AC and heating repair in McDade 78650

McDade sits on US 290 between Elgin and Paige, and its ZIP code extends north into Lee County. It is the most owner-occupied ZIP code on this line, with 96% of its 759 homes lived in by their owners, and none report piped natural gas as their heating fuel.

All-electric, or propane

86% of homes in 78650 heat with electricity, the highest share on this line, and the rest mostly with propane. That puts most winter calls on an air handler with heat strips or a heat pump.

Electric furnace: the blower runs but the air is cool, usually a strip element or the sequencer that brings strips on. A breaker that trips on cold mornings points the same way. See the breaker page.

Heat pump: auxiliary heat all day and a jump in the electric bill mean the outdoor unit has stopped doing its share. See stuck on aux heat.

Owners decide, and they decide on age

With almost every home owner-occupied, the decision to repair or replace sits with the person making the call. The median home here was built in 1991, and 31% predate 1980; only 30% date from 2000 or later. Many systems are past their second replacement, and a major failure on one past fifteen summers is usually priced both ways.

Ask for both figures in writing, with the reason for each: what failed, what else on the system is the same age, and for a replacement, what the size is based on.

The station nearest McDade

The NOAA station at Elgin 1 N, the closest with full normals, records about 117 days a year at 90°F or above and about 18 nights at or below freezing. Heat pumps fit those winters well; the strips are backup for a handful of nights.

Getting to the house

Many homes are on acreage off US 290 and the county roads. Say how to reach the house and where the outdoor unit stands. In a manufactured home, about one in four here, mention the skirting access.

What to say when you call

• Electric furnace, heat pump or propane
• The install year and refrigerant from the data plate
• What the system is doing, and the thermostat readings
• The drive, the gate and the unit location

Questions from 78650

Electric strips or a heat pump at replacement? In an all-electric house a heat pump usually carries most of the winter on less power. A contractor can size and compare both for your house.

Is a permit needed out here? Bastrop County issues no building permits outside city limits; Lee County rules apply to the northern part of the ZIP code. Ask the contractor what applies at your address.