Waco Chamber Outstanding Business Award

Capstone Mechanical was recently honored with one of five Outstanding Business Awards for 2011 by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce.  We are thrilled to have received this honor.  Capstone Mechanical has enjoyed being able to grow in the Waco Community and we look forward to continuing this growth.

The Waco Chamber put together an incredible video highlighting Capstone Mechanical! Check it out!

 

Infinity Zoning Systems

Is your house a consistent temperature from room to room?
Are there areas of your house that are rarely occupied or used? Is the Waco
summer humidity turning your house into an aquarium? Homeowners in Waco have
been experiencing these problems for as long as air conditioners have been
installed here. Capstone Mechanical offers comprehensive solutions to these
issues. By taking a holistic approach to your homes air conditioning and
heating system, we are able to offer solutions to these and many other
challenges to your comfort.

What kind of solution might resolve these three issues above
you might be asking. An Infinity zoning system from Carrier can have a positive
impact on each of these issues. The basic premise of a zoning system is very
simple. If you are sleeping in your master bedroom, why would you want to spend
money to run your air conditioner to cool the whole house when you could spend
your money on just cooling the space you are using? A zoning system gives you
the ability to heat and cool different zones of your house with one unit. This
is extremely useful in houses which are segmented and have spaces that are used
sparingly.

A zoning system also works great for unique temperature
situations like a computer room or study with lots of electronics. Instead of
lowering the temperature across the whole house to make that room comfortable
you can adjust the temperature in just that zone. The Infinity system in
particular also has the ability to dehumidify the space more efficiently than a
standard single speed system. While the benefits of a zoning system are many,
there are certainly limitations in where they can be installed and how
large/small the zones can be.

If you are interested in these benefits and would like to know if your house is a viable home for one
of these installations, call Capstone Mechanical today at 254-399-8090 to have
one of our Engineers visit your home and give you a free consultation.

Casey Stoker

Sales Engineer

 

Texas Sales Tax Holiday 2011

               Memorial Day is fast approaching, and with it the dog days of summer. Memorial Day has long been a time to look back and remember the sacrifice of so many men and women that fought for our freedom. It has also historically marked the beginning of summer vacation. This year, the state of Texas has decided to throw on one additional tag line to an already national holiday. They are calling it the Texas ENERGY STAR® Sales Tax Holiday. This will be celebrated May 28 – 30, 2011 and is geared towards helping Texas residents upgrade their outdated appliances.  A list of qualifying appliances can be found at: http://www.texaspowerfulsmart.org/incentives/taxfree.php. One of the largest appliance upgrades a homeowner can make is an upgrade to their central air conditioner and heater. This appliance makes up more than 50% of your houses total energy consumption and can drastically lower your electrical bill if upgraded. To qualify for the sales tax holiday, you must replace a complete Energy Star qualified air conditioning system* (see below for needed efficiency ratings). Unfortunately, heat pumps do not qualify for this program but both gas systems and straight electric systems can see hundreds of dollars off the purchase price. Because all orders must be processed on Saturday and Sunday, when Capstone Mechanical has on call personnel, all orders must be submitted prior to 5:00 p.m. on the 27^th. This will allow the Capstone Mechanical team to make all the necessary orders over the weekend. If you live in Waco, Hewitt, Woodway, or the greater central Texas area, give us a call at (254) 399-8090 for a free estimate. We have engineers ready to serve you this next week so you can have the best Memorial Day weekend possible.

* Energy Star Qualified Central Air Conditioners.  An Energy Star qualified central air conditioner includes an evaporator coil, compressor, condenser coil, and blower.  Energy Star rating specification for Air Conditioners:

• >=14.5 SEER/ >=12 EER for split systems
• >=14 SEER/ >=11 EER for single package equipment including gas/electric package units

 

Casey Stoker
Sales Engineer

 

Waco A/C and Energy Savings Tips

Waco A/C and Energy Savings Tips
Here it comes, the next scorching Waco summer! As most of us look forward to summer vacation, days on the lake, summer sports, and other summer pastimes, we also see something else on the horizon: skyrocketing energy bills. What are most Texans doing to alleviate some heat from their checkbooks? Powerful Smart for Texans recently conducted a poll of Texans to see what they were doing, even this spring to cut costs and prepare for the summer heat. The results of this poll are shown below.
POLL RESULTS – How will you be more energy efficient this spring? (respondents selected all that applied)
I will turn off my AC and open windows to take advantage of the pleasant spring weather. 69.3%
I will get my AC unit serviced before the summer heat begins. 55.8%
I will replace an older, inefficient appliance with a new energy efficient appliance. 31.2%
I will share energy-saving tips with friends and family. 53.1%
Other 28.8%

While turning off your air conditioner during the summer may not be a great option, these other tips help maintain occupant comfort while lowering utility costs all at the same time. Another great energy saver is programmable thermostats. While they will not actually lower your electrical consumption if they are not programmed…using programming features on them can reduce the run time of your unit during the hottest time of day.
At Capstone, one of our favorite energy saving services is to perform a summer tune-up. Our trained technician will complete a 25 point checklist that will ensure your unit is running as efficiently as possible. A dirty unit can easily be 30% less efficient before it has been tuned up. For the typical 2000 square foot house it could mean spending an extra $60 to $70 per month for having a dirty unit.
So enjoy these tips to stay cool this summer with high fun, and low energy costs!
Casey Stoker
Sales Engineer

 

The 5 Most Common Residential Air Conditioning Problems in Waco

I’ve created this list based on Capstone’s experiences of serving customers in Waco for the past 6 years and from my time as an air conditioning engineer since 1993.

1. Dirty Filter – I’ve been amazed at how many people don’t realize they’re supposed to change the filter in their air conditioner.  I’ve pulled filters out of units that have not seen the light of day for years and they are so impacted with dirt, hair, DNA, and filth that air can no longer pass through them.  If you have enough sense to change your underwear then you’re smart enough to know to change your filter.  Change it monthly in the hottest and coldest times of year and once every two months when it’s mild.  The same goes for your underwear.
2. Too Small of Ductwork – There must have been an evil witch that placed a curse on Waco many years ago so as to make us suffer with small ductwork.  The majority of existing homes in Waco have supply and return duct systems that are grossly undersized.  This results in poor system efficiency, lots of air noise, hot/cold rooms, low air flow, and premature unit failure.  Have you ever tried to suck a milkshake through a straw that was too small?  That is how your unit feels.  The only way to break the curse is hire a company that really understands the science behind properly sizing ducts.  Call a Capstone engineer!
3. Improperly Charged Refrigeration Circuit – Air conditioners take refrigerant and unfortunately it’s not as simple as topping off the radiator fluid in your car.  There is an exact science to measuring the system temperatures and pressures, and then using this data to determine to proper charge.  There are many technicians in our industry that either don’t know how to do this or are too lazy to do what it takes to get it right.  If the refrigerant charge is even slightly off of the volume required by the manufacturer then the efficiency of the system will drop dramatically.  If you have a technician check the charge on your system just ask them what the “superheat” and “subcooling” readings were.  If they look at you funny or say that they don’t know, then don’t pay them because they don’t know what they’re doing. 
4. Lousy Envelope – I’m not talking about the envelope your electric bill came in, I’m talking about the barrier in your home that defines the conditioned space from the unconditioned space.  There usually isn’t much we can do about the exterior walls in an existing home but I’m amazed at how many attics are extremely under insulated.  Over time the insulation in the attic is going to compress and deteriorate.  You have to add to it in order to keep at least a foot of fluffy stuff up there.  Many times when we get the call that “my air conditioner is too small” we go into the attic to find less than 4 inches of insulation.  Depending on the house this could be adding as much as a ton of load to your air conditioner so instead of getting a bigger one that will cost you every month, just get new insulation blown in the attic.  You only have to pay for the insulation once (ever so often that is). 
5. Leaky Ducts – This one goes hand and hand with #2.  In fact, it was the probably the same company that installed the ductwork that was too small that also installed it leaky.  If your ducts are in the attic and they were installed before 2001 (there was a big change in the codes that year) then you are probably loosing 20% to 40% of your cold air to the attic.  To make matters worse since the air conditioner is losing air in the attic it has to make it up from somewhere else.  This usually means you are pulling hot air from outside or super hot air from your attic.  Make sure all your ductwork and plenums are sealed with mastic and taped with foil tape.  Don’t waste your money air conditioning the attic!  Have the ducts checked by a professional every few years.

This list could be bigger but I’ve limited myself to only 5 problems, however if homeowners seriously considered each of these items they could save lots of energy, reduce repair bills, extend the life of their systems, and have a healthier home.  If you would like to have our assistance in evaluating these issues in your home feel free to give us a call at 254-399-8090.  One of our professional technicians or engineers would be happy to serve you.

Rick Tullis, P.E.
President

 

Geothermal Heat Pumps are PERFECT for Dream Homes

I’ve had the privilege of designing and installing many types of air conditioning and heating systems for
all types of homes, but one place I’ve seen geothermal units excel is when someone builds their dream
home on that perfect piece of beautiful property. Typically the homeowner builds the house so that
the beauty of the outdoors can fully be enjoyed. This might include large porches, patios, gardens,
verandas, decks, swimming pools, and balconies to watch the sunset. The last thing this happy home
owner wants when they’re sitting on their chair swing is to hear the air conditioner banging on and off.
That’s one of the beauties of a geothermal system.

A standard air conditioner takes the heat out of your house and rejects it to the atmosphere outside
using a condensing unit. The condensing unit contains a fan to move air and a compressor to move
refrigerant, and unfortunately these both make noise. With geothermal the outdoor unit is replaced
with pipes buried underground so that the heat from your home can be rejected to the cool Earth
below. There is a compressor but it is part of the indoor unit. The net result is that there is not a unit
outside making any noise that would interfere with the owner listening to the birds, the river, or their
happy thoughts. Serenity is a good thing.

On top of that great serenity, the happy homeowner will also enjoy lower utility bills, longer equipment
life, a 30% federal tax rebate for the total cost of the installation. Serenity plus saving money is a GREAT
thing.

Rick Tullis, P.E.
President