- Ray Austin
Air Conditioning Repair
In Katy, Texas during the summer it's almost certain that you will want your AC system back on line as soon as possible. I see it quite often running service on the weekends and even on summer holidays not to mention during the week. It becomes clear to me that fast, friendly AC service is often not thought of until the need arises and the cooling stops.
A fair number of my customers come to me this way. I am given a big responsibility to these customers that I will not let them down. Certainly I can perform AC repairs for most of them with in 3 hours of getting the call depending on the current demand for AC repairs. I think many people that stumble across my AC services are surprised at the speed and efficiency of which I operate.
You see just as there can be heavy AC repair demand, there are also a good number of lulls in demand as well. I use these lulls to do various tasks and functions like writing blogs and so on. I know for you looking from the outside in and comparing me to other AC companies that I probably look much larger of a company than what I am.
This is merely to show you, the customer there is someone "At The Wheel" that cares. I can't be all things to all people, I try to be the best at service and quality of that service and let the chips fall where they may. I offer timely solutions to your HVAC problems and I know a good many of people see the value in that.
Air Conditioning Replacement
There are times in running service calls that your air conditioning system may not be able to be repaired or may not be worth trying to repair it. The last thing you want to do is waste money on a AC system that has seen better days. Who has money to waste these days?
In situations like these I give good reason for my opinion of repair versus replacement. In some cases I may give you both repair and replacement options and let you decide on your own. This decision isn't always about me and what I want, it's about giving you choices for you to decide on your own in some cases.
However, the cost to repair an older system that is most likely a R22 Freon based system is fraught with heavy risk for you. In cases such as these depending on what is wrong with your system I almost always recommend replacement because you need to be aware of what is coming very soon.
R22 Freon Is Going Away
You must realize that R22 Freon is going away (January 1, 2020 R22 Production Ceases). The cost of this refrigerant is going up / has been going up for years now. Amounts of how much anyone HVAC contractor can buy at any given time is being restricted in some cases. As time moves forward this situation will continue to get worse. Therefore, it is in your best interest to make plans now to switch over to the new refrigerant for the High Temp application of Air Conditioning. This new refrigerant isn't really new. It's been in use for over 20 years now and is called R410a or Puron. Some equipment replacement is required to switch over to newer R410a refrigerant.
AC Freon Recharging
This is an old practice of temporarily fixing an AC system that has Freon leaks. Due to higher refrigerant costs this practice is no longer feasible. Each situation is different and while I can recharge a system temporarily the risk is that this money for recharging is wasted. Many times I may find AC systems in which AC service work was performed poorly and for those reasons feel a refrigerant recharge may work because I have no service history on the system. Even still this is merely a judgment call in which I am not always right. I explain the risks to you at the time of service to your AC equipment and let you decide your own path in certain situations such as this. Due to my lengthy AC service experience, I only give options in person after I have viewed the AC equipment in person.
Guessing What Is Wrong With Your AC System
You shouldn't try to guess what is wrong with your AC system. Nor should you try to get me to guess over the phone. I realize it matters not one bit what I put here people will continue to do what they have always done. But for the sake of this text I will give you some reasons why you should not guess as to what is wrong with your air conditioner.
Guessing doesn't fix anything. There are a multitude of parts that make your AC function and do it's job. You want a professional job don't you? What part of professional is consistent with guessing?
I think my system is low on Freon? Certainly your system could be low on Freon but did you know that over 90% of the time the problem is more likely to be an electrical or mechanical problem. In some cases it could be electrical as well as a refrigerant problem.
Hire A Licensed AC Professional
It's tough out there to find an HVAC pro that knows what they are doing. This business is a hard business, it takes many, many years to gain the technical experience in all things HVAC, not to mention to stay up on all new technical improvements. Technicians with entry level skills (1-3 years experience) mostly dominate the field because HVAC License holders are mostly older and rarely work out in the field any more. These reasons put me in a class all of my own because I do all of my own AC service, repair and install work. This hands on approach gives you a better quality product not to mention a HVAC service provider second to none.
This isn't to mean all Technicians are bad. I was once one of them many years ago. This is merely a rough example how difficult it can be to find a GOOD one. Once you realize these things I've spelled out in this blog post you are much further on your way to making a better decision regarding your home comfort and repairing or replacing your HVAC system.
Better AC service starts here. TODAY!
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 24 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.
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