AC Repair & Heating in Jamaica Beach, TX
Jamaica Beach is a small incorporated city on the West End of Galveston Island. Most of its houses stand on stilts between the Gulf and the bay, and most are vacation rentals. When the AC quits, the owner is usually somewhere else.
- ZIP 77554
- Vacation-rental dehumidification
- Marine-grade coils
- 2,090+ Google reviews
Nobody's home when it breaks
Problems in a Jamaica Beach rental tend to show up the day a guest checks in. Between bookings the house sits shut for days in wet Gulf air, and an air conditioner alone can't hold the moisture down under those conditions. A whole-house dehumidifier on its own humidistat keeps the place dry while it's empty. It costs less than one mold remediation, and a lot less than the review from a guest who opens the door to a musty living room.
Most of our calls here come from property managers. We photograph what we find, price the job before we start, and can work straight through the manager on repairs and yearly maintenance.
For owners and property managers
What HVAC setup works for a rental out here?
Start with a variable-speed AC sized to the house with a Manual J load calculation. It handles the swing between a full house and an empty one better than single-stage equipment. Add a whole-house dehumidifier that runs on its own humidistat. Outside, use coastal-rated equipment with coated coils.
How often should a rental get serviced?
Twice a year. A spring tune-up before the summer season, and a fall visit once hurricane season winds down. Gulf-facing houses get the outdoor coil rinsed at both. We can set the visits up through your property manager.
What should happen to the AC when a storm is coming?
Turn the thermostat off and switch off the breaker to the outdoor unit. If the condenser isn't strapped to its pad, strap it. Once the storm passes, don't power up a unit that took salt water. Let us inspect it first.
Do you charge more for the drive to the West End?
No. It's our longest regular run, about an hour from County Road 130 off-peak, but there's no trip fee and no island surcharge. Call in the morning and we can usually work you in the same day if a truck is already headed to the island. If not, you're first out the next morning.
Gulf side, bay side
Beachfront houses take salt spray all day long. Those get our heaviest coastal coil coatings, with stainless hardware throughout. We also route the condensate expecting wind-driven salt water. Bayfront homes have it a notch easier, though still far rougher than anything inland equipment is built for.
Repairs cost what they do on the mainland. A capacitor is $180 to $320 and a contactor $190 to $280. We simply replace those parts more often out here. Every repair and install carries 12 months of parts and labor coverage.
Jamaica Beach streets we know
The ZIP also takes in Tiki Island and the rest of the West End, and we pair those calls when the schedule allows. In Jamaica Beach we're on these streets most: