The questions homeowners and business owners in Wichita Falls actually ask us, grouped by topic. Each one starts with a one-line short answer, then the detail. Nothing here is a sales pitch, and nothing here replaces somebody looking at your system — but most of it should save you a phone call or make the phone call shorter.
Make sure the thermostat is set to the right mode (cool or heat, not fan or off) and to a temperature that should make the system run. Check the breakers for both the outdoor unit and the indoor unit — there are usually two. Look at the filter; if it is grey and matted, change it. If all three are fine and the system still is not working, call.
A single trip can be a one-off. A breaker that trips again after a reset is protecting something — a failing motor, a shorted component, a compressor struggling to start. Resetting it repeatedly can turn a modest repair into an expensive one.
What the system is or is not doing, whether it is a home or a business, where the equipment is (attic, closet, garage, roof, outside), and how old it is if you know. If you can photograph the label on the outdoor unit, that answers the age question and several others. From that we can often tell you whether it sounds urgent, and sometimes whether it is worth a visit at all.
A dusty outdoor coil, a failed outdoor fan motor, a weak capacitor, a clogged filter or an iced indoor coil all look the same from inside the house. Refrigerant does not get used up. If it is low, there is a leak, and adding refrigerant without finding the leak only delays the next call.
A humming unit with a still fan is very often a failed capacitor or fan motor. It is a common, usually modest repair — but leaving the unit trying to start can damage the compressor, which is not modest at all. Switch it off and call.
Ice usually means the indoor coil is too cold — low airflow from a dirty filter or a failing blower, or a refrigerant problem. Running the fan alone helps the ice melt. Do not chip at it. When it has thawed we can find out why it formed.
An air conditioner removes water from the air and drains it away. When the drain line clogs, the water has nowhere to go. It is usually a straightforward fix, but water in an attic or closet can damage ceilings and floors, so it is worth dealing with the same week.
Squealing often points to a motor or belt; rattling to something loose; clicking at start-up without the unit running to an electrical component; grinding to bearings. A new noise is almost always cheaper to investigate early than after whatever is making it gives up.
It depends on what failed, the condition of everything else, and the cost of the repair against what the system has left in it. A failed capacitor on a sound system is a repair. A failed compressor on an old system with a corroded coil is usually a replacement. Most cases are in between, and that is where you deserve both prices and our honest opinion.
Published lifespan figures are averages across every climate and every standard of maintenance. A system in North Texas works hard at both ends of the year, and two identical units can be in very different condition at the same age. The age is a clue; the condition is the answer.
An oversized system cools quickly, shuts off, and never runs long enough to move air evenly or take moisture out, so the house ends up cold in one room and warm in another. The right size comes from a load calculation on the house or building, not from the label on the old unit.
Spring and autumn in Wichita Falls are when a system can come out for a day without anybody suffering. If your system is heading towards replacement, planning it for then gets you a choice of equipment and a date that suits you, rather than whatever is available in the middle of a heatwave.
It will go into defrost more often, which can look like steam rising off the outdoor unit; that is normal. In the coldest hours it relies more on its backup heat, so your bill will show it. If the outdoor unit is encased in ice, or the house is steadily losing temperature, call.
Furnaces that sit idle all summer often fail on the first cold night: a dirty flame sensor, a failed igniter, a pressure switch. These are usually straightforward repairs. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company or 911 from outside before calling anyone else.
Everyone in the county calls on the same day when a hard freeze arrives. A heating check in October or November finds the weak igniter or the tired capacitor while there is time to replace it. Also make sure the outdoor unit is clear of leaves and debris, and that any exposed condensate line is not going to freeze solid.
We inspect the unit, photograph it, describe the damage in writing and tell you what it needs to work properly again. What your policy covers, and whether to claim, is between you and your insurance company. We do not give advice about claims or policies.
The fins are what the outdoor coil uses to shed heat. A handful of dents make little difference. Widespread flattening from hail restricts airflow and makes the system work harder for less cooling. Whether combing them straight is enough or the coil needs attention depends on how bad it is.
Dust loads the indoor filter and the outdoor coil faster than manufacturers assume. A clogged filter starves the system of air; a dusty outdoor coil cannot reject heat. Check the filter monthly in the dusty months, and have the coil cleaned as part of a seasonal service.
Rooftop packaged units, split systems and planned maintenance on commercial buildings across Wichita Falls. A business gets exactly what a homeowner gets: answers first, then a written price.
Most commercial maintenance can be done before you open. Where a job needs longer, we agree the timing with you in advance, including roof access and keys, so there are no surprises on the day.
Filters, belts and coils; drains and pans; electrical connections and current draw; refrigerant state; economiser operation where there is one; and, on gas-fired units, the burners, heat exchanger and venting. You should get a written note of what was found for every unit, not just an invoice.
So you can fix the unit that is failing now and budget for the one that is heading that way, without a single combined figure forcing all-or-nothing.
The diagnostic comes first, then a written price, then your decision. If something changes once the work has started, we stop and talk to you before going further.
The same repair can cost very different amounts depending on the equipment, where it is installed and what else turns out to be wrong. A price list would either be so wide as to be useless or so narrow as to be misleading. You get a real number for your job, in writing.
Quoting a repair we have not seen would be a guess. What we can do on the phone is tell you whether it sounds urgent, what the diagnostic visit involves, and what it costs, so there are no surprises when we arrive.
Before: the findings and the price, itemised. After: what we did, what we replaced, and anything we noticed that you should keep an eye on. For a replacement, the model and serial numbers and the warranty registration too.
We will not advise on insurance claims, recommend replacing a system that has good years left, or quote a job over the phone without seeing it. We also do not publish lifespan figures, savings percentages or prices, because none of them would be true for your system in particular.
Sometimes the problem is the roof, the electrical service or the plumbing. We do not do those trades, but we will say so plainly rather than sell you an HVAC fix for a problem that is not an HVAC problem.
Do not switch anything on or off, and do not call from inside. An emergency response is faster than any contractor. Call us afterwards and we will find out why it happened.
Call and ask it. If it can be answered on the phone, it will be.