Monday, April 15, 2019

Freon is going to be a big deal this year for Ft Worth when it comes to needing a Freon fill. Freon prices are expensive and so you will need to find an alternative source for filling your system up this summer. May we suggest a company we found” It is www.FreonFill.com and they have preferred service providers they use to fill your system that have agreed upon flat rate prices near you.

Just visit www.FreonFill.com see what service company agrees on your prices.

Hope this helps the homeowner in Keller, Watauga, Colleyville, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Roanoke, Hurst, Bedford, Euless, Saginaw. Haslet
With the ban on R-22 refrigerant set to take effect on January 1st, 2020 homeowners are left at the mercy of the HVAC companies when that date rolls around. What can you do about Freon prices until then? We have found an answer in a website that is new to the Ft.Worth area. It is called www.FreonFill.com and is now available for homeowners living in 76244, 76248, 76137, 76148, 76262, 76052, 76182 and surrounding areas. This web site will give you flat rate pricing on R-22, R-410a and Suva R407c. If you need a Freon fill and you live in Keller, Southlake, Watauga, Roanoke, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Hurst, Bedford, Euless or other parts of North Tarrant County then go to www.FreonFill.com and check out their pricing. They have preferred companies that they use with pre arranged pricing.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Air Conditioning Repairs in Fort Worth, Texas

If your air conditioner has recently broken and your live in Fort Worth or the surrounding areas, you are likely one of two types of people. The first type of person spends a few seconds on Google, finds a reliable and honest air conditioning repair company that can come to their house quickly, and they book the soonest appointment available. They want relief fast and they value the expertise of a professional company

The second type of person whose AC breaks will often do a bit of research before picking up the phone. If their AC is icing up on the outside, this person may spend some time on Google finding out why the unit is icing (it is most like leaking freon). Once they feel they have a good idea of the problem, if they are skilled in mechanical repairs they may attempt to repair the problem themselves. Sometimes a unit may ice up simply because the filter is too dirty and needs to be changed. Diagnosing this type of problem may save a homeowner the money they would have spent hiring a company. And different companies have a huge range of prices, even for something as small as letting you know you needed to change your AC filter. Texas Discount Air has one of the lowest service call fees in Fort Worth and they only charge $29 for the service call, and this includes diagnosing the air conditioning problem.

Once this second type of customer feels they have a good idea of the problem, they may research common prices for this type of repair, or they may even order a part in anticipation of hiring an HVAC company to install the part. However, most HVAC companies will not use parts purchased by the customer because of warranty issues. The HVAC company does not know the true age of the part, whether it is truly brand new or if it is refurbished, etc., and so if the repair fails and the part is to blame, the HVAC company and the customer are back to square one.

However, if the air conditioning company uses their own part, they will stand behind both the part and the work -- and usually a good, licensed HVAC companies will come back for free to fix a failed repair.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

What Does "Ton" Mean for Air Conditioning?

You've called out an HVAC company for an AC or heating repair, but at some point realize that the best thing to do is buy new equipment. As you look at the different types of systems you can buy, you may come across 2-ton systems, 5-ton systems, and so forth. How do you know what is right for you?

Most homeowners are familiar with the phrase "ton" when it comes to AC's but don't know much about it and this causes some confusion when it comes to getting quotes on new systems etc. When dealing with residential HVAC (HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) systems, they come in sizes from 1-Ton to 5-Ton with the average being 3.5 tons.

So what is a ton? Does this mean the system weighs 3 tons? That would be 6,000 lbs. No, what Ton basically means is the cooling capacity of the system. Its equal to the amount of heat required to melt one ton of ice in a 24 hr period. So, a one-ton AC is rated at 12,000 BTU per hour. Still a bit confusing isn't it?

So lets do it this way, 1-ton can cool a house of about 600-900 sqft out here in Texas. A 2-ton can do 900-1200, a 3-ton can do 1500-1800, a 4-ton can do 2100-2400 and a 5-ton can do 2400-3000. What about the sizes in between you may ask? They would be 2.5 ton, 3.5 ton. There is no 4.5 ton however.

If your house has a current 3.5 ton system and you are changing your system, you most likely are not going to move up to a 4 and for sure aren't going down to a 3.

95% of homes that replace their systems just exchange it with the same size. Why? Because not much has really changed. Your insulation had certain R-factors back when it was built and all that. And so you might have more heat loss now but not really enough to justify going up to a 4. Also, the house had to be designed by engineers and they did a good job when they made your house and had to get it passed by the city inspector too. That's most cases.

In the case where you feel your system has never kept up, then you might go up a half ton, etc. But biggest is not better. You can't go from a 2-ton to a 5-ton thinking this is better. If you did, your system would run too short, humidity would be brutal in your house, and the system would have many many hard starts which would hurt it. 

So what should you do when you are buying and sizing for replacement? Rule of thumb? Just get the new system the same size or .5 ton bigger. Call your local HVAC company for quotes.

Nest Thermostats

Thinking about buying a Nest Thermostat? Good idea. Here is what to expect!

The best of the best, the Nest. It used to be that if you wanted a wifi thermostat there was Nest and then nothing. Though there really were other items on the market, they were clunky and didn't perform as well or as easy as the first generation Nest. Now that wifi thermostats have been out for awhile, there are many players.

I have used every single one, but still the Nest has remained on the top of the list. Why? It is super easy to use and super easy to install. There are "better" thermostats. By that I mean that there are thermostats that have really cool functions and real techie things and sub menus. This may appeal to a small percentage of people but not to the general populace.

The Nest can best be described as being the "iphone" of Thermostats. Its just very easy to use and set up and gives people what they want, a way to control a thermostat from their phone from anywhere in the world. It also looks cool, its like a snow globe mounted on the wall. It has no buttons, no levers, nothing. You push the glass for making selections and you turn the outer rim of the snow globe to select.

A lot of people know about Nest because it was really first to market with such a cool looking design. It is now in its 4th generation and has improved the font and features. Installing is very easy as well. Just turn off the Heater, disconnect your old thermostat and match the wires up. So if your old thermostat had the red wire on the R port then put it on the R port for the Nest. If though your old one had lets say a white wire on the G port you would not then put it on the W port on the Nest. It must go where it was regardless of color. This trips people up. Just match it like for like. Then turn the heater back on and the Nest will boot up. Follow the onscreen prompts. Couldn't be easier.

However, if you are looking for an air conditioning company to install it, because it is after all a very expensive piece of equipment, then call your local HVAC company for install. Also watch this video http://youtu.be/R06I3TaDVYk

Quick list of cool features:

*Can be turned on or off or up or down from anywhere you are at via a smart phone
*Has a learning function that learns your thermostat habits and after awhile will program itself
*Has an auto away feature that will default to an energy efficient setting if it doesnt see you in the room for awhile
*Large and easy to read display that glows blue for cooling and orange for heating. It even tells you the time it will take to reach the temp you are asking for.

*I want to make a quick statement about installation. Most people think that when they install a thermostat they need to turn off the breaker to the AC (air conditioning). This is false and will cause you to blow a fuse or transformer. Your thermostat does NOT get its power from the AC. It gets its power from the Heater (Furnace or Air Handler). The AC gets its commands from there as well. So simply turn off the breaker to the Heat, Furnace, Air Handler etc and then you can mess with the thermostat wires. They are low voltage anyway and are usually safe.

*Also people think that buying a thermostat will fix their HVAC problem they are experiencing. I can tell you this is rarely, rarely, rarely the case. Your thermostat is usually tied to 1% of your systems problems.

If you want to have your Nest Thermostat installed by a fully licensed and insured air conditioning company in Fort Worth and the surrounding areas, you can call Texas Discount Air for a great price on this service.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Air Conditioning & Heating Brands

There are many different AC & Heating brands in the United States. The one most people are familiar with is Trane. This isn't because Trane is such a great brand but because it is really the only brand that advertises to the general public using commercials and print Ads. Most manufactures just choose to advertise in HVAC contractor publications.

Since you can really only get equipment installed by an EPA licensed and certified company, most AC and Heater manufacturers only market to HVAC contractors. But Trane was smart in that it went straight to the homeowners and now homeowners will often ask an HVAC company if they sell Trane. Here is the brand rankings in their order. We tool into account cost, reliability, value, ease of repair, how long they last, etc. as well as what their car equivalent would be:

#1 Rheem- Rheem is just so faithful and reliable. This brand is arguably the best of all the brands. Even if you mistreat it and don't take good care of it it will still run faithfully. It would be equivalent to the best car Honda makes. Just reliable and long running

#2 Trane-Trane advertises heavy to the general public. It is a very good brand. It consistently performs well and lasts long. Their only problem is that they have made their units so that a large portion of their parts have to be replaced with Trane parts. This frustrates repair companies and costs them more and so they pass that cost to you. Trane would be a Toyota Camry.

#3 Lennox-This is a great Texas brand. It is very easy to repair and comes with a good standard warranty. Technicians also like working on this brand. Does not have the reputation of a Trane or Rheem but is still good. Lennox would be a Ford F-150

#4 Carrier- This company invented Air Conditioning. It has a great reputation and lasts long. They have 3 names associated with their brand, Bryant, Day & Night and Carrier. Carrier was recently in the news because President-elect Trump was able to get them to keep their manufacturing in the US instead of Mexico thus saving 1,000 American jobs. Good for Trump, good for Carrier, good for America. Carrier would be a Chevy Impala.

#5 Goodman, Amana, York- Not enough bad things can be said about these brands. They are not worth the metal they were made with. Most heating and air conditioning repair technicians will tell you that you want to stay away from these brands. The question naturally comes up "Why do I see these brands at so many new homes?" This is because they are so cheap. Builders of massive developments know this and so they purchase bulk amounts. All it has to do is last for about a year until the builder is off the hook and then it is not their problem. Do not buy these brands. Do yourself a huge favor and dont use a company that sells this brand. The car this would be is a Pinto or Daewoo.

#6 Off Brands-Any brands that are not listed above are not worth even ever being considered by the homeowner. Sometimes an HVAC contractor will try and sell this to a homeowner because he got a good deal. He will tell the homeowner that its a special brand or something. DO NOT ever go with these. They usually break within a year and are impossible to get parts for. How do you know which brands I am speaking of? If it isn't one of the ones above just don't buy it.


Heater Repair Companies in Fort Worth

Heater Repair companies in Fort Worth are various sizes and various reputations. When you want a great price and great service, Texas Discount Air based out of Fort Worth will provide both.

Texas Discount Air does heating repair, AC repair, and Heat Pump repair, plus all other HVAC repairs and installations. They are very reasonable price-wise. They are licensed and insured and give expert advice.

Their phone number is 682-214-HVAC(4822). They are a 24 hour service with $49 service calls that include the diagnosis fee. Sometimes they offer specials for heating repairs that include waiving the service fee if you go with the work.

If you want to find out if a company is licensed by the state to do HVAC work, you can research every company by going to www.tdlr.texas.gov. You will see if a company has a legitimate license number issued by the state.