HVAC Questions, Answered
The things San Antonio homeowners ask us most, from what a repair costs to why the upstairs never cools. Straight answers, no upselling.
Have any questions?
Find answers here.
Common questions about our services and how we work. If you don’t find what you’re looking for:
How fast can you come out?
We run live dispatch 24 hours a day, seven days a week, holidays included. You will speak to a person, not a voicemail box or an answering service in another state.
Emergency calls go to the front of the schedule. In peak summer weeks we may be a few hours out, but the dispatcher will give you a realistic window rather than a vague promise.
Do you charge extra on night or on weekends?
Yes. The repair quote fee is $89 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is waived when the repair is completed. The after-hours repair quote fee is $189, or $289 after 9 p.m. Repair costs are separate.
What should I check before I call?
Two things worth thirty seconds. Check the thermostat is set to cool and the batteries aren’t dead, and check the breaker for the outdoor unit hasn’t tripped. If the filter hasn’t been changed in months, that alone causes a lot of the calls we take.
Beyond that, don’t open panels or touch wiring. There’s high voltage inside and refrigerant under pressure. If you smell gas, leave the building and call 911 and your gas utility first.
Why does my upstairs never cool properly?
Heat rises, and most two-story homes around here were built with a single system and undersized returns upstairs. The usual culprits are leaking or crushed ductwork in the attic, not enough return air, or a system sized for the square footage but not for a San Antonio August.
It’s fixable, but it’s a duct and airflow problem more often than an equipment problem. Replacing the unit alone rarely solves it.
Do you service all brands?
All makes and models, residential and commercial, regardless of who installed it. Our trucks carry common parts for the major brands, so most repairs finish on the first visit.
My system keeps starting and stopping. Is that serious?
Short cycling is worth looking at soon. It’s usually a restricted filter, a refrigerant issue, a failing control board, or a system oversized for the house.
It wastes energy and shortens compressor life, so it’s cheaper to diagnose now than to replace a compressor later.
Is the quote really fixed?
Yes. The technician diagnoses the fault, explains what’s wrong, and gives you a firm price before any work starts. That’s the price you pay.
If we open something up and find a second problem, we stop and tell you before doing anything about it. Nothing gets replaced without your approval.
Can you give me a price over the phone?
Not an accurate one, and anyone who does is guessing. The same symptom can be a $30 part or a failed compressor. What we can do is tell you what the visit costs and what the likely range is once we’ve seen it.
Do you offer financing?
Yes, on new system installations and major repairs. Applications go through our financing partner and approval is usually quick. Ask the technician, or call the office and we’ll walk you through the options.
Will you try to sell me a new system?
No. Our technicians aren’t paid on commission, so nobody here earns more by talking you into a replacement.
If a repair buys you another few summers, that’s the recommendation you’ll get. We’ll tell you plainly when a system is genuinely past saving, and why.
Repair or replace?
A rough rule: if the unit is over ten years old, needs frequent repairs, and the quote is more than half what a replacement costs, replacing is usually the better spend. Under that, repair almost always wins.
Age matters more here than in most of the country. Systems in San Antonio run hard for eight months a year, so a fifteen-year-old unit here has done the work of a twenty-year-old unit somewhere cooler.
How long does an installation take?
A straight changeout of an existing system is usually one day. Add a day if the ductwork needs replacing, the electrical needs upgrading, or we’re moving equipment to a different location.
How do you decide what size system I need?
By measuring, not by matching what was there before. Square footage, insulation, window area and orientation, ceiling height and duct condition all feed into the calculation.
Oversizing is a real problem in this climate. A unit that’s too large cools fast, shuts off, and never runs long enough to pull humidity out of the air, which leaves the house cold and clammy.
What warranty comes with a new system?
Manufacturer warranty on parts, plus our own warranty on labor. Both are given to you in writing at the time of install, and warranty work is scheduled ahead of new jobs.
Worth knowing: most manufacturer warranties require the equipment to be registered after installation and maintained annually. We handle the registration for you.
How often should I service my system?
Twice a year is ideal in this climate: cooling in spring, heating in fall. If you only do one, make it the spring cooling check, because that’s the system doing the heavy lifting here.
How often should I change the filter?
Every 30 to 90 days for a standard one-inch filter. Closer to 30 if you have pets, allergies, or the system runs constantly through summer. Thicker media filters last longer, typically six months to a year.
A clogged filter is the single most common cause of the service calls we take. It restricts airflow, freezes coils, raises your bill and shortens the life of the equipment.
Why does my house feel humid even with the AC running?
Usually an oversized system that short cycles, or a fan set to run continuously so moisture that condensed on the coil gets blown straight back into the house.
Both are fixable, often without new equipment. Setting the fan to Auto rather than On is a free first thing to try.
Do I need my ducts cleaned?
Not on a schedule. Duct cleaning is worth doing after construction or a rodent problem, or if you can see dust discharging from the vents. Otherwise a sealed duct system in good condition doesn’t need routine cleaning.
Sealing leaky ducts saves far more money than cleaning them. In an attic system, leaking ducts can waste a quarter of what you’re paying to cool.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We hold a Texas air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license, carry general liability and workers’ compensation, and every technician holds EPA Section 608 certification for refrigerant handling.
Ask the technician at the door and they’ll show you. If a property manager or HOA needs a certificate of insurance, call the office and we’ll send it the same day.
Do you use subcontractors?
No. Every technician is on our payroll, background-checked, badged, and drives a marked truck. You’ll know who’s coming before they arrive.
Which areas do you cover?
San Antonio and the six counties around it, dispatched from our shop in Converse, with no travel surcharge inside the service area. The full list is on our service areas page.
If your town isn’t listed, call anyway. We often cover it.
Do you handle commercial work?
Yes. Rooftop units, chillers, and VRF/VRV systems for restaurants, clinics, offices and small industrial sites, on the same pricing rules as residential.