Pure Maintenance Austin TeamQuick answer: Call whoever can fix the cause. Active leaks go to a plumber or roofer, humidity and airflow problems go to an HVAC company, and questions about what's in your air go to an independent state-licensed professional. A whole-home dry fog treatment like ours comes last, to freshen what's left.
Start with the cause, not the smell
When a room smells stale or someone keeps saying "something is off in here," it's natural to want one quick fix. This guide sorts the common Austin complaints by who fixes the cause. Sometimes that's us. Often a plumber, roofer or HVAC tech goes first, and we come in after.
Who do I call for a leak or water coming in?
A plumber or roofer. If water is getting where it shouldn't, stop it before anything else. No air treatment, filter or fan can keep up with an active leak.
- Dripping under a sink, a damp cabinet floor, or a water heater that's weeping: call a plumber.
- A stain spreading on the ceiling after a storm: call a roofer.
- Water pooling around the indoor AC unit, or a closet that feels damp: call your HVAC company (more on that below).
- Wet flooring near a tub, shower or toilet: a plumber can find a bad seal or supply line.
Fix the water first. Everything else is easier once the home is dry.
Who looks at a past leak, visible growth or what's in my air?
An independent state-licensed professional, not an air treatment company. That goes for a past leak, growth you can see on a wall or ceiling, or simply wanting to know what's in your air.
We don't measure or analyze indoor air ourselves, so we'll always point you to that independent professional first.
In Texas, that work belongs to licensed professionals who are separate from the company doing any cleanup or treatment. That separation protects you: the person looking at the problem has no reason to oversell the fix. Once they've given you their findings and any repairs are done, you'll know what you're working with.
Mold in your AC system or ductwork? Call Gold Eagle Services, a licensed Texas mold remediation company that handles HVAC mold, at 512-489-4653. For mold anywhere else in the home, contact an independent state-licensed mold assessor or remediation company.
Who handles comfort, humidity, filters and ducts?
An HVAC company. A lot of "air problems" in Central Texas are really HVAC problems. Our long cooling season, sticky spring and summer humidity, and heavy cedar and oak pollen seasons put a lot of work on your system.
Call an HVAC company when you notice:
- Rooms that feel clammy or muggy even when the AC is running
- Indoor humidity that stays above about 50 to 55 percent
- Dust building up fast on furniture, even after cleaning
- Weak airflow from some vents, or rooms that never get comfortable
- A musty or dirty-sock smell when the AC first kicks on
- Filters that look gray and packed within a few weeks
- Visible dirt or debris around supply vents and return grilles
A good HVAC technician can check your coil (the part that cools and dries the air) and drain line, look at your ductwork for gaps and dirt, help you choose the right filter, and talk through a whole-home dehumidifier if your house runs damp. Our sister company, Gold Eagle Services, does coil cleaning, duct sealing and whole-home dehumidifier installs around Austin.
Do this step before any whole-home treatment. A clean coil, a sealed and cleaned duct system, and the right filter give any whole-home treatment a much better starting point.
When does a whole-home dry fog treatment make sense?
Even after the leaks are fixed, any licensed professional work is done and the HVAC system is in good shape, a home can still carry years of buildup. Microbes, allergens and odors settle on surfaces, in closets, behind furniture and in the ductwork itself. Over time that adds up to what we call the bio-load of a home: the microscopic particles and microbes that build up in the air, on surfaces and in the HVAC.
That's what Pure Maintenance Austin is for. Our whole-home dry fog treatment uses the patented Pure Maintenance VaPURE dry fog system in two steps:
- A fine dry fog of a hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid solution that breaks down into water, oxygen and vinegar.
- A surface protectant.
The fog is fine enough to reach every room, closet, crack and crevice, plus the HVAC ductwork, without getting your things wet. On treated hard, non-porous surfaces, it helps control odor-causing microbes and neutralize the odors those earlier problems left behind. It takes one day, which is why it sits at the end of this list, not the start.
People usually call us when they want to:
- Reduce the bio-load after the real repairs are finished
- Freshen a home that smells stale, smoky or like pets
- Get a fresh start before moving into a new-to-them house
- Reach every room, closet and the HVAC ducts all at once
Who to call first, at a glance
- Active leak or water where it shouldn't be: plumber or roofer
- A past leak, visible growth, or questions about what's in your air: an independent state-licensed professional
- Mold in your AC system or ductwork: Gold Eagle Services, a licensed Texas mold remediation company that handles HVAC mold
- Humidity, comfort, airflow, filters or ducts: an HVAC company like Gold Eagle Services
- Whole-home freshening, odors, and reducing the bio-load: Pure Maintenance Austin
If you can't tell which line fits, call us anyway and describe the smell, where it is and when it started. If a plumber or HVAC tech should go first, we'll say so.
What we don't promise
One more name belongs on this list: your doctor. If someone in your home has a medical concern, start there. We don't make medical promises, and freshening a house works alongside a doctor's advice, not in place of it.
Get a free phone consultation
Not sure where to start? Book a free phone consultation. A Comfort Advisor will call you, learn what's going on in your home and go over your options, including whether someone else should go first, then send a written quote based on square footage. We serve all of Central Texas, out to College Station (about 2.5 hours), including Round Rock, Georgetown, San Marcos, Bastrop and Marble Falls.
Call 512-904-4646 or email IAQ@goldeagleservices.com. We're open Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm.