HVAC FAQ

Generally speaking, heat pumps are preferable to furnace and air conditioner combos in Texas. While it can get pretty hot around here in the summer, it doesn’t typically get cold for long durations in the winter. That makes our climate ideal for heat pumps, which are air conditioners that can work in reverse during the winter (and heat your home).

We have several different types of heat pumps available, including both standard and dual-fuel units. Heat pumps can potentially lower your energy use by up to fifty percent during the winter, so they can be an excellent investment.

It gets humid around these parts – and that makes a dehumidifier absolutely worth the cost. Humidity can promote the growth of mold and mildew – that makes dehumidifiers especially important for folks with allergies and other respiratory concerns.

Humidifiers can be worth it in the wintertime, especially for people with dry skin. Both humidifiers and dehumidifiers can drastically improve indoor air quality. We think they’re worth the investment, for both comfort and health.

Routine maintenance is incredibly important if you want your HVAC system to:

• Work more energy-efficient
• Extend the equipment life
• Provide better air quality
• Optimises comfort levels

It’s also important if you want to save money. We have a routine maintenance plan that provides inspections and tune-ups twice a year, as well as discounts on repairs and parts, and priority service over non-maintenance customers.

A well-tuned-up HVAC system, be it a furnace, heat pump, air conditioner, or air quality device, has a number of advantages. It will be more energy-efficient, and less prone to breaking down. Some companies also void warranties on devices that aren’t tuned up at least once a year. Routine maintenance can save you a lot of time and money!

They absolutely can! A smart thermostat allows you to monitor your energy use, and optimize it based on your daily activities. You can, for example, turn your air conditioning temperature setting up while you’re at work, and turn it back down before you arrive home. Smart thermostats provide remote control through smartphones, and you can even see how small changes of a degree or two add up to huge savings. We highly recommend them!

Size matters in HVAC – but bigger definitely doesn’t always mean better. If a technician is trying to sell you on the furnace that gives you the most BTUs of heat – run the other way! Each HVAC system needs to be carefully sized to suit the building it’s being installed in.

Our technicians take a lot into account when sizing a system – the size of the building, how well insulated it is, how many windows you have, where your windows are facing, and much more. The size needs to be just right – too big or too small, and you’ll end up wearing down your unit while living less comfortably.

Leave the sizing to our pros!

Surprisingly, no. Modern furnaces have a number of electronic components, including valuable safety features. Fortunately, we live in Texas, where the weather usually doesn’t dip very far below freezing. Nonetheless, if you’re worried about power for your gas furnace, consider purchasing a backup generator.

Absolutely not – please don’t try, unless you’re a licensed HVAC professional with experience fixing furnaces. Even if you’ve watched 20 YouTube tutorials and read 15 online guides, there’s no replacement for experience – and one wrong move can be catastrophic when it comes to furnace repair.

R-22 has been mostly phased out – it’s hazardous to the ozone layer, and contributes to greenhouse gas buildup. As such, it’s almost impossible to get R-22 in the United States – production has more or less stopped throughout North America. That makes R-22 very expensive to replace if you have a refrigerant leak. Keep your device if it’s still in good working order, but if there’s a leak, it will probably be less expensive to replace the device.

We do! When your air conditioner or heat pump breaks down in the summer, or your furnace breaks down in the winter, you need someone to take care of the problem right away. It’s not just a matter of comfort – it can be a matter of keeping your family safe and healthy. We offer 24/7 emergency repair services, 365 days a year. Need an AC repair in San Marcos? Call us!