Your questions answered: HVAC FAQs

Faust Air Conditioning and Heating in Wharton can answer all your HVAC-related questions. Before you get on the phone, look to see if we already responded to your question online. If you don’t see your question in this list or want more information on a particular topic, give us a call at 979-323-6130. Our techs can give you the information you’re looking for in an instant.
Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for routine tune-ups, such as oil changes or inspecting probable issues, your home comfort system should receive the same kind of attention. Scheduled maintenance by a professional technician provides numerous benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems work efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost can range depending on the equipment size and different features, so we suggest contacting Faust Air Conditioning and Heating at 979-323-6130 to obtain a quote.
With two-stage heating, furnaces may run on two different levels: high and low. Since you can heat your home on the low setting a lot of the time, a two-stage furnace can run longer and more efficiently. Two-stage heating also runs more quietly than traditional furnaces and can give you more even heat distribution and fewer temperature swings.
Faust Air Conditioning and Heating offers many different brands and models that include advanced technology to help heat and cool your home more efficiently. Technology in the newer HVAC systems provides more precision when it comes to supporting your home comfort needs. If you want more information, please reach out to our experts at 979-323-6130.

Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a host of differences. Furnaces today are designed to give more even and efficient heating than ever before. Modern furnaces also better regulate temperature and air flow, moving more air over the heat exchanger than older furnaces.

Additionally, new furnaces are designed to operate with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers provide your heating system an extra lift so it can deliver cool air around your home efficiently. Special features like variable speed motors will also help lessen noise associated with operating your equipment and easily meet your family's airflow needs.

The Department of Energy recently boosted the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units made after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call Faust Air Conditioning and Heating for the efficiency standards for Wharton.

There are lots of ways to reduce your energy costs and one of the best ways is to make sure you have an energy-efficient HVAC system. Faust Air Conditioning and Heating has many highly efficient products that will help reduce the amount of energy you are using and save you money. In addition to shopping for products that have the Energy Star® certification, high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, here are some other steps to consider:

  • Remember to book routine maintenance and have an experienced technician take a look at your system to ensure its running efficiently.
  • If you have specific areas of your home that you need to heat or cool, you could consider a zoning system. This allows you to target that area and reduces wasted energy on heating or cooling areas that aren't used.
  • Programmable or smart thermostats make it easier to maintain your home comfort while not consuming energy to heat or cool your space if you aren't home. It is an easy way to decrease energy costs and once you set it, you can walk away and understand its going to take care of your indoor comfort.
Faust Air Conditioning and Heating has been serving the Wharton community for many years and has been providing trustworthy and dependable service. Our service and the products we carry are of the highest quality and you can be confident in the results. Our experienced team is here to help you reach your ideal home comfort.

There are four things to consider when improving your indoor air quality:

  • The indoor air quality in your home starts to suffer when the air begins filling up with air pollutants. The biggest concern is removing these pollutants. Some to-dos to put on your weekly checklist is vacuuming, washing your linens and making sure any cleaning products are stored properly.
  • Especially in newer homes, the insulation is installed so well that it might be hard for these pollutants to leave the home. While it helps to keep your home warm or cool, depending on the season, its valuable to get some fresh air inside.
  • Make sure that you have good ventilation and arrange routine maintenance on your system. And while that's important, you can also take your IAQ even further by using air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems to get rid of particles while eliminating chemical vapors.
  • Smart or programmable thermostats can help control humidity levels as well as the temperature. This can help prevent germs and other particles from collecting while preserving your home comfort.
Every home is different,, which is why we advise that you contact our experts at Faust Air Conditioning and Heating to find out which solution will be best for your space. Our experts will conduct an evaluation of your current system and determine what your ideal home comfort looks like. That will help us decide which products will be most effective.
You may be surprised to learn that air conditioners don't technically make your home cooler; they actually remove the hot air and move it outside. This hot air is pushed across a refrigerant coil on the indoor unit and then is sent to the outdoor unit where it is released. Your air conditioner pushes as much hot air outside as is necessary to reach the temperature you have set on your thermostat.
Minimum energy efficiency standards vary by region. Additionally, air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units made after Jan. 1, 2015, have higher minimum efficiency levels than HVAC products manufactured prior to that date. The team at Faust Air Conditioning and Heating can help you determine the minimum requirements for Wharton, let you know if your current products meets those requirements or help you find a replacement air conditioner that does.
Your systems service panel has a white label on it, with your systems model and serial numbers at the top. M/N signifies the systems model number and S/N is the serial number.
Since equipment size needs vary by home, the best way to figure out the correct size equipment for your home is to have a technician from Faust Air Conditioning and Heating come out to perform load calculation tests. The tests take measurements such as square footage, insulation value and amount, and more into account to determine your homes HVAC equipment needs.
Yes debris can affect your systems ability to function effectively. Its not uncommon for heat pumps to have frost or ice on them during the winter, but many include defrost controls so they can work efficiently regardless of the weather conditions.
When an air conditioner uses two-stage cooling, it means that there are two levels of operation. This lets the system work more efficiently since there is one level for milder weather and another for harsher weather that demands the system work harder. Two-stage cooling also enables almost unnoticeable temperature changes so you don't experience extreme differences in temperature. Aside from better efficiency, other benefits of two-stage cooling include quieter operation and better humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a variety of reasons why it could be doing so. The most typical reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can fix as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at Faust Air Conditioning and Heating. Contact them at 979-323-6130 with any additional questions.
Faust Air Conditioning and Heating has a number of great thermostat options for your HVAC systems. The best thermostat for you will depend on a variety of variables, such as whether you want one that's programmable or not. No matter what kind of thermostat you'd like or if you're in the market for something that can fit with a home automation system call Faust Air Conditioning and Heating to hear about which thermostats you can choose from. Our team will help you find one thats best for your system, your family's needs and your budget.
A heat pump takes care of both your homes heating and cooling needs, offering you one HVAC system that can be used in all four seasons. Throughout the warmer months, heat pumps act like an air conditioner, capturing the hot air from inside your home and transferring it outside; in the cooler months, this process is reversed. Heat pumps can be very energy efficient and may produce two to three times more heat than the energy used.
At Faust Air Conditioning and Heating, we do recommend replacing both your indoor and outdoor units at the same time because:
  • Outdoor systems are now built to work with their matching indoor system for the most efficiency. When you replace only one of your systems, you may not see the same savings on your energy bills as if you had replaced them together.
  • Thanks to technological innovation, newer systems mean better efficiency. This is true for heating and cooling products as well. While the advancements focus on greater heating and cooling efficiency, they also include benefits such as better air handling, filtering and noise reduction.
  • If your heating and cooling systems are 10+ years old, they need to be replaced. Older models have outdated technology that is likely adding to your energy costs due to poor efficiency. So by replacing your indoor system at the same time as your outdoor equipment, both your systems will provide better energy efficiency that helps you reduce your energy bills and keep your home more comfortable.
Your home energy system might have a communication module that delivers performance stats to an online site or portal. You can visit this to check your system's status, the amount of energy being produced and the positive influence you are having on the environment. You can also take a look at your owner's manual for suggestions on monitoring performance.
Rain will clean the modules automatically in most areas; however, if you live in a dusty area, you might see improved performance after periodically spraying the modules with water. Please note that high-pressure hoses and detergents should never be used to clean solar modules, as they can harm the product.
Faust Air Conditioning and Heating can help suggest the right thermostat for you based on your home and current heating and cooling equipment. We carry a selection of programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats, which can help increase the efficiency of your homes furnace and/or air conditioner. Take a look at our thermostats or give us a call at 979-323-6130 for more information.

A large portion of your monthly energy bills can be attributed to your heating and cooling system. It makes sense, because our home comfort is an important aspect of our day-to-day lives. Luckily, there are high-efficiency solutions from Faust Air Conditioning and Heating that can keep you comfortable while also lowering energy costs. When it's time for you to shop for a new HVAC system, there are a couple things to consider. You'll want to select air conditioners with high SEER ratings and furnaces with high AFUE ratings. These ratings measure efficiency, so the greater the number the better off you'll be when it comes to saving on energy costs. You can also consider these tips:

  • Keep your system operating to its best ability by booking routine maintenance. It helps uphold efficiency and make sure everything is operating properly.
  • Consider a zoning system if you only have targeted rooms that need to be heated or cooled. There is no need to use energy adjusting the temperature in a room that is never, or rarely used.
  • The U.S. Department of Energy states that programmable thermostats can save up to 35 percent on heating costs and 25 percent on cooling costs. There are a lot of programmable and smart thermostat choices that are easy to use and vary in the type of features-so you can find an solution that you are comfortable with.
A zoning system enables you to parcel your residence and heat or lower the temperature in each part differently. While these systems function well for homes that have parts that are infrequently visited, they could also be great in situations where you and your family cant agree on the temperature in various areas of your house. There are a collection of additional benefits of zoning systems, like efficiency and comfort. Look through our selection of zoning systems or give Faust Air Conditioning and Heating a ring to see how a zoning system could fit in your home.