Glossary
Comfort terms, explained
The HVAC and plumbing words you'll see on an estimate, in plain English, so you can ask sharper questions and recognize an honest answer.
Cooling & AC
Condenser coil
The outdoor coil in your AC or heat pump that releases the heat pulled out of your home. In Collin County, grass clippings, cottonwood, and construction dust foul the fins quickly, and a dirty condenser quietly drops cooling capacity right when you need it most. An annual cleaning is one of the cheapest ways to protect efficiency.
Related: Evaporator coil , Refrigerant , Tune-up
Evaporator coil
The indoor coil, usually sitting on top of the furnace, that absorbs heat from the air moving through your ducts. It is also where humidity condenses out of the air, important during muggy North Texas summers. A frozen or leaking evaporator coil is a frequent cause of an AC that runs but won't cool.
Related: Condenser coil , Refrigerant , Short cycling
Refrigerant
The chemical fluid that cycles between liquid and gas inside your AC or heat pump to move heat from inside your home to outside. The type your system uses determines what recharges and repairs will cost for the rest of its life. Older R-410A systems are being phased out in favor of lower-global-warming refrigerants, so a low charge is never a simple 'top it off', it usually means a leak to find and fix.
Related: Condenser coil , Evaporator coil , SEER2
SEER2
The current efficiency rating for air conditioners and heat pumps, higher numbers mean less electricity to deliver the same cooling. SEER2 replaced the older SEER scale in 2023 using tougher, more realistic test conditions, so a new SEER2 number reads a little lower than the old SEER sticker on the same equipment. In North Texas, where the AC runs hard for months, each SEER2 point shows up on a summer electric bill.
Related: Tonnage , Heat pump , BTU , Refrigerant
Short cycling
When a system turns on and off in rapid bursts instead of running steady, even cycles. It wears out compressors, blowers, and ignition parts fast, leaves rooms uneven, and rarely removes enough humidity. Common causes are an oversized unit, a dirty filter, a low refrigerant charge, or a failing thermostat, so the fix depends on a real diagnosis, not a guess.
Related: Tonnage , Tune-up , Smart thermostat , Manual J
Tonnage
How much heat an air conditioner can move in an hour, measured in tons, one ton equals 12,000 BTU. It is a capacity rating, not a weight. A right-sized system for your home depends on a load calculation (Manual J), not square footage alone. Oversized units are the most common mistake we find on replacements: they cool fast, shut off, and leave the house humid.
Related: BTU , Manual J , Short cycling , SEER2
Heating
AFUE
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, the percentage of fuel a furnace turns into usable heat over a season. A 96% AFUE furnace delivers 96 cents of heat for every dollar of gas; an older 80% unit wastes a fifth up the flue. It is the heating equivalent of SEER2 and the number to compare when weighing a furnace replacement.
Heat pump
A single system that both cools and heats by moving heat rather than burning fuel, in summer it pumps heat out of your home, in winter it pulls heat from outside air and brings it in. North Texas's mild winters make heat pumps a strong, efficient fit, often paired with backup heat for the rare hard freeze. They run on electricity, so there is no gas line or combustion to maintain.
Related: AFUE , SEER2 , Smart thermostat , BTU
Plumbing
Hard water
Water with a high mineral content, mostly calcium and magnesium, which North Texas is known for. Over time it scales up water heaters, clogs fixtures, spots glassware, and shortens the life of appliances. A water softener or conditioner is the standard fix, and it pays off most on the equipment hard water wears out fastest.
Related: Water softener , Tankless water heater , Repipe
Hydro jetting
A drain-cleaning method that uses high-pressure water to scour the full inside of a pipe, clearing grease, scale, and root intrusion that a simple snake only punches through. It's used on stubborn or recurring clogs and is usually paired with a camera inspection so the line is checked before and after.
Repipe
Replacing a home's supply or drain piping rather than patching it leak by leak. It's the right call when old galvanized or failing pipe causes repeat leaks, low pressure, or discolored water. In North Texas, decades of hard water and shifting clay soil are the usual reasons an older home reaches the repipe conversation.
Related: Hard water , Slab leak , Tankless water heater
Slab leak
A leak in the water lines that run beneath a home's concrete slab foundation. They are especially common in North Texas because expansive clay soil swells and shrinks with the seasons and stresses the pipe below. Warning signs include a spike in the water bill, a warm spot on the floor, low pressure, or the sound of running water with everything off.
Related: Repipe , Hard water , Hydro jetting
Tankless water heater
A water heater that heats water on demand as it flows through the unit, instead of keeping a tank hot around the clock. It delivers effectively endless hot water and saves space, and it typically outlasts a tank model, but it costs more up front and needs correct gas and venting. A good fit depends on your household's peak hot-water demand.
Related: Hard water , Repipe , Slab leak
Water softener
A whole-home system that removes the calcium and magnesium that make water 'hard,' protecting pipes, fixtures, and water heaters from scale buildup. In hard-water markets like Collin County it extends the life of a water heater and keeps fixtures and glassware clean. Sizing depends on household size and water hardness.
Related: Hard water , Tankless water heater
Across the system
BTU
British Thermal Unit, the basic measure of heating or cooling energy. One BTU is the heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Furnaces are rated in BTU input/output; air conditioners in BTU per hour (12,000 BTU/hr = one ton). It is the common yardstick behind nearly every sizing decision.
IAQ (Indoor Air Quality)
The healthfulness of the air inside your home, shaped by filtration, humidity, ventilation, and contaminants like dust, pollen, and VOCs. Because North Texas homes stay sealed and conditioned for much of the year, IAQ equipment such as media filters, purifiers, and humidity control can make a real difference for allergies and comfort.
Related: MERV rating , Tune-up , Smart thermostat
Manual J
The industry-standard load calculation that sizes a heating or cooling system to a home's actual heat gain and loss, accounting for square footage, insulation, windows, orientation, and local climate. A replacement bid built on Manual J is sized to your house; a bid that just matches the old unit's size repeats whatever mistake came before it.
Related: Tonnage , BTU , Short cycling
MERV rating
Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, a 1-to-16 scale for how much an air filter captures. Higher MERV traps finer particles, but a filter that's too restrictive for your blower can choke airflow and strain the system. The right MERV balances cleaner air against the static pressure your equipment was designed for.
Related: IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) , Tune-up , Short cycling
Smart thermostat
A programmable, Wi-Fi-connected thermostat that learns your schedule and lets you adjust temperatures from your phone. Used well, it trims runtime during the hours nobody's home and can flag a system that's running far longer than it should. It is one of the lowest-cost comfort upgrades and pairs naturally with a new system install.
Related: Heat pump , Short cycling , IAQ (Indoor Air Quality)
Tune-up
A scheduled maintenance visit that cleans, tests, and adjusts a heating or cooling system before its busy season, a cooling tune-up in spring, a heating check in fall. It catches small problems before they become no-cool or no-heat calls and keeps efficiency from drifting. Burnside's Gold Star plan bundles both visits with priority scheduling.
Related: Condenser coil , MERV rating , AFUE
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