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Plano Trane Air Conditioning and Heating dealer explains how to choose

Plano Trane Air Conditioning and Heating dealer Steve Lauten, President of Total Air & Heat Co., explains how to choose an Air Conditioning and Heating system.

This is a series of articles I am writing that covers issues that impacts your health and comfort in your home or office. In this article I will cover some important aspects of how to purchase a new air conditioning or heating system.

Check your Condensor Annually

Check your Condenser Annually

I would like to begin by asking you these questions:

  1. Have you ever bought a new air conditioning or heating system?
  2. Was it to replace an existing system or on a new home?

These questions are extremely important, and your answers are too!  Based on my experience, in excess of 80% of the people I have as customers have never purchased a replacement system.  In addition less than 30% have purchased a new air conditioning system as part of a new home.  Virtually all of them agree that because they have never bought a new system…..the natural instinct is to start shopping for them.  Unfortunately most home owners don’t know where to begin, nor do they have any specifications on which system to buy. And most homeowners do not know how to ask the most important question which is… which contractor to choose?

So where do you begin?

Most manufacturers have dealer locators on their websites.  As an authorized Trane and Lennox dealer; Total Air & Heat Co. is listed on their dealer locators.  Being listed on a manufacturer’s website is a good starting point.  However it won’t help you pick the Best contractor for the job.   This article will specifically cover how to pick an air conditioning and heating system along with the right contractor who is focused making sure whatever system you choose; that it will operate at peak efficiency, peak comfort, peak longevity, and provide you with the peace of mind that you deserve .
Let’s try to break down the decision making process into definable phases.

Who makes the best equipment?

My answer is your equipment will only work as well as the contractor who installed it!  You can buy the best air conditioning and heating system made and if not installed properly it will give you problems.  On the flip side you can buy entry level products from a quality manufacturer and if it is installed properly by a quality a/c contractor it will  give you many years of reliable service and can save you thousands of dollars in reduced utility costs.  With all of that said, my favorite 2 brands of air conditioning and heating equipment is Trane, and Lennox is right behind it.  I also feel Carrier is a good brand, but it I have found it is not practical to support more than 2 product lines effectively.  Trane residential is based in Tyler, TX and Lennox world headquarters is based in Richardson, TX which makes the decision fairly easy for us since we are based in Plano, TX.  Since Total Air & Heat co. has been in business since 1957 we have found that Trane, Lennox, and Carrier all make excellent products.

Trane: Still my favorite overall brand of equipment.  Strong attributes include:

Trane outdoor units:

  • Trane Climatuff compressor: most dependable compressor made with the lowest overall failure rate that we have ever experienced.  North Texas will stress out an air conditioner to it max ability and more!  I like the fact that Trane designs and makes compressors for each unit, choosing the one that best serves the units requirements.

Rock solid cabinet on their outdoor units-In North Texas we experience a lot of severe weather, including hail storms.  Condenser coils on outdoor units are very vulnerable to hail damage unless they are protected by some type of louvered panel.  At this time All Trane outdoor unit come standard with louvered panels.  DuraTuff base-is a composite material to insure the bottom of the unit won’t rust, and drains water properly.  Weatherguard II top is standard on all Trane XL units and is designed to reduce noise levels, and discharge the air horizontally from the unit instead of vertically, in addition this prevents rain water, leaves, and other debris from falling into the unit from the top.  The only downside of the Weatherguard II top design is locating additional units too close can cause air to re-circulate.  This is an issue with all a/c units, but horizontally discharged air from any a/c unit into another can cause issues.  The easy fix is to separate each unit from adjacent units by approximately  5’.

  • Spine Fin Coil: In my opinion the best material for a residential installation.  Since the tubing and fins are both aluminum there is no issues with dissimilar materials causing degrading.  In addition there are far fewer welds to leak.  You may hear a non Trane say that aluminum coils leak, simply not true.  Copper condenser coils leak far more often than Trane aluminum coils, in fact I can’t remember that last time we had to replace a Trane unit because of a condenser coil refrigerant leak.
  • XL20i-dual compressor unit. In my opinion the best overall unit on the market.  The XL20i uses 2 compressors, 1 for sized for mild days, and 1 sized for hot days giving you 2 stages of cooling.  In the North, TX area we typically size an a/c system based on an outdoor temperature of 100 degrees.  That means the system is over sized in excess of 90% of the time!  Think about it, how many hours of any given day is it 100 degrees or more?  It would be nice to have an a/c system that has the ability to be properly sized the majority of the time and the XL20i accomplishes this goal better than any of the other major a/c manufacturers.  The smaller compressor runs the majority of the time, and on the hottest part of the day the small compressor shuts off and the big compressor runs.  This also allows a well balanced wear and tear on both compressors.
  • XL16i: This unit is also a 2 stage cooling unit, but instead of 2 compressors it uses a 2 stage compressor.  The main difference on this unit when compared to the XL20i is 1st stage cooling is about 70% capacity and 2nd stage cooling is 100% capacity.  This unit is a great choice if your budget does not allow a 20 SEER unit.  This unit has 1 compressor using a 2-stage scroll compressor.

About the author:  Steve Lauten, a Plano Trane Air Conditioning and Heating dealer, is President of Total Air & Heat Co. located in Plano, TX.  Steve can be reached at 972-881-0020 or by email at sales@totalair.com. Total Air & Heat Co. has been serving the North Dallas/Collin County area since 1957 and has been voted the “Best Heat and Air Contractor in Collin County” 14 times by the Readers of Star community Newspapers.

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2010 02 05 totalair Air Conditioning Systems
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Frisco Heating Company: Is your home making your family sick?

Frisco Heating Company owner Steve Lauten, President of Total Air and Heat Co., asks… Could Your Home Be Making You Sick?

Written by Steve Lauten-Total Air & Heat Co. Plano, TX

Impact of Heating and Air Conditioning system and your health.

This is Part 5 in a series of articles I am writing that covers issues that impacts your health and comfort in your home or office.  In my last article I discussed some of the more common methods to remedy a sick home.

Read: Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4 of this series.

Allergens:  I consider allergens to be just about anything organic that cause the human respiratory system to be irritated.

The methods of controlling and preventing allergens are basically the same as Particulates.  The main difference being some allergen particles are smaller than particulates, therefore a higher grade of filtration is required.  The most popular brand of whole house air cleaners we offer that do a good job of addressing Allergens and Particulates is the Trane Clean Effects, Lennox Pure Air, and Honeywell F-300. In addition, viruses fall into the allergen category.  The Trane Clean Effects has documented evidence that can remove the Flu virus from the air you breathe.  The use of UV Lights to reduce Allergen levels is becoming more popular.  The Lennox Pure Air includes a UV light as part of the package and can be used with virtually any brand of residential a/c and heat system.

In summary any structure whether it’s a home or office should have proper levels of VOC’s, Particulates, and Allergens.  Total Air and Heat Co. has the ability to measure existing conditions, offers solutions to get conditions within acceptable limits, and then measure the conditions after improvements have been made to confirm results.   We specialize in the removal of VOC’s, Particulates, and Allergens from homes or offices.  In addition we have worked with Environmentally sensitive patients to help them address specific needs in the control of their environment.

About the author: Steve Lauten is President of the Frisco Heating Company Total Air & Heat Co. which is located in Plano, TX.  Steve can be reached at 972-881-0020 or by email at sales@totalair.com

Total Air & Heat Co. has been serving the North Dallas/Collin County area since 1957 and has been voted the “Best Heat and Air Contractor in Collin County” 14 times by the Readers of Star community Newspapers.

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2010 01 09 totalair Heating Systems
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Plano Heating Company: Is your home making you sick?

Plano Heating Company owner Steve Lauten, President of Total Air and Heat Co., asks… Could Your Home Be Making You Sick?

Written by Steve Lauten-Total Air & Heat Co. Plano, TX

Impact of Heating and Air Conditioning system and your health.

This is Part 4 in a series of articles I am writing that covers issues that impacts your health and comfort in your home or office.  In my last article I discussed some of the more common methods to remedy a sick home.

Read: Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 of this series.

Particulates:  Particulates are generated during new construction, remodels and even normal daily activities. Somehow all of this dust and particles need to be removed from the structure; otherwise you will be breathing it forever!  Keep in mind the best air filter in your home is the human lung!

In most cases the air conditioning and heating system ends up removing a lot of airborne particles…..which is not a good idea!  All of this dust and particles ends up in the duct work and the equipment; causing the system to lose efficiency and reduces the lifespan of the system.  In general anytime a significant amount of dust and particles are generated I recommend the HVAC be disabled, and if possible all vents be covered to keep particulates from entering eh system.  Before the HVAC is turned back on, proper particulate removal should be performed.

My  35+ years of experience in the HVAC field has shown me that particulates are the largest issue with most sick homes or offices.   Common sense tells you that these particulates need to be removed from the structure; they are not going away by themselves!  As already discussed anything from vacuuming, dusting, and spring cleaning, to home improvement projects will cause increased levels of airborne particulates.  Pets and humans are a source that generates large amounts of particulates. The larger particulates settle themselves out in your carpet, furniture or anywhere else they can find a place to rest, the smaller ones typically remain airborne.  Ever wonder what that stuff is floating around in the air when the sunbeams shine in through your windows?  Simply walking around in your house stirs up these dust particles, as well as your a/c and heat system running helps them remain airborne.  So how do you get rid of particulates?

The good news is particulate control is fairly easy to control and also affordable.  For the typical property… a quality media air cleaner in conjunction with sealing of the duct system will get the job done. We offer many types of media air cleaners, the more common ones we use are the Trane Perfect Fit, Honeywell F-100 and Lennox Healthy Climate.  For those interested in better air quality we recommend the Trane Clean Effects, Lennox Pure Air, or Honeywell F-300 electronic air cleaner. 

A lot of people take the attitude that “I don’t need that”. While you may not have allergies, have you ever considered that whatever dust that moves through your air conditioning and heating system ends up in the blower and cooling coil?  Have you ever asked yourself why the drain line on your air conditioning system clogs up all the time?  The average person spends 8 hours at work and 10 hours at home on a daily basis, why not give your respiratory system a break?  You only have 1 body to use, where are you going to live after that?  In addition a good air cleaner will extend the life of your a/c and heat system, reduce maintenance calls, and help to maintain the efficiency of the system over its rated life span.

About the author:Steve Lauten is President of the Plano Heating Company Total Air & Heat Co. which is located in Plano, TX.  Steve can be reached at 972-881-0020 or by email at sales@totalair.com

Total Air & Heat Co. has been serving the North Dallas/Collin County area since 1957 and has been voted the “Best Heat and Air Contractor in Collin County” 14 times by the Readers of Star community Newspapers.

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2010 01 09 totalair Heating Systems
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Dallas Heating Company: Is your home making you sick?

Dallas Heating Company owner Steve Lauten, President of Total Air and Heat Co., asks… Could Your Home Be Making You Sick?

Written by Steve Lauten-Total Air & Heat Co. Plano, TX

Impact of Heating and Air Conditioning system and your health.

This is Part 3 in a series of articles I am writing that covers issues that impacts your health and comfort in your home or office.  In my last article I discussed some of the more common methods to remedy a sick home.

Read: Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

VOC’s:  finding and eliminating the source of the VOC’s is what we try to do as our first choice.  However eliminating all sources of VOC’s is not possible in most cases.  A good example would be when you clean your home.  In most cases you are using typical household cleaning agents, dusting, polishing furniture, and even using air fresheners.  All of these things produce large amounts of VOC’s.  The only successful ways I have found to get rid of VOC’s is by bringing in fresh air and in some cases exhausting the stale air.  This is what I call the dilution method.  There are several ways we can accomplish dilution, anything from a fresh air duct, to heat recovery ventilators known as HRV’s, or energy recovery ventilators known as ERV’s, a whole house dehumidifier with a fresh air option, to simply opening your windows or doors.  Unfortunately the good old days of opening all the windows and feeling safe may be gone.   Each individual’s tolerance level to VOC does vary.  My main point being is you should be aware that something as simple as cleaning your house creates VOC’s and there are options available to control VOC’s.

A whole house dehumidifier is my preferred method to reduce VOC’s because it also helps with another big issue in many structures; high humidity in higher temperature months.  High humidity can also exist in structures which are tightly sealed.   I recommend using the Honeywell TrueDry series of whole house dehumidifiers.  In addition to providing whole house dehumidification, they come standard with MERV 11 air filtration, and a built in fresh air ventilation option that meets ASHRAE standards for fresh air ventilation.  There several sizes available and multiple installation options.  Call us for details at 972-881-0020.

The other method of removing VOC’s is absorption.  The best method I have found is the use of activated charcoal filtration.   Activated charcoal filters work very well, but in most cases the cost of maintenance is more than many property owners are willing to pay.  For environmentally sensitive customers we offer the AllerMed filtration system.  This system offers true hospital grade HEPA filtration using multiple media filters in conjunction with activated carbon filter trays.  There are some whole house filtration systems we offer that will do a good job of reducing VOC’s as long as the structure has a tight duct system and other sources of VOC’s have been controlled. These filter systems include the Trane Clean Effects and Lennox Pure Air filter systems.

In some instances, the only way to get rid of large levels of VOC’s is do what I call “bake” the property.  This is typically an issue on a brand new home, or office that occupied immediately after construction is finished.  The combination of out gasses from paints, varnishes, carpets, and other man made products can be overwhelming.  We have had good success accelerating the out gassing process by raising the indoor temperature to around 90-95 degrees which speeds up the out gassing process.  We then open windows and use fans to pull fresh air into the structure and other fans to exhaust the stale air out.  Certain types of out gasses are corrosive to heating systems so care should be used in how the structure is heated up.  In Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area it gets hot enough in the summer that simply turning off the air conditioning warms the property up enough to speed up the out gassing process.

About the author: Steve Lauten is President of the Dallas Heating Company Total Air & Heat Co. which is located in Plano, TX.  Steve can be reached at 972-881-0020 or by email at sales@totalair.com

Total Air & Heat Co. has been serving the North Dallas/Collin County area since 1957 and has been voted the “Best Heat and Air Contractor in Collin County” 14 times by the Readers of Star community Newspapers.

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2010 01 09 totalair Heating Systems
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Richardson Heating Company: Is your home making you sick?

Richardson Heating Company owner Steve Lauten, President of Total Air and Heat Co., asks… Could Your Home Be Making You Sick?

Written by Steve Lauten-Total Air & Heat Co. Plano, TX

Impact of Heating and Air Conditioning system and your health.

This is Part 2 in a series of articles I am writing that covers issues that impacts your health and comfort in your home or office.  In my last article I discussed some of the more common methods to remedy a sick home.

I discussed the best way to begin was by placing an IAQ monitor in area of the structure that is frequently used such as the den, family room, master bedroom, or reception area, or a common office area.  Once we get the report back we have a better idea as what type of issues the structure may have.

As previously discussed, I broke down the main categories that contribute to a sick home or office as being VOC’s, Particulates, and Allergens.  In my last article I discussed methods to remedy each category of contaminants.  This article will specifically cover product that can help eliminate a sick home or office.

The best method to reduce VOC’s in a structure is to stop the source.  We typically accomplish this by sealing the duct system.  We offer several methods of confirming a duct system has leaks. 

Duct Blaster:  We use a portable duct blaster machine which can pressurize a duct system or pull a vacuum on the duct system to measure how much duct leakage exists.  According to the EPA, and DOE it is common to see 30%-35% duct leakage in most homes and many system have leakage in the 40%-50% range!  New homes built to the current Energy Star standard must have 10% or less duct leakage to pass inspection.  In most circumstances we can seal an existing duct system and reduce the leakage to 15% or less; depending on the accessibility to the existing duct.

Honeywell ESCAN Test:  This is like having an MRI done on your home.  In addition to testing the duct system leakage, we can tell the specific CFM of airflow to each room.  We can also measure the actual system capacity of BTU’s being produced, and overall efficiency of the existing system.  This is an outstanding way of telling exactly what issues your existing a/c and heat system may have.  The ESCAN test identifies issues such as a weak compressor, improper refrigerant charge, air flow issues, duct leakage, and overall system performance.

Total Air & Heat Co. offers the Duct Blaster and ESCAN test, call for details.

About the author: Steve Lauten is President of the Richardson Heating Company Total Air & Heat Co. which is located in Plano, TX.  Steve can be reached at 972-881-0020 or by email at sales@totalair.com

Total Air & Heat Co. has been serving the North Dallas/Collin County area since 1957 and has been voted the “Best Heat and Air Contractor in Collin County” 14 times by the Readers of Star community Newspapers.

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2010 01 09 totalair Heating Systems
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Allen Heating Repair Company asks if your home is making you sick.

Allen Heating Repair Company owner Steve Lauten asks… “Could Your Home Be Making You Sick?”

This article discussing the impact of Heating and Air Conditioning systems on your health is written by Steve Lauten, President of Total Air & Heat Co. Plano, TX

Click on Photo Image to Enlarge

Click on Photo Image to Enlarge

This is Part 1 in a series of articles I am writing that covers issues that impacts your health and comfort in your home or office.

I would like to begin by discussing the interaction of a heating and air conditioning system and the home or building that is conditioning.  Many times the a/c and heat system is blamed for all kinds of issues within a conditioned space.  Most of the time those issues are related to be comfort such as being too hot or cold, not being able to reach the set point on thermostat, high utility bills, or the system is noisy.  Those are real issues and I will discuss them as part of this series of articles.  However I am specifically writing this article to discuss issues related to ways your home may make you sick.

What are the potential symptoms of a sick home?

The list is longer than I can discuss in this article so I will cover some of the common problems.

There are many reasons that a home or office may make you sick, the most common reasons I have found are:

  • VOC’s: Volatile Organic Compounds are present in virtually everything that is manmade.  Major components include materials used in construction such as sheet rock, lumber, paint, carpet, glues, shingles, and insulation.  Basically anything used to build a home may be a candidate to make you sick.  Combine all of things together at the same time and it’s safe to say most people will suffer some type of reaction to breathing all of the out gasses and particles produced by these materials.  In particular a new home or office can overwhelm your immune system and respiratory system when you initially move into the structure.   In general VOCs are a made of gases or vapors. There are all types of green materials available to help reduce the VOC levels in a home and that information is available elsewhere.

I do want to mention the duct system in virtually any structure is the main way VOC’s are distributed though out the structure.  My point being the duct system did not produce the VOC’s but gets blamed for causing VOC’s.  The only significant VOC’s produced by the typical HVAC system would be produced by the insulation used inside the duct work or equipment.  At Total Air & Heat Co. we do not use any fiberglass duct board for duct work, and also use externally insulated sheet metal plenums whenever possible.  This minimizes any VOC’s produced by the HVAC system to negligible levels provided the duct system is sealed properly.

  • Particulates: This is the other by product of new construction, remodels and even normal daily activities.  All types of dust and debris is generated when new construction occurs, everything from sawdust, concrete dust, sheet rock dust, paint dust, carpet dust to you name is generated during construction.  Somehow all of this dust and particles need to be removed from the structure; otherwise you will be breathing it forever!  There are many known methods of particulate removal after new construction that is readily available so I won’t cover that.  I would like to say that in most cases the HVAC system ends up removing a lot of airborne particles after new construction…..which is not a good idea!  All of this dust and particles ends up in the duct work and the equipment and causes the system to lose efficiency and in most cases reduces the lifespan of the system.

In general anytime a significant amount of dust and particles are generated I recommend the HVAC be disabled, and if possible all vents be covered to keep particulates from entering eh system.  Before the HVAC is turned back on, proper particulate removal should be performed.

  • Allergens: I consider allergens to be just about anything organic that cause the human respiratory system to be irritated.  I will limit my discussion to the better known allergens groups such as pollen spores, bacteria/mold spores, and pet dander, and dust mites.  All of these allergens are present in our environment and each individual has different levels of tolerance for them.  Provided that the overall structure has normal levels of air infiltration, and a properly designed HVAC system then Allergens are controllable in most cases.

In summary a structure whether it’s a home or office can make you sick if VOC’s, Particulates, or Allergens are outside of normal ranges of what is recommended.  In addition each individual may have different levels of tolerance.

In my next article I will discuss specific ways of controlling VOC’s Particulates, and Allergens within a structure.

About the author: Steve Lauten is President of the Allen Heating Repair Company Total Air & Heat Co. which is located in Plano, TX.  Steve can be reached at 972-881-0020 or by email at sales@totalair.com

Total Air & Heat Co. has been serving the North Dallas/Collin County area since 1957 and has been voted the “Best Heat and Air Contractor in Collin County” 14 times by the Readers of Star community Newspapers.

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2009 12 27 totalair Heating Systems
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Frisco TX AC Repair Service advice on how to reduce energy costs

Frisco TX AC Repair Service owner Steve Lauten, President of Total Air and Heat Co., talks about things you can do to reduce your energy costs.

There does not seem to be much good news coming from the energy news these days. While prices are well below the peaks of last summer the recent trend has been back up and that bodes ill for your summer energy bills.  Since heating and cooling your home accounts for nearly half of you home’s energy consumption even minor cost increases can strain already tight budgets. I thought this might be a good time to provide a quick list of things you can do to keep your summer cooling costs at a minimum:

  1. Do your own energy assessment: Visit the Energy Star Home Advisor website at www.energystar.gov/homeadvisor and get specific recommendations about how to make your home more energy efficient.
  2. Get a professional Energy Analysis: Many heating and cooling companies, like us, offer free energy analysis checks as a service to the community. You will learn what you can do to save energy while staying comfortable. Give us a call and we will be glad to schedule a free energy analysis for your home.
  3. Evaluate alternative energy appliances for your home: As technologies continue to evolve and greater emphasis is placed on energy efficient appliances there are many more choices for home owners to consider than just a few years ago. you can get a list of energy efficient appliances from www.energystar.gov.
  4. Check for rebates: May appliances and home improvements that increase your home’s efficiency can help you save big at tax time… and who does not appreciate that… Thanks Uncle Sam!  Plus, utility companies often offer special discounts and rebates locally which can boost your savings even higher.

There is nothing you can do about the price or supply of oil and natural gas but you can keep energy costs from breaking the bank. And, while you are at it you can do something to help the planet. Now that is something that we can all get excited about.

Frisco TX AC Repair Service, Total Air and Heat, is owned by Steve Lauten, the second generation owner.  Founded in 1957 by Steve’s dad, Fred Lauten, Total Air and Heat is proud to have received some of the highest awards for quality and service that are offered in the Industry. Among those awards are the Readers Choice Awards from the Collin County Newspaper, the Trane Pacesetter Award in 2002, and designation as a Trane Comfort Specialist.

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Frisco Air Conditioning Repair Company offers Heating Repairs, etc.

Frisco Air Conditioning Repair Company owner Steve Lauten, president of TOTAL AIR & HEATING CO., offers a full range of heating and air conditioning services.

Total Air and Heating Co. offers everything from a simple service call to a complete system installation, right down to the thermostat.

  • Service and Repair ~ We service and repair all brands and types of air conditioning and heating equipment.
  • Preventive Maintenance ~ We offer a variety of seasonal preventative maintenance services to fit your needs.
  • Equipment Replacement ~ We offer standard, high, and super efficiency a/c-heat equipment for residential homes. We can help you choose the system that is right you and your family.
  • Complete Trane Comfort System installation ~ We specialize in Trane Comfort Systems. A Trane comfort system is just that–a system of matched components that are completely integrated for delivering an ideal home indoor environment, enhancing livability, room by room. All Trane components are built to be reliable, durable and efficient. When these components are combined to work seamlessly as a “matched system,” you can imagine the impact they can make in the comfort of your home. At TOTAL AIR & HEAT, we believe that any comfort challenge can be overcome by the selection and proper installation of the right heating and air conditioning system. Let us come take a look at your home, and we can design and engineer your air conditioning system to meet your needs and budget.
  • Duct Work ~ We design and install all the duct work and fittings. Whether it’s in the attic or under the house, we can design and install the proper duct to keep you as comfortable as possible.
  • Home Efficiency Test ~ Introducing HomeEnalasys! A HomeEnalasys is a high-tech check-up for your home that measures and analyzes your home’s heating and air conditioning system. (more details)
  • Indoor Air Quality ~ The AirAdvice IAQ test evaluates your home’s indoor air quality. The test pinpoints air quality problems that can affect you or your family’s health, as well as their comfort and safety.
  • Thermostats ~ Upgrade your thermostat. Digital non-programmable for better visibility. Digital programmable 7-day and 5/2 days with features like; up to 4 temperature settings per day, auto change-over of cool & heat modes, vacation scheduling, keypad lockout, indiglo back lighting, outside air temperature monitoring.
  • Registers ~ Does your home have hot spots? Is it too cold in the bedroom and warm in the kitchen? Replace those stamped, fixed blade registers with high quality adjustable blade registers with opposed blade dampers for maximum airflow and comfort. Direct the air where you need it most. The right registers and a proper air balance can make a big difference in your family’s comfort.
  • Financing ~ We offer a great financing program so you can enjoy your new comfort system today.

Frisco Air Conditioning Repair Company, Total Air and Heat, is owned by Steve Lauten, the second generation owner.  Founded in 1957 by Steve’s dad, Fred Lauten, Total Air and Heat is proud to have received some of the highest awards for quality and service that are offered in the Industry. Among those awards are the Readers Choice Awards from the Collin County Newspaper, the Trane Pacesetter Award in 2002, and designation as a Trane Comfort Specialist.

TOTAL AIR & HEAT CO. is the right choice! We stand behind the work we do, and offer an industry leading warranty. Call us at (972) 535-8066 for a personal consultation.

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2009 12 06 totalair Air Conditioning Systems
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Plano Heating Contractor discusses air cleaners and filtration systems

Plano Heating Contractor owner Steve Lauten of Total Air and Heat, offers answers to questions about air cleaners and filtration systems.

Q: I thought pollution was outside. Why should I be worried about my air indoors?

A: The average North Texan spends 90% of their time each day indoors. Additionally, modern efficient, airtight homes are efficient at conserving energy, but that also makes them better at trapping potentially irritating particles inside the home. With the rising number of people who suffer from allergies and asthma, indoor air quality has become more and more important to our general health and well-being.

Q: What does Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) mean?

A: Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) is recognized by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a fair and objective measure of various air cleaner technologies. CADR provides the number of cubic feet of clean air a unit delivers each minute. A higher CADR means a greater amount of clean air is being delivered to your home.

Q: I keep my home very clean. Could the air in my home still not be clean?

A: Yes. Consider that the average home generates 40 pounds of dust for every 1500 square feet of space. While regular home cleaning is an excellent measure to reduce exposure to irritants and pollutants, it’s simply impossible to remove enough of the material by hand to make your home’s air as comfortable as it can be.

Q: What can Trane do to help make my home’s air cleaner?

A: The best thing you can do is to remove as many of the particles from your home’s air as you can. That’s why we’ve introduced the revolutionary new TRANE CleanEffects™ air filtration system. It works as part of your total home comfort system to remove up to an industry-leading 99.98% of the airborne allergens from your home’s filtered air. There is no other system you can buy that matches the effectiveness of TRANE CleanEffects.

Plano Heating Contractor, Total Air and Heat, is owned by Steve Lauten, the second generation owner.  Founded in 1957 by Steve’s dad, Fred Lauten, Total Air and Heat is proud to have received some of the highest awards for quality and service that are offered in the Industry. Among those awards are the Readers Choice Awards from the Collin County Newspaper, the Trane Pacesetter Award in 2002, and designation as a Trane Comfort Specialist.

Steve is a member of the Advisory Council for the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. The ACCA is a non-profit industry organization led by the contractors to improve quality and services among members of the industry.  The ACCA has a rich history of being overseen by strong leaders who have kept the organization moving ahead and worked to create a vibrant contracting industry.

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2009 12 06 totalair Heating Systems
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Plano Heating Contractor tips for a more comfortable home.

Plano Heating Contractor Total Air and Heat offers a tip on how to get the most out of your Heating and Airconditioning system.

Preventative Maintenance: 

Don’t be tricked by the under $30.00 tune up.  Most contractors that offer this type of tune up are hoping to find parts to replace.  In some cases the technicians are paid a flat rate fee based on the repair cost.  Think about it for a minute, how can a contractor send a technician to your home for $30.00 and cover his costs?  The $30.00 has to cover the technician’s hourly cost, travel time, vehicle costs and overhead.  Be sure to read what the under $30.00 tune up includes.  In virtually all cases it does not include any cleaning, only visual inspection! 

A good tune up will cost $60.00 to $100.00 and will include cleaning the condenser coil on the outdoor unit.  The condenser coil needs to be cleaned yearly, even if it appears to be clean.  The coil has to be cleaned yearly to remove oxidation and contamination at the point where the tubes meet the fins.  Be aware that many units have a double row coil, which can be completely plugged, and none of the dirt is visible.  The top has to be removed and the coil carefully spread apart to properly clean a double row coil.

Preventative Maintenance Agreements: 

Most contractors offer a maintenance agreement, which provide two tune up’s per year, one cooling and one heating.  In addition many contractors offer 10%-15% discounts on repairs and make you a priority customer as part of owning a maintenance agreement.  Many consumers are not aware that if you add up the hours a A/C and Heat system runs in 1 year and the RPM’s the system operates at, is equivalent to a car that runs in excess of 60,000 miles per year.  Studies have been done by universities and utility companies that consistently shows that you will save in reduced utility bills the amount spent having your system tuned up.

Plano Heating Contractor Total Air and Heat, is owned by Steve Lauten, the second generation owner.  Founded in 1957 by Steve’s dad, Fred Lauten, Total Air and Heat is proud to have received some of the highest awards for quality and service that are offered in the Industry. Among those awards are the Readers Choice Awards from the Collin County Newspaper, the TRANE Pacesetter Award in 2002, and designation as a TRANE Comfort Specialist.

Steve is a member of the Advisory Council for the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. The ACCA is a non-profit industry organization led by the contractors to improve quality and services among members of the industry.  The ACCA has a rich history of being overseen by strong leaders who have kept the organization moving ahead and worked to create a vibrant contracting industry.

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2009 12 04 totalair HVAC Contractor
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