Residential HVAC Services In Houston, Katy, Sugarland, The Woodlands, Cypress, TX and Surrounding Areas
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is vital to everyone who lives or visits your home. Poor air quality results in excess mold & allergens that lead to a number of health issues, especially severe problems for those with asthma. Certain household pollutants can cause health problems, including everything from simple colds to contamination from gasses & smoke. Contact Us Today for Residential HVAC Services In Houston, Katy, Sugarland, The Woodlands, Cypress, TX and Surrounding Areas.
Some pollutants cannot be avoided like pet dander or dust. However, others can be easily avoided by making a few changes to your household rules. In particular, no one should smoke inside the house, as it can cause excessive allergens and clog filters. Leaks in your ductwork can cause contaminants to enter the breathing air of your home. Repairing these leaks will help to reduce these contaminants and dust. A warning sign of excess humidity, often caused by oversized equipment is mold on vents. To prevent excess humidity, we perform accurate heat loads to insure proper sizing on all of our installations. UV light air cleaners are also very effective in reducing mold from your system and ductwork.
Maintenance & Tune Ups
Your HVAC system is likely the most expensive system in your home and is a major investment in comfort and health. To protect this investment, we highly recommend professionally maintaining your system 2 times each year. This ensures extended equipment life, air quality and efficiency. A common misconception is that we only need to change air filters, but there are many components in the system that need inspection and maintenance.
Benefits of Maintenance & Tune Ups:
- Improves System Performance
- Extends Life of Equipment
- Increased Energy Efficiency
- Helps Prevent Costly & Inconvenient Breakdowns
- Improves System Safety
Your Home Service Plan includes:
- Preferred pricing on service, repair, installation
- One-year warranty on repair parts and labor
- Transferable
Air conditioning Home Service Plans:
- Two seasonal air conditioning & heating tune-ups
- CHECK LIST
- Inspect refrigerant levels and pressures
- Calibrate thermostat(s) and check proper cycle and temperature
- Inspect and tighten wiring, contacts, capacitors and relays as this may prevent expensive repairs
- Ensure the evaporator coil is clean
- Ensure the condensate drain is clear
- Inspect and clean the condenser
- Inspect the outdoor disconnect
- Inspect the condenser fan motor and blades; lubricate if needed
- Check compressor amps at startup
- Plus more safety and efficiency checks
Your service representative will present a completed Tune-Up Checklist upon completion of Tune-Up and share any concerns or recommendations about your air conditioning system.
Comfort Issues
Whatever type of system you have, it is a complex system. While it’s designed to work efficiently, after years it can break down and you may need a heating system repair. Here are some of the common heating system problems we come across at Strive HVAC & Construction.
Hot and Cold Spots
Many duct systems are improperly designed which causes inconsistent air flow and temperatures in different areas. We specialize in proper system design techniques that will reduce these issues.
Air Ducts
Proper duct system design and installation are key to system efficiency and uniform comfort. We take pride in designing and installing duct systems that evenly distribute your airflow. Return air sizing is something that is overlooked and we also commonly check for this issue.
Humidity
Improper system design and sizing can cause high humidity. If you live in Texas, you know this is a problem. Strive HVAC & Construction always performs heat loads to insure proper system sizing and comfort.
Replacement
With an upgrade or replacement of your air conditioning system, Strive HVAC & Construction guarantees you more comfort all year long. With our Energy Star® rated cooling systems, you can save up to 60% on energy costs, while keeping your home safe and healthy.
A high-efficiency air conditioning unit can reduce your energy costs dramatically. Combined with the tax incentives and local rebates, the annual savings from installing a new system will pay for themselves over time.
Environmental Regulations on Air Conditioning Units
Not only does replacement of your older air conditioning unit provide a financial incentive, but there are also environmental benefits. Requirements went into effect in 2010 that regulate the chemicals used in air conditioning units. The R-22 coolant used in most central air conditioning systems manufactured in the past is a HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) that causes chlorine emissions. Chlorine gas is one of the manmade emissions which damage the ozone. In 2010, this refrigerant was replaced by R410a, a chlorine-free and non-ozone damaging coolant.
Production of units using ozone-damaging R22 will continue until 2020 but will be substantially reduced as all air conditioning manufacturers switch to using R410a. The cost of units using the old R22 is rapidly rising, while the prices for the more environmentally friendly & efficient R410a are dropping. These newer air conditioning units are far more energy efficient than the older units, saving homeowners a significant amount of money, particularly if you during the hot summers in Houston.
Heat Load Calculation
Determining the Correct Air Conditioning Unit Size
Air conditioner sizing is crucial to its performance and longevity in your home. A/C’s are rated by using the number of BTU (British Thermal Units) of heat that it can remove per hour. You commonly hear A/C size referred to in “tons”. One ton is equal to 12,000 BTU’s. (12,000 BTU’s is the amount of energy required to melt 1 ton of ice in one day.) An average central air conditioner size would be between 3-6 ton or 36,000 – 72,000 BTU’s/hr. In order for your air conditioner to work as efficiently as possible, it must be carefully sized to your specific house and environment. That’s why Strive HVAC & Construction always performs a heat load calculation on system replacements. Determining factors for correct unit sizing:
- Climate
- Age and size of your home
- Amount windows & doors(including sizes)
- How well your home is insulated
- Amount of shade that falls on your house walls, windows and roof
- Direction that your home faces
Installing an undersized unit will result in:
- Increased energy bills since the unit must run additional hours trying to keep up with the heat of the house.
- A home that is not comfortable since the unit is unable to cool quickly enough.
If you install a central air conditioner that is too large the unit will cycle (turn off and on) too often which results in:
- Less humidity being taken out of the air in the house. In the humid Houston climate de-humidification is essential to the temperature feeling comfortable.
- Less consistent temperature in the house.
- More wear and tear on the A/C compressor and other parts of the unit.
