How Your AC Works in The Summer
The one thing that most everyone looks forward to is summer. Whether it be a child so that school is out, a couple whose have a vacation planned, or whatever the reason. The one thing that most do not look forward to is sweating in the heat outside. Summer brings sunshine skies, and that sun can definitely get hot real fast. So what do we look forward to besides a cool glass of iced cold lemonade or sweet ice tea? Having nice, cool air conditioning in our home. We have definitely become spoiled since central air conditioning had been found, especially down here in Houston, Texas with our hot and humid months. If you look at different AC units and systems, you will notice that they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Though they may not always look the exact same, they function the same way. How air conditioners have function is using simple science and putting it to work for us. Air conditioning systems are set up to where they draw the hot air in your home out though most people figure that they push cold air in. AC systems use the chemicals, which are also known as refrigerants that switch back and forth from liquid to gas. What these refrigerants do is soak the heat from the home and bring it outside, and push cool air back into the home. These refrigerants are most commonly R-410A and R-22. There are three parts that make up an entire air conditioning system. It’s a two-part system that uses these three parts to successfully bring cool air into your home. The evaporator is found inside your home and the compressor and condenser are located in the unit outside your home. What happens with […]
Are AC Tune Ups Worth It
Its springtime and you keep seeing everywhere how it is time for that annual tune-up or preventative maintenance on your air conditioning system. When you see one of these you sit there and wonder do I actually need to have this done? The answer is that though it is highly recommended by all professional HVAC specialists you do not have to have it done, but like most things in life, if you do not there are consequences that you will have to face if you do not have a tune-up. One of these consequences is that it could void your warranty. Most, if not all warranties require you to schedule your air conditioner tune-up or preventative maintenance and to do this once a year. Have you ever had an issue with your AC system during the summer and tried to schedule an appointment with your trusted, local professional only to find out that they cannot come out for a few weeks? This is because summertime is the busiest time of year for HVAC specialists because there are many people that thought they did not need their preventative maintenance and now are facing either repairing their AC unit or replacing it. Now how does a preventative maintenance keep your air conditioning unit from breaking down or needing to replace it? It does basically what its namesake is, it prevents most if not all issues from happening once that Spring, Texas super hot and humid summer arrives. Once you get your scheduled preventative maintenance, your trusted, local professional will come out and begin. What your specialist will do is on your outdoor unit they will open it up and give it a nice, good cleaning. They then check and make sure nothing is broken or leaking […]
What Does Air Conditioning Repair Cost
The second to worse thing that can happen, involving your air conditioning unit, during a humid and hot Houston, Texas summer is having it breakdown. Then the first worse thing, finding out just how much repairing your AC system will cost. Feeling your home not is as cool as it usually is, even with the thermostat set as it usually is, and start bringing a small state of panic at the thought of something being wrong. When your AC unit goes down or is on the fritz, the cost of fixing it once the problem is identified can be a broad range of pricing. It is somewhat safe to say that the average pricing range can be anywhere from $150-$500. Though this is an average, which means that the price can be less or more than this range, or fall right in the range. If you have major repairs that need to be done to your AC system, that can easily fly up to over $1,000 or more. At this time, your specialist may speak with you on considering replacing your whole system for one around the same cost and is more updated. Here is a small list of some repairs that are common and a broad price average on how much they can cost to be fixed: Replace fuses, circuit breakers or relays: $15-$300 Thermostat replacement: $60-$250 Condensate pump replacement: $90-$250 Capacitor or contractor replacement: $90-$400 Compressor hard start kit: $100-$250 Condensing unit fan motor replacement: $100-$300 Circuit board replacement: $120-$600 AC refrigerant recharge: $160-$400 Refrigerant leak detection and repair: $225-$1600 Evaporator coil replacement: $650-$1200 Compressor replacement, depending on the size or type needed: $1350-$1800 These are just the costs to repair these items, that does not include the fee that most HVAC […]
How Much Does Air Conditioning Repair Cost
One of the worse things to have to deal with, besides a broken down air conditioning unit, is having to shell out money, usually quite a bit to repair the broken down system. Though repair costs can be quite a bit, it is nearly impossible to imagine surviving a hot and humid summer in Houston, Texas without proper air conditioning. Of course, finding out just how much the repairs will cost varies just as knowing the problem could be anything. Not only must you calculate the cost of the repair itself, but labor and troubleshooting costs need to be added as well. It is said that the most simple and minor repairs can cost on average around $600 but as low as $140. If you AC system is in need of a major repair, that can cost as high as $1200 or even more. There are signs that your air conditioner gives before it goes out, alerting you to the fact that it is in need of repairs. Some of those are strange smells, air not cooling like it normally does, and even loud and strange sounds. Make sure if one or more of these come to your attention, that you contact your trusted HVAC specialist. The sooner that you schedule an appointment, the sooner they can get out to fix your problem and potentially prevent a complete breakdown of your air conditioning system. To get a better idea on the average costs of some common issues that would need repairing are: Fuse, circuit breaker, or relay replacements – $15-$300 Thermostat replacement – $60-$250 Condensate pump replacement – $90-$250 Capacitor or contractor replacement $90-$400 Compressor hard start kit – $100-$250 Condensing unit fan motor replacement – $100-$300 Circuit board replacement – $120-$400 Refrigerant recharge […]
Home Air Conditioning Service Near Me
When you have your air conditioning system meltdown on you or need to be replaced during the hot, humid Houston, Texas summers, it is always important to find a reliable, trusted HVAC specialist. Choosing the right specialist makes all the matter in the world with getting the full potential from your system. When researching for a HVAC contractor, there are a couple places you can check out. Angie’s List is a great website to check out and read reviews and ratings for local contractors in your area. The grading scale runs from A to F as well as allowing customers to leave very detailed comments about their service. Another place is checking out Air Conditioning Contractors of America, which is a non-profit organization, which helps customers find good, qualified contractors. The final way is checking with neighbors, family members, and friends that you trust. Find out whom they use, if their experience with the contractor was positive or negative, if the cost was overly priced or such. There are a few things that you need to stay aware of when shopping around for HVAC contractors. We will talk more about them through the rest of this article. When you are calling around for estimates, it is normal for the contractor to need to come out and take a look at your AC system as well as the rest of the house before being able to give you an idea of pricing. If you gain an estimate over the phone from someone you are calling to inquiry about, be wary. Also, if they do happen to come out and do not properly survey your home, be wary too. These are usually signs that they are either inexperienced or just trying to gain another customer. […]
Benefits of Air Conditioning Repair
Living in Houston, Texas where our summers and really most of the year runs from warm to hot and humid, having your air conditioning unit checked periodically is the most ideal thing to do. There are many benefits or advantages to having your air conditioner maintenance and possibly repaired. One big reason is your AC unit is generally under a warranty that tends to cover if anything big happens. One of the stipulations of the warranty is to have your unit have an annual check up or preventative maintenance done on it. This preventative maintenance is a great thing to do either way, best done during the early springtime. Why you may ask? Because having a HVAC specialist come out and take a look at your AC system can help prevent any bigger problems from happening if they are caught in the beginning stages. This means that you can potentially save tons on full out repairs, save on your energy bill, improve the performance of your unit, as well as making it safer, and finally, giving it the lifespan it truly has. Once you schedule your appointment and have a specialist such as Autumn Mechanical come out, the process of what they do can is a quick appointment compared to not scheduling this and ending up having to have a repair done. The appointment consists of the specialist giving your outdoor part of your AC system a nice; good cleaning inside and out, this prevents a disruption in airflow. From there they will check and make sure there are no leaks or signs of damage or potential damage that could happen. Next they will make sure that your refrigerant levels and pressures are correct and do not need a recharge. Finally make sure that everything […]
Air Conditioner Repair VS Replace
Staying up on your regular maintenance of your air conditioning system can help ensure that you get the full potential of your system, but there will come a time where you have a decision to make between replacing or repairing. This is pretty crucial, especially here in Houston, Texas when the summers are so hot and humid that without proper air conditioning, it can be unbearable. When you find yourself having to make the decision between repairing and replacing, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. One of the top important things is to think of exactly how old your AC system is. Generally, most systems will last between 15-20 years but only if they have been well cared for. Meaning that their regular maintenance was kept up with. Another factor that weights in the repair or replace is if your current air conditioning unit is energy efficient. If it is not, it is always best to consider replacing the old system for a new one that is. Doing so will help save you money on your energy bill each month. When you look into purchasing an energy efficient air conditioning system, the pricing can range anywhere from $3,000 up to $7,000 just for the system. Though you can save up to nearly 20 percent on your energy each and every month. If your air conditioner is one that needs R-22, which is also known as Freon, and is low on it then seeing about upgrading your AC unit needs to be considered. R-22 can be very expensive to replace going for $40 per pound or higher. Also with R-22, leaks are common to happen and even the compressor giving out, which are all very pricey to fix or […]
