Westheimer Lakes HVAC Maintenance Checklist

If your home is located in Westheimer Lakes, a neighborhood in Richmond, Texas, our HVAC maintenance checklist can be helpful!  Regular maintenance for your air conditioner, heat pump, or heater will increase the likelihood that your HVAC system will last longer and operate more efficiently, saving you money and hassle. Because we have almost nine months of heat and a shorter winter, we recommend two maintenance visits a year – an AC tune-up and inspection in the spring and a heater tune-up and inspection in the fall.

There are many benefits for regular HVAC maintenance for your AC and heating system. By far the biggest is that your HVAC system breaks down less often. It’s also why we are able to add extra guarantees to our work. When air conditioners and heaters stop working less often and don’t grind to a halt on the weekend or after hours, our customers are happier, too! Win-win!

We not only know Westheimer Lakes here in Richmond, Texas, but also we are residents ourselves. If you need a trustworthy, local partner to install, service, and maintain your HVAC system in Fort Bend County, Terry’s A/C & Heating is standing by to welcome your call and your referrals.  If HVAC maintenance is all new to you, we have compiled an HVAC maintenance checklist for our fellow Westheimer Lakes neighbors to help you plan and take care of your home’s HVAC system now and for years to come.

About Westheimer Lakes

Westheimer Lakes is a master-planned community in Fort Bend County straddling the boundaries of Richmond, Texas, and Katy, Texas. It is comprised of two parts, Westheimer Lakes and Westheimer  Lakes North. The two sections are split by the Westpark Tollway/FM 1093 and are located near Grand Avenue Parkway (US 99) between IH-10 West (Katy Freeway) and the Southwest Freeway (US 59). The neighborhood is adjacent to Candela, a new community under construction, and Covey Trails, an aviation community and neighborhood, on the west side and to Cinco Ranch to the northeast. Westheimer Lakes is considered a part of far west suburban Houston, Texas.

  • Master-planned community
    • Westheimer Lakes Homeowners Association
    • SplashPad Texas® Recreation Center includes a beach-entry splash pool with slide, children’s playscape, sand volleyball court, covered basketball pavilion, lighted tennis courts, walking trails, playfields, and covered picnic pavilions
    • Recreation Center & Clubhouse in the Westheimer Lakes North features a junior Olympic size pool, a toddler splash pool, a shaded playground area, and an exercise facility
  • Neighborhood magazine: Home Front (monthly newsletter)
  • Zipcodes: 77494, 77406

Westheimer Lakes Homes

Westheimer Lakes homes are one- and two-story single-family homes in a gated and non-gated neighborhood with parks, lakes, and amenities. Here’s what homes in the neighborhood have in common.

  • The average square footage of homes in Westheimer Lakes is 3,113 sq. ft. (Har.com)
  • Avg. Year Built: 2009 (2004-2020)
  • Current Prices: $299s to $ 560s (neighborhoods.com)
  • Avg price per Sq. Ft.: $125
  • Bedrooms: 2 to 6 bedrooms
  • Bathrooms: 2 to 5 bathrooms

Sources: Har.com, Neighborhoods.com

HVAC Maintenance Checklist for Westheimer Lakes

This neighborhood has homes of different ages and their claim to fame is that each home has a home networking center with the latest technology to make broadband internet connectivity seamless. Newer homes have the manufacturer’s warranty in place, and we do warranty service if as they arise. As homes and their HVAC systems age, we start to get more calls for repairs and eventually more expensive repairs.

We recommend scheduling HVAC maintenance twice a year to inspect and tune up your heater in the fall and your air conditioner in the spring. We use a standardized checklist that we give to each customer and keep on file, so we can keep track of how an HVAC system is performing over time. This can reduce the chances of breakdowns in the middle of the summer or winter is not pleasant for anyone. Regular maintenance gives homeowners advanced warning before larger repairs are needed or the time to replace their HVAC system might be coming soon. We find that customers are often happier when they have more choices and have sufficient time to do their research.

Because our neighborhood has many surrounding lakes, hence the name Westheimer Lakes, humidity is part of our landscape. Clogged condensate drains and water leaks can be a problem. We can help homeowners reduce the humidity in their homes if it is a persistent problem. Excess humidity has many causes, including plumbing issues or HVAC equipment that has been sized incorrectly.

The most common repair to air conditioners that we see in Westheimer Lakes is due to a faulty run capacitor, a part that provides the electrical timing to the motor. If it is not running, neither is your air conditioner. Some homes in this neighborhood are new enough to still have parts that can be replaced under the manufacturer’s warranty.

We are experiencing more pest issues right now in Westheimer Lakes, due to a lot of construction in the area. A new neighborhood Candela is under construction, and a new elementary school is being built. This pushes field mice into the neighborhood looking for safe harbor. This is why we recommend regular pest control because it can keep rodents and other pests from setting up shop in your attic and your HVAC system.

We see fewer power surges and brownouts, but a fair amount of power outages which can take a toll on electrical components that run air conditioning and heating equipment. We install surge protectors in all of our air conditioning and heating installations. Surge protectors, an optional accessory, reduce the wear and tear on electrical motors that run your HVAC system and can keep it in better repair.

This HVAC maintenance checklist (with a few related tasks) can keep your air conditioner and heater in top shape in Westheimer Lakes all year round.

Quarterly HVAC Maintenance

Every Six Months

  • Pour vinegar down condensate drain (especially in the spring/fall)
  • Clear landscaping from around the condenser
  • Check batteries in the thermostat (if needed)
  • Check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
  • When seasons change, change the direction of your ceiling fans

Yearly

Every 5 years

  • Replace smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
  • Inspect window and door caulking and weather stripping

Every 10-20 years

  • Clean ducts (if necessary)
  • Add attic insulation (if necessary)

Every 15-20 Years

Testimonials from Westheimer Lakes Neighbors

Find out what neighbors are saying about the HVAC service they have received from Terry’s A/C & Heating in Richmond and Katy, Texas.

“Terry was great. A/C stopped blowing cold early Saturday morning. Terry was recommended on our neighborhood Facebook page. I reached out and had a quick response (on a Saturday). Terry gave me a time and updated me when he was going to be a little late. He knew right away what the problem was and repaired quickly and monetarily painless!” – Linda Johnson

“Had 3 other AC companies come by, all suggested high dollar replacements saying my coil was bad. Terry came by last and diagnosed the real problem, clog in the sink and a cut off switch needed to be installed. 2 years later and the AC is still going. Hard to find honest people in this world, Terry is one. Highly recommend.” – Andy Mayer

“Terry’s A/C and Heating are professional, knowledgeable, fast and courteous. Our A/C went out just before we were leaving the country to adopt our son and bring him home. Terry’s A/C and Heating came to our home quickly and fixed the problem fast. Rob clearly explained to us what the issue was and how he was going to fix it. We truly appreciate his expertise and would recommend Terry’s A/C and Heating to everyone!” – Laura Rutsche

“Terry’s is, hands down, the best AC company I’ve ever worked with. Working with them to both check out my old system and get it replaced was a breeze. Both Rob and Kenny were upfront and honest about everything the entire time. Rob and his team are exactly what every AC company should strive to be and I’m planning to continue to do business with them for years to come.” – Erik St. Pierre

HVAC Maintenance for Westheimer Lakes – Call Us

Get ahead of your home maintenance to-do list this fall and spring by calling Terry’s A/C & Heating at 281-495-7830 to get on our schedule for a repair, quote on a new HVAC system, or to schedule your seasonal HVAC tune-up. My wife Summer takes all of our calls and manages the front office to listen to your concerns and get your appointment scheduled quickly and efficiently. If you need a second opinion, we can help you with that, too. Find out more about how to make your next service call a complete success!

In addition to HVAC visits to repair or replace your AC or heater, we also recommend spring and fall tune-ups to give your hardworking HVAC system some tender loving care. We also offer HVAC scheduled maintenance plan we call the Peace of Mind Protection Program for customers who want to turn over their HVAC maintenance to a trusted partner. We’ve been in the business for two generations here in Richmond, Texas and we strive to keep our customers for life. Learn more about what makes us different from other HVAC companies, and find out how we got our start decades ago.