Austin Air Companie Blog : Posts Tagged ‘ac problems’

My Bedroom Does Not Get Cool Enough

Sunday, October 2nd, 2016

This problem is more common than you think and this problem magnifies itself thru various times of the year. Shoulder seasons can typically be the more challenging times of the year to get comfortable in a bedroom at night.

AC shoulder seasons in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston can extend for several months before summer as well as several months after. This problem is directly related to the design of the air conditioning system. The air conditioner can not control temperature in a room that it was not designed to control. (The thermostat that controls the system is in a different room.)

The opposite of this ‘My bedroom does not get warm enough’ can be addressed at the same time. System control integrated with design defeats temperature problems when addressed properly.

Air Conditioning Design

If you have the above problem in which your bedroom rarely stays comfortable and it’s been determined it’s no fault of the air conditioner, then you likely have what is called a HVAC Design Problem. It is the invisible flaw until AC system performance is put thru heavy loads or heavy loads in one room with no system control.

Design of your HVAC system determines how well it will perform in various areas of the home given certain attributes (loads) and the temperature you are attempting to achieve. HVAC Design for the most part is an invisible attribute and more often than not rarely thought of until long after the problem is discovered. Most people, when replacing their AC system think of replacing a box with another box when the AC system breaks. Everyone is different when it comes to what they deem as comfortable or uncomfortable which is another attribute with which to contend with. The HVAC retrofit (service) market is inherently slanted toward ‘just replacing a box’ and because of this design of the AC system is rarely addressed.

Proper design for AC in regards to control of the system can get quite complicated as well as ratchet up installation costs. Much of this can be decided when it comes to how long you plan to stay in the home and how much you have budgeted to make your home a home by making it comfortable not only to sleep but also entertain guests. To grasp this a little easier is that control is temperature control in more than one area of the home. While this sounds simple, it is more complex for your HVAC system to do this properly because the area in which you are trying to cool or heat maybe much smaller of an area of the home such as a bedroom.

The more control you have of your HVAC system along with proper design and installation, the better your system will provide you the comfort you are searching for. If your air conditioner suffers from a design flaw, there is but one option to fix it and that is to redesign it. Home builders build. Rarely do you find HVAC design a top priority in the home builder real estate market. This is what separates the retrofit AC pros from the builders. A professional HVAC company is built around ‘quality’ AC system installations and not ‘quantity.’ Service for life and not a badge of how many HVAC systems that were installed. Different mindset, requires different thinking.

New Air Conditioning System Installation

The Installation and design of an HVAC system determine the performance, longevity and overall satisfaction of the AC system. Customer service after the sale is the final part. When I install a HVAC system, I install it with the intent of coming back and servicing that AC equipment when that need arises. In fact, I do the same thing if the home owner decides to only replace one piece of their HVAC system.

You see this isn’t only about what I want, it’s about what you want. However, there are limitations to everything. The consumer of today has more knowledge available to them than ever before, that is the other part of this blog is to inform you that you have more choices in regard to home comfort than you may be aware of. I am an HVAC Solution provider. I can give you options (choices) and recommendations based on your budget as well as what kind of comfort you are looking for to cool and heat your home. Communication is key for you to get the kind of comfort you are looking for your home.

I work 362 days a year. I know what you’re thinking… ‘that’s impossible’. I originally thought that myself. But because I install AC systems myself I have the ability to correct many installation problems upfront during the installation where as an installer may just view this as another ‘job’… if it doesn’t work the company will send someone else to fix it. (Hopefully) Air conditioning replacement is typically a once in 15 year thought when done right. Those reasons are what makes me able to work 362 days a year. It is extremely rare that I must go back to an installation, due to a problem and in many cases if I do they are typically only minor problems depending on how much of the HVAC system was replaced.

If you choose me (Austin Air Companie) I work for you, this isn’t just a job to me, this is my profession and my career. I don’t run a gimmick of the month service which is how I am able to give you the best service available. My AC service is worth what you pay for it. Technician roulette wheels with varying opinions among techs only goes so far. I say this from my own personal experience… yours may be different.

Air Conditioning done right is a 15 year appliance (national average). Certainly I can get busy, there are a good many of AC companies posing as professionals that are not. I have found that it’s easier to take a hands on approach rather than pass it off to someone that likely doesn’t have the experience and skills that I possess let alone the attitude to do the job as it should be done.

Air Conditioning Temperature Controls

The way air conditioning is designed for many homes is to put the control (thermostat) in main living areas. Temperature swings from one room to the next can be upwards of 5 to 10 degrees or more. Some of this depends on location of the room(s), how many people or other loads that are in the room. [Loads are considered heat loads as your air conditioner operates by removing heat.]

The cheapest way to resolve this problem is to live with what you have. So if you are here thinking there is some magical method to solve this problem I am here to tell you straight, there is not. The cheaper you try to fix this the more likely it is you will create additional problems up to an including the destruction of your HVAC system. I am here to do the job right, if you want snake oil you will have to look elsewhere.

Temperature controls also known as thermostats, are what is used to cycle your air conditioner on and off. These are merely elaborate switches that turn the HVAC system on or off. Most air conditioning systems are either on or off single speed air conditioners. If you live in a humid climate like Katy, Texas and your goal is comfort then you will probably be best advised to consider a 2 speed air conditioning and heating system with dehumidification functions.

HVAC Zoning: An Air Conditioning Dream

Putting cooling or heating where it is needed within your home. Comfort. You know that fuzzy feeling you feel on a brisk autumn day. Imagine that everyday all year long in the favorite room of your home.

Remember what I said earlier: ‘different mindset, requires different thinking’. Due to energy costs your budget may not include cooling the whole home as cool as you would like it in the bedroom, unless the home’s foot print is very small then you probably wouldn’t need zoning. HVAC Zoning for sure isn’t for everyone it is a choice and design enhancement to obtain more comfort and make your HVAC system performance the best it can be.

The thought behind zoning is to put ‘conditioned air’ where you are at in the structure. (In this example: your home.) The idea is that you can only be in one room at a time. Thirty three percent of your life will be spent in the bedroom. (eight hours divided by 24.) The lack of a good night’s sleep can effect your entire day.

By making your bedroom more comfortable via zoning can make other rooms perform better in heat waves by closing the zone to the bedroom when not in use. The capacity of the system under this scenario would then be provided to supplying comfort to other occupied areas of the home. Because people are creatures of habit and often go to bed the same time every night the thermostat for those zone(s) can be programmed easily to control temperature without much thought or fuss.

Another way to think about zoning is your home’s plumbing and electrical systems. You have more than one faucet in your home right? More than one light switch? These are other examples of zoning that reside in your home already, to help you understand what zoning is. Just realize that zoning an HVAC system ‘properly’ is a bit more complicated than electrical and plumbing systems.

Proper HVAC Installation

I emphasize the word ‘properly’ because there are many zone systems as well as basic AC systems that do not work the way they should. Design means everything and in some cases a zone system may not work for what you want to do. This is the definition of a true professional in which you are sold a solution to your problem and not just selling something to be selling something. If you catch my drift.

I hope this blog post eliminates some confusion with this very common problem as well as highlights your ability to go about correcting this problem to your satisfaction. Remember this is an advanced problem, there is nothing ‘basic’ about it. If you don’t go into it with the attitude of doing it right, it very well could be very costly with little to no help solving the actual problem.

Problem solving by definition should be to solve the problem ‘without’ creating additional problems. Otherwise you’re likely buying ‘snake oil’ to one degree or another.

About the author of this air conditioning 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 2 speed air conditioner, AC Equipment Installation, AC problems, Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Pro, Air Conditioning Repair, Air Conditioning Specialist, Better home comfort, Energy Efficiency, Home Improvement, HVAC Contractor, HVAC service provider, HVAC Zoning, No AC Salesmen, No Technicians, Professional AC Repair, Smart HVAC system, Uncategorized, Working HVAC Contractor | Comments Off on My Bedroom Does Not Get Cool Enough

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.

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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

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.

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Home Improvement | Comments Off on Air Conditioning Contractors and the importance of who you choose