How We Pick Parts for an HVAC Repair Built to Last

When making a repair to your air conditioning and heating system, selecting the right part is a critical ingredient to a long-lasting repair. The image above shows the internal computer board from a multi-speed condenser, so you can see how far technology has come over the years. The extremely hot weather that makes your air conditioner run nonstop and power surges over the summer can cause quite a bit of wear and tear on your air conditioning and heating system. This is why we use parts for all of our repairs that in our experience will last the longest. Find out our philosophy about part selection for your air conditioner and heater:

What fails most often?

In the summer, the capacitor is one of the most common parts that goes bad. It is a electrical part that stores and releases energy to keep your air conditioner’s fan, blower motor, and condenser running in sync. Extreme heat and power surges are very damaging to these parts, so it’s no surprise we change them frequently.  In the winter, we see furnaces with bad PC boards or control boards. The good news is that these types of parts are common across all the brands of air conditioning and heating systems, so there are many very good quality aftermarket parts that fit the bill.

We stock commonly replaced parts.

We stock many commonly replaced parts on our vans, such as motors, capacitors, surge protectors, refrigerant, fuses and other common parts, to save time. Despite our best efforts, it’s not always possible to stock every possible part on our van. If you consider how many brands of equipment (yes, 20-30 year’s worth) in operation in our area, it will give you a sense of how many hundreds of thousands of parts that would involve. In some cases, a repair requires a very specific part, such as a new motherboard (like the one shown above). But there are a number of parts, such as many types of motors and capacitors, that are common to all makes and models. We regularly stock these parts on our van,  so we can serve our customers more quickly during extreme weather.

We choose the highest quality part for a repair.

In our experience, we choose parts that are built to last. We maintain and repair hundreds of HVAC systems all over Southwest Houston, Katy, Fulshear, Rosenberg, Sugar Land, Meyerland and Richmond. When we recommend a motor, for example, it’s because its one that in our experience has a low likelihood to fail. As a case in point, we used one company’s replacement motors for years because they were dependable. After manufacturing practices changed, we started to notice a 1 in 12 part failure versus a motor made by a different company with tighter quality assurance practices where only 3 in about 300 fail. There was no question, we switched vendors immediately.

We take energy efficiency and regulations into account.

When we are recommending parts for repairs, we are selecting ones that boost the efficiency of your equipment whenever we can. Did you know that this summer, motors installed in furnaces must be FER-compliant as of July 3, 2019?  American companies are rising to the challenge engineering quality aftermarket motors to boost reliability and energy efficiency. We do make every effort to purchase quality American parts, but sometimes they are not available. We also rely on training to safely recapture and recharge refrigerant if your system is running low. We  stay ahead of regulations, such as the EPA’s R22/Freon regulations, when they change so we can better advise you when you’re deciding to replace or repair. A longer lasting part also is a greener way of operating and results in less junk to throw away or recycle.

We use new parts not re-manufactured parts.

We buy new parts, not remanufactured parts. How many of you purchase plasma televisions that have been returned, repaired and are back up for sale? It can work well and save you some money, but it’s also like rolling the dice. We’d rather use a quality, new part that will last and is backed up by a warranty. Then, we also stand behind our workmanship offering our own guarantee. If the part doesn’t work, we will return until you are satisfied. We sometimes get questions about why we use a different brand part for a repair that may not match the brand of the HVAC unit.  When we come to fix your air conditioner, we are often replacing parts that are interchangeable. If you ever have questions, feel free to ask us and we are happy to explain the rationale. We also can give customers the “broken” part for their inspection. We find that our customers are happier when their air conditioner and heating system breaks down less often, which is why we are choosy about the parts we use for repairs.

Let Us Help

Count on the experienced technicians Rob and Kenny at Terry’s A/C and Heating who use their training and experience to choose a quality part for an expert, long-lasting repair. No customer wants more break-downs, which is why investing in good parts is essential. Give us a call at 281-495-7830 to get on our schedule for the day. Keep in mind that the summer months are very busy and we are often triaging our calls and working late to get to everyone. A Carrier Factory-Authorized Dealer, we serve West Houston and surrounding area including out to Fulshear including Westin Lakes, Katy, Alief, Sugar Land, Richmond, and Rosenberg.