any equipment designed for R410a refrigerant.

PFAS CHEMICALS

These are forever chemicals and we’ve been using an assortment of these chemicals since the 1940’s. The governments of the world know they are bad. But they are already out there, you have them in you right now. So lets make this worse and use more of them? This is the thinking to clean up the environment? Why?

You the reader have to understand that my HVAC company is different. I am not here to sell you something just for the sake of selling it. I wouldn’t live in Katy, Texas without air conditioning. So to put this bluntly this isn’t to tell you to do without air conditioning. You have to choose something? Right?

So my real job is to help you make wiser decisions. Is it 100% fool proof? No. Just keeping it real here. I am not in the business of providing gimmicks ok? This is Ray Austin writing this blog. I have over 30 years in HVAC as of 2024 why would I hire someone to type out a blog that likely only has less experience than I do?

It will be me Ray Austin coming to your house if you so choose to use my HVAC repair services in Katy, Texas. I know that is not the norm. The video I’ve embedded here is me in the video. I also know this world is a scam a minute, this isn’t a scam. Certain people like to think that for profit companies are scams. I am a capitalist with no apologies for that. I am a for profit HVAC company. Anything free is a gimmick, you’ll find that out very quickly in today’s world of HVAC for your home.

I am skilled in what I do. I said before it’s not always perfect. Because Katy, Texas area is a 10 month use air conditioning market our AC equipment gets quite the work out. If you’re willing to gamble some I can repair an older system. I am not afraid to do this where many other HVAC companies will not venture down this path. I do this under the notion that if I fixed it once, I can fix it again. These aren’t free services. I spell it out the best I can and ultimately let you make the decision of what to do or not do. Remember brands of equipment won’t truly fix this equation. As all HVAC brands break.

I can’t tell you how many times I have repaired AC and the repairs last and last sometimes to the extent I never go back for years. I can also tell you the handful of times things do not go so well, some times this is warranty thru me but most of the time 99% is going to require more money to repair it again. (repair of an old system typically means it will break again because it’s old.)

The “other company” HVAC market (residential and otherwise) is often geared toward hiring those with 1 to 3 years experience. This isn’t to knock anyone this is to explain the difference of what you get if you call someone else other than me Ray Austin. You may be dealing with a new face every time your AC goes down. With Austin Air Companie you only deal with one person > Ray Austin.

I could have chose to run my HVAC service and repair company the same as others do. I chose not to. I like the variety of what this HVAC service, repair and install offers me. Some days I might work on videos for my You Tube Channel. Other days I might be working in a hot attic replacing an Evaporator Coil, maybe an AC condenser too or in some rare cases installing a complete HVAC system.

I can’t be all things to all people. So I do my best to explain the differences from my company to others. There are limitations and in some cases restrictions to what I can do for you. Due to the nature of the HVAC business these situations are spelled out in person after I investigate your situation in person I am not going to play guessing games with your comfort. Remember I am here to do it for you, I don’t make training videos or offer help so you can do it yourself, that is not my business. If I give you recommendations and you use those to do it yourself or hire someone less skilled to cut me out of it, then our relationship will come to an abrupt end. I only exist to do the work for you, NOT to teach you how to do it yourself.

I often witness nightmares every summer of some xyz HVAC company did this and my AC doesn’t work kind of rhetoric. This is just to illustrate why I have various company policies in place to handle certain people’s illogical illusions to home comfort in lengthy use air conditioning climate like Katy, Texas. (I shouldn’t have to spell this out, but I do it for context so you better understand my position as to why I do what I do and or don’t allow certain people to “throw me under the bus” so to speak.) I am a boss and I act like one. I don’t need help, I’ve been doing HVAC repairs / replacements for over 30 years.

I often say it this way: “If you know more than me, then what are you calling me for?” My opinion is mine and is based on 30 years of actually doing this job in person. I tell it like it is, not what you want to hear or trap you in some form of high pressure sales drama. Comfort solutions I provide you are going to work, if I have doubts I will do my best to tell you what those risks are so you have the understanding to make the necessary changes to your comfort goals what ever that entails. I will let you decide provided I am confident that it’s going to work for at least a single air conditioning season. (If you are considering a repair to old HVAC system old here is typically described as approaching 15 or more years of age.)

The “work definition” I employ here as it relates to air conditioning: If it’s 80F degrees outside it will work. If it’s 100F* outside it will work too.

*limitations: 20F degrees difference indoor temperature from out door ambient temperature. Remember your AC is not a magic box, it works based on science. More or less a heat transferring machine. Takes heat from inside / places it outside. The absence of heat is less heat. (cooling effect)

If you want extreme cooling capability for higher cost, I can provide you those options these types of options often pay for themselves over time due to higher efficiency & less operational cost via savings on your electric bill. Remember comfort cooling for your home in a long AC season climate like Katy, Texas is my specialty this is “WHAT I DO” to put it bluntly. I sleep in 72F air at my house. I know what comfort is to me, my guess is we might have similar tastes in comfort? These things are above and beyond “just fix it mentality” and will likely require a higher investment.

I come with both mentalities not just fix it only as fix it only may not be in your best interest or may not be your intention for the call you set. All you have to do is just tell me your concerns I will provide some comfort solutions for you and you can pick and choose what you want or don’t want. Also note these decisions are more than just a “brand name”. A brand name alone doesn’t make a great HVAC system. They all break, they all require proper installation to work properly, etc.  

Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope you obtained the information you were looking for. If I can help you make a decision regarding your comfort at your house and you’ve never used me before I recommend that you either fill out the contact form on this website or for faster AC service text me your name and address to 832-475-6895. I will call you back to set AC service appointment.

If you don’t provide me the proper info Name & Address (local to Katy, Texas area) the filter will likely deem it as spam. Once I have your info I will call you back, make sure to put my number in your contacts. Robot calls are beginning to be a problem for my HVAC service company so if you have trouble getting thru this is the best way to do so. If you are a previous customer just call me from a number you’ve used before and you shouldn’t notice anything different. This 2024 change only effects new callers with numbers my phone doesn’t recognize.

I am evaluating this robot spam situation on a day to day basis, so these options may change again in the future.  There is only one reason to call me and that is to schedule HVAC service or repair(s). Thank you for your interest in my HVAC service company.

As always I hope your day is comfortable. ~ Ray Austin.

About the author of this blog post:

My name is Ray Austin, owner and operator of Austin Air Companie. I have an AOS degree in HVAC, universally certified in the handling of any refrigerant as well as the ability to diagnose complex problems associated with refrigerant circuits as they pertain to air conditioning for your home. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC contractor for the past 16 years. Over 30 years overall in the HVAC industry.

I am not influenced by any investor or outside influence at all none period. Austin Air Companie is privately owned by Ray Austin. I am a capitalist for profit HVAC company. I am also a small company in that I run Austin Air Companie entirely by myself. I have always done things this way, this isn’t something new nor some elaborate scheme to brag about. Just stating facts to help you reach a decision if you are considering my HVAC services.


If you like dealing with a single person for your HVAC comfort concerns, I may be the HVAC contractor for you. I service the Katy, Texas area as well as some surrounding areas like Cypress, Fulshear and Richmond, Texas. This list is not all inclusive if you have questions regarding service area contact me with your name and address information I will call you back.

Austin Air Companie

832~475~6895

A Ray Austin HVAC Service Company

Air Conditioning | Heating | Service | Controls | Zoning

Thank you for considering my HVAC services.

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.