AC Replacement and Installation

A central AC in Houston does well to reach fifteen years. Past that, the compressor is tired, the coil has corroded in the humidity, and the refrigerant it uses may no longer be made, so repairs get expensive and the next one is never far away. The signs that it is time: a major repair on a system over twelve years old, a second major repair in two summers, and electricity bills that have crept up with no change in the weather or the household.

A replacement done properly is more than swapping the boxes. The new system has to be sized to the house with a load calculation, not matched to the old nameplate, because the old one may have been wrong for twenty years. The indoor coil and the outdoor unit must be a matched pair. The ductwork should be checked, because a new system pushing air through leaking 1980s ducts in a 140-degree attic wastes a third of what it makes. And in most of north Houston the work needs a permit, which the contractor pulls.

What to insist on in writing: the make, model and SEER2 rating of both the indoor and outdoor units, the load calculation, what happens to the old refrigerant, the permit, the manufacturer warranty registered in your name, and the contractor's own labour warranty. A licensed contractor expects all of that. A quote on a business card is not a quote.

Whatever the problem turns out to be, the first step is the same: describe it, say where the house is, and one independent HVAC contractor working in your town contacts you to look at it. No charge for being connected, and no obligation once he has.