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Air Conditioning Service

Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

Air conditioning repairs, AC service or new AC equipment installations require the magical little word called ‘SERVICE‘. Without that word you’re in big trouble if a problem develops with your AC system. What does that word mean to you?

This little word ‘service‘ is what in many ways separates one AC company from another. Now all things aside some people view service differently than others. Maybe due to household schedules or whatever. However, your AC system whether new, a few years old or even a decade old or older can break down at any time. Brand of the equipment doesn’t matter all that much in most cases.

Weekend, Night time, Holiday, etc. An air conditioner doesn’t know time like you or me. So why is this important?

If you buy a new HVAC system and it breaks down, your best option to repair it is thru your installing HVAC contractor, because this is who you bought the system thru. It would be a ‘HUGE’ conflict of interest to let another HVAC contractor repair your HVAC system that was installed by another.

If your HVAC system is older and out of the manufacture warranty envelope then it only matters to what degree you trust the HVAC provider that you are calling.

Any HVAC company you use should be licensed and insured and the license number should be displayed on all invoices, advertisements and both sides of the front quarter panel of the service vehicle that comes to your home. (This is Texas law.)

HVAC System Problems & Conflicts of Interest

So why then is this a conflict of interest to have Company ‘B’ work on a new HVAC system installed by Company ‘A’?

Because lets say you have two companies without mentioning names… you have company ‘A’ and company ‘B’. Company ‘A’ installed your new HVAC system.

Your new AC system is now broken and you call ‘A’ but they are closed, don’t answer their phone, goes to voice mail or maybe after hours call service in which you sit on hold for who knows how long only to be told after waiting on hold –that an on call person will call you back in some cases hours later. Say What?

So you think… not clearly due to the excess heat in your house, that you’ll just call another company that services HVAC equipment. Company ‘B’ answers the phone not realizing they are a 3rd party to your otherwise inoperable dilemma. Say they come out diagnose the system for you, charge for labor and other things not covered by your manufacture warranty. They leave, the system works for awhile then breaks down again.

You now decide to call company ‘A’ back. After investigating the system Company ‘A’ determines someone else has been working on it and decides to take the brash approach of denying a warranty claim on your otherwise new AC system. You are in a bad position to say the least.

Unresolved AC Technical Problems

Another common scenario to this is Company ‘A’ the installing company of your new or fairly new HVAC system is called back during normal business hours, they make a repair to the AC unit under warranty terms of the installation charge for labor or whatever charges aren’t covered by the warranty of the AC system.

The AC system works for awhile and then breaks again OR the AC system doesn’t work at all still or worse than before. Part of the reason some of these HVAC companies exist is to replace HVAC systems with no service or technical department to repair the systems they sell. A good deal is a bad deal in short order.

Sometimes they may brag about how many HVAC systems they have installed. But they never mention how many of them they still service? You see the problem with that? QUALITY over quantity OR QUANTITY over quality. Which would you want?

A parts changer is defined as changing parts without proving the part has actually failed. A guess is a guess. Guessing will not fix or repair too many air conditioning systems. Believe it or not you will pay for it one way or another. Why not do it right the first time?

Katy, Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor

This is what I am (Licensed HVAC Contractor), you can’t run a HVAC company in Texas (legally) by any other means. If you hire someone working under another license (commonly AC Technician) your recourse for AC problems that develop with your system goes thru them. If it is a ‘side job’ installed by a technician it is unlikely the warranty covering that system is worth the paper it’s printed on.

I take the HVAC contractor thing to the next level in that I do all my own HVAC installations and AC repairs. I don’t use Technicians, Subs or Installers. I have found I can offer much better quality when I’m fully involved in any project whether it is repair, replace or SERVICE! (It is actually me writing this blog – Ray Austin. No one can be me, but me.) Subscribe to my You Tube Channel here.

Side Job AC Installations Warranty Void By Manufacturer

There are little disclaimers within the warranty limitations that protect manufacturer’s from unlicensed, unskilled people from selling, installing and or servicing equipment.

Improper installation is not warrantable just as much as purchasing equipment over the internet. If you have to resort to such methods imagine how much trouble you are going to have if your AC equipment fails unexpectedly?

Side jobs are done in cash. A technician doing a side job doesn’t want any documentation because if his boss finds out he faces immediate termination from his regular job. You can’t hide a side job from a licensed HVAC contractor. If you don’t have any documentation of installation how do you expect to be covered by a Manufacture Warranty?

Every piece of AC equipment made has unique model number and serial numbers that are attached to the HVAC license that bought it. If there was no HVAC license present at the time of sale, the warranty is virtually worthless in most cases. A technician license is not a valid license in and of itself. In Texas, a valid HVAC contractor license is gold in color, a technician license is white.  A technician license is merely a registration with the state. Send in your $20 and boom! You are now a AC technician too? Ironically it doesn’t mean much without EPA certification. The more you read here, the more you will learn.

No Licensed HVAC contractor worth their ‘salt’ is going to warranty or install an air conditioner that you bought over the internet. You buy it, you install it and warranty it yourself.

A new AC system install a few years old with problems and you’re calling a HVAC contractor that didn’t install it? What do you suppose this Licensed AC Contractor is going to think when he sees the equipment in question?

Why aren’t you calling the HVAC contractor who installed it?

Just for fun, I’ll tell you a few likely titles of this made for home movie:
“NO WAY OUT!”
“That’s Going To Cost You”
“No Where To Hide”

Professional AC Repairs

This Air Conditioning blog is designed to help you make wise decisions when it comes to your choices regarding comfort decisions for your home. I hope you attained this information before making a costly mistake.

All is not lost, costly mistakes are lessons, provided you learn from them and don’t repeat them. An HVAC system is, by a national average, a 15 year appliance and in some cases can last even longer when installation and maintenance is done properly and adequately. Notice I didn’t mention a brand name here, brand bashing is not professionalism by any stretch of the imagination.

Nothing is perfect in an imperfect world. AC Equipment that I’ve installed myself has failure rates within the warranty period that run in a tight range of 2-3% annually. Most HVAC companies have new equipment failure rates often 8 times or higher than this figure. In some cases this may be due to a lack of maintenance by home owner, improper installation, improper diagnosis or out right incompetence. Please choose your HVAC contractor carefully and wisely.

Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope your day is comfortable!

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 AC & Heating
for your home visit me at my main website @

www.austinairco.com

Better Service. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.

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Posted in AC Equipment Installation, AC problems, AC Repair, Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Pro, Air Conditioning Repair, Air Conditioning Specialist, Buy AC Equipment Online, Do It Yourself, Home Improvement, HVAC Contractor, HVAC service provider, No AC Salesmen, No Technicians, Professional AC Repair, R22 Freon Problems, Uncategorized, Working HVAC Contractor | Comments Off on Air Conditioning Service

Air Conditioning Problems

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016

Nothing can make the alarm bells go off in your head more than AC problems in the summer time. Just the mere thought of this will probably gives you chills clear to your spine. Even worse is if you just recently had an AC repair and you live in Katy, Texas where the heat is enough to make you wilt after viewing the weather forecast.

If you are a home owner living in or near Katy, Texas area with air conditioning problems this blog is for you. You have found the right place. I am a Licensed HVAC contractor. It’s important that I describe who I am so you can understand the difference from what my company provides as opposed to most of my competitors. Unfortunately not all HVAC companies are created equal. This might be why you are here anyway.

I am what is known as a ‘working’ Licensed HVAC contractor. This difference is that I don’t use AC technicians, sub contractors or even installers. I do all of the work myself. The benefit from using one person is that the person that services, repairs and installs knows your system better than having multiple service people repairing or replacing your system. This will typically give you far less hassles, better service and less down time.

This is what it’s all about right? Convenient, easy, dependable, professional service when you need it.

Home Air Conditioning Mechanic

You see, I am a unique victim of the financial crisis that hit U.S. shores over a half decade ago. I started my HVAC company during this time and in many cases what I have done is to go against the grain rather than with it, some may call this ‘disruptive’ because I have found that by doing things right and doing them well by myself, I can deliver a much greater longer lasting product when you decide to have me install a new HVAC system. Without me in the equation your odds are probably close to 40% success rate.

Certainly, I also repair many AC systems too, but if the system is old and has had many people working on it over the years you have to be realistic in that they don’t last forever. From a national average standpoint the average life of an AC system is 15 years.

Now just because your system may be this old or older doesn’t always mean you are forced to replace it. After I inspect your system I can give you recommendations and then you can decide what you want to do from there. In some cases a repair may be all you need, but this has to be assessed in person. I am not here to play guessing games.

From those looking at my HVAC Company from the outside in, even professionals with in the industry view this as impossible for one man to do everything up to and including new system installations. What can I say? I have a lot of trade secrets that I have developed over the years and I am extremely efficient at what I do and in many cases I run circles around my competition due to this fact.

Am I perfect? No, I’m human like anyone else. My failure rates typically hover in a range of 2-3% on equipment that I’ve installed myself. Failure rates on repairs can be higher but older equipment doesn’t last forever so you can’t really count that with a straight face. I only deal in reality, not fantasies and fairy tales. The failure rates I talk about above are failures within the warranty period of the equipment that I have installed myself.

From a normal run of the mill HVAC company perspective they strive for failure rates of no more than 25%. So in other words, if you’re not using me as your HVAC service provider your HVAC equipment failure rate could be 8 times higher or worse! These HVAC companies deem this standard failure rate as ‘ACCEPTABLE’! Say what?

AC Repair

In Katy, Texas during the summer there is really no job I do more than repairing AC systems. Pretty much any age, any brand and repairs ranging from electrical problems like breaker keeps tripping to compressor will not start or AC is blowing hot air, low cooling or no cooling. In some cases I have found some of these problems related to poor HVAC maintenance services.

AC Services that you paid for earlier in the year to get your AC checked or tuned up. You have to realize that if the AC maintenance is not done properly it makes not one bit of difference how much you paid to have it done. Most of these AC technicians doing this kind of work may not be as skilled as you think they are.

Certainly there are good reputable AC technicians out there. I was one of them at one point in my illustrious HVAC career, but the odds that you will get a good one are unfortunately quite slim.

Professional Air Conditioning Services

I’ve simply eliminated the fuss and the cuss using a few old wives sayings and applying these sayings to my business model. Maybe you can relate to these…

1. Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth.

2. Be original in all you do, if you’re any good some will try to copy you.

3. Lucky for you that you can only be you and no one else. (secret sauce!)

Just so you know it is me writing this (Ray Austin), the one who will actually come to your house to fix your AC or replace your HVAC system. You are in good hands, I have been doing this for 21 years as of 2016. So you might be asking yourself how do I do it? Work ethic. In America with hard work and dedication nothing is impossible. If you don’t think Air Conditioning is hard work then I am probably not the HVAC provider you are looking for. I am not running a scam operation here. I use my own name as the name of my company. I only have one last name. Why would I work as hard as I do at something only to destroy it with half truths or bold faced lies?

I’m well aware you are on the internet and so reading isn’t always believing… this is why I go to the extent I go to. To do my best to prove it to you before you even pick up the phone to call me. To my knowledge, you simply will not get this kind of dedication in any competitor of mine. Subscribe to my You Tube Channel here.

Free Air Conditioning Gimmicks

Did you fall for that special word free — Did your eyes light up? We’re humans and consumers rolled into one. But when you go to work do you tell your boss at the end of the week that this week is on you and you’re going to give him your hard efforts for nothing in return?

The HVAC industry is built on gimmicks. These gimmicks are used to make the phone ring. But did you know that a free call to an HVAC company is really code word for “Please send me a salesman.”???

An air conditioner replacement is something you will be lucky to do 3 times in your life time if you are lucky. If you are unlucky you may do it double that number of times. Many people don’t realize the complexity involved in today’s residential HVAC service industry. Let alone the problem of finding a AC contractor that actually knows what they are doing.

A salesmen call is a call in which someone comes to your home to do one thing. To sell you something, they will sugar coat everything, they may tell you your current unit is undersized for the home. How will you know anything different?

In some cases you won’t even realize the HVAC company sent you a salesman. The easiest way to know is if there is no service fee for the call to your home. Why do you suppose? You have to think for a moment. The salesman is paid on commission. The salesman makes no money unless he sells you something. It doesn’t matter one bit what your interests or problems are. The salesman in most cases has only one interest and that is to sell you whatever he can, the more the better for him.

This is the hidden cost of a free service call. They talk you into it and convince you. It’s a cat an mouse game to say the least and many people fall victim to these high pressure sales tactics all too often.

What happens if you have trouble with whatever the salesman sold you? You’re left to get service people of that company involved. Better hope they are as good as the sugar coating the salesman sold you. Yes this adds more people to the equation to find a solution. The salesman is out of the loop, he’s not coming back most likely because he’s paid on commission remember? He would just come back to try to sell you something more… it’s what they do.

Licensed HVAC Service Provider

Now certainly if you call me and want me to pretend to be a salesman I can play along. I’m flexible. But my goal isn’t to just sell you something for the sake of selling you something. My goal is to become your HVAC provider. Solve the problems you have now and be available to solve future problems. If I sell you something and you have a problem with it you pick up the phone and call me. Doesn’t this sound better than the aforementioned way? Do you see the difference?

One guy (Licensed HVAC Contractor) to take care of all your HVAC needs. Sounds too simple right? My way works… Less hassles, better service. I wouldn’t be writing this blog myself in the heat of summer if my way didn’t work. Please choose your HVAC service provider wisely.

Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope I helped you understand things more clearly and above all I hope your day is comfortable.

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 and everything AC and heating

for your home visit me at my main website @

www.austinairco.com

Better Service. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in AC Equipment Installation, AC problems, AC Repair, Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Pro, Air Conditioning Repair, Air Conditioning Specialist, Home Improvement, HVAC Contractor, HVAC service provider, No AC Salesmen, No Technicians, Professional AC Repair, Uncategorized, Working HVAC Contractor | Comments Off on Air Conditioning Problems

R22 Freon Production Ban Timeline 2016

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016

R22 Freon, the chemical coolant used in home air conditioners since the 1960’s is marking it’s final seasons until it will no longer be produced. The chart graphic above shows the year and the amount of R22 Freon allowed to be produced for that given year until January 1, 2020 when no more R22 Freon will be produced beyond that point. The production limits are set and controlled by the EPA and can be further changed at any time. The chart reflects the last Rule Change for production limits set by the EPA in October 2014.

There will likely be small amounts available after 2020 as older reclaimed R22 refrigerant is turned in and sent off to reclaim centers that clean it of contaminants and resell it as virgin quality once it has been cleaned of impurities. However, prices will likely be very high and very likely strict limits will be placed on how much can be bought at one time.


Once these strict limits are placed on how much can be bought it is very likely in my opinion that system recharges will no longer exist. Home owners and businesses will be forced to fix the leak(s) or replace and upgrade the air conditioning equipment to R410a Puron refrigerant. It is in your best interest to make plans now to either fix your AC system refrigerant leaks or come up with a plan to replace your AC system to the newer R410a refrigerant.

R410a is the replacement refrigerant to R22 Freon. While it is the newer standard, it isn’t all that new. It has just taken a long time for it to gain acceptance because the pressures are higher and better service practices are required when working with it.

Because of these requirements certain HVAC companies held off making the change, I think partly due to ignorance, partly due to laziness and even more likely the cost forced onto you the consumer because it’s in your best interest to replace the whole AC system when changing over instead of just one piece of the system. Taking short cuts with an R410a system is less forgiving than with an R22 Freon system.

Like I said above R410a Puron isn’t new. It became available in the mid 90’s. It’s pressures are higher and the equipment that uses it had to go thru special processes to ensure the higher pressures could be handled appropriately. Additionally it requires the use of synthetic oil, where as most older R22 systems today use mineral oil. Your R22 Freon system will not work with R410a Puron. I’m sure you might have been thinking that. There’s more differences between the two systems than oil types and pressures. There’s also refrigerant flow which relates to capacity of the system. Your current AC simply will not work to recharge an R22 Freon system with R410a Puron. It will not work.

Remember, the makings of a scam is something that is “too good to be true.” Be smart about it, you will be glad you did.

If you would like to know more about this subject you can watch several videos I’ve made on the subject as well as a lot of text on the subject since 2009. You can click the link below to open that page from my main website.

R22 Freon VS R410a Puron The Facts

I hope you have found this information before you made a costly mistake. I have installed as well as retrofitted countless systems over to the newer R410a refrigerant for years now. I’m sure I could do the same for you and your family.

Thank you for visiting with me today! I hope your day is a comfortable one.

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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Pro, Air Conditioning Specialist, Home Improvement, HVAC Contractor, No AC Salesmen, No Technicians, Professional AC Repair, R22 Freon & R410a Puron Leaks, Uncategorized, Working HVAC Contractor | Comments Off on R22 Freon Production Ban Timeline 2016

Air Conditioning Specialist

Sunday, March 20th, 2016

When your home has an air conditioning breakdown in Katy, Texas you pick up the phone and call an Air Conditioning Company to get it fixed. Because I am the owner of an Air Conditioning company serving the Katy area, I know that it’s not always this simple. If it was there likely wouldn’t be any need for the AC services that I offer.

Many times the need of an Air Conditioning Specialist in Katy, Texas and some surrounding areas is sometimes caused by the people who you have called in the past or maybe a previous owner of the home you purchased. To help you understand this a little better you have to realize that air conditioning and heating for your home is a system that on a national average lasts about 15 years if it’s installed properly the problems should be few. Because your HVAC system lasts so long (typically) the problems tend to develop slowly, unless the AC problems are made worse by those servicing your HVAC equipment.

Many AC companies get into the AC business by becoming “cleaning” companies or “maintenance” companies. You see the ads don’t you? Get your AC tuned up, get your AC checked. This doesn’t mean this isn’t a legitimate service. It is, but only if the service is done right.

Most companies use Technicians and due to the financial crisis in 2008 many good HVAC Technicians left the HVAC service industry. So in many cases this leads to you getting “hoodwinked”. Spin the AC technician roulette wheel, let me see what you win ok?

Did you know that 55% of Air Conditioning companies fail due to incompetence? I did a video on that a year ago and I’m in the process of making a new video to show how these things can effect you. Subscribe to my You Tube Channel so you don’t miss this special AC presentation. It should open your eyes just a little.

The HVAC business is highly technical and requires a certain amount of aptitude to perform it, not to mention continual learning. I didn’t become an Air Conditioning Specialist over night and I don’t really consider myself all that special other than the fact that I know that I have solved very complicated air conditioning problems in the past. Problems so bad in fact that the home owner was being led to believe they needed to replace a HVAC system that was only 2 1/2 years old. How is that for technical aptitude?

Replacing AC systems can solve your problems and in some cases that is the better option, but does this mean every time you have an AC problem you will just replace the HVAC system? I bet you have more money than you know what to do with.

Remember, when replacing an AC system “the devil is in the details”. Every major HVAC manufacturer makes multiple models, most of them are junk. A salesman is paid to sell you this junk most of the time. A free estimate is code word for “please send me a salesman”. The other part is service after the sale and the ability to repair the AC system when it breaks. Sure, you could say that talk is cheap right? Well I can help you prove it to yourself. You probably found me via a Google search, so do another search about complaints of any major HVAC brand, list the brand name in the search. You will see that I’m right. This is what I do for a living after all, why should I apologize for the truth?

If you are reading this after the fact and got taken advantage of by getting what you thought was a good deal and now have nothing but air conditioning problems I can come up with a solution for you. I hear air conditioning nightmares all the time, if you are living one don’t make it worse. Find a licensed HVAC contractor that knows what they are doing. It’s not uncommon for me to see a dozen or so of these kinds of calls a year. I’d say it’s pretty important to have an HVAC contractor install your new AC system that knows how to fix them when they break. Wouldn’t you?

There is no manufacture warranty for: improper installation or AC equipment purchased over the internet. Please choose your licensed HVAC contractor wisely. Look at the whole picture, look at the details of the job before you make any hasty decision and do not choose based on price alone. Otherwise you may have to resort to spending time and more money trying to find a solution. I could be that solution.

Realize that my definition of “solution” is to solve the problem without causing additional problems, otherwise you’re not problem solving and the solution is not a true solution.

Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope your day is a comfortable one!

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:

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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Specialist, Home Improvement, HVAC Contractor, No AC Salesmen, No Technicians, R22 Freon & R410a Puron Leaks, Uncategorized, Working HVAC Contractor | Comments Off on Air Conditioning Specialist

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