James Barras
Owner of Professional Heating & Air | HVAC Contractor and Louisiana Mechanical License Holder
Professional Overview
James Barras is the owner of Professional Heating & Air and has more than 20 years of HVAC experience. His background includes field work, formal HVAC education, apprenticeship training, federal facility experience, and 15 years building Professional Heating & Air. He leads the Hammond-based company with a focus on developing its people, improving service quality, and creating a positive workplace. His goal is continuous improvement that produces strong system service, a better customer experience, and long-term value for homeowners.
Quick Facts
Name: James Barras
Title: Owner of Professional Heating & Air
Experience: More than 20 years in HVAC; 15 years with Professional Heating & Air
Location and service areas: Hammond, Louisiana and Mandeville, Louisiana
Areas of focus: HVAC service, technician development, continuous company improvement, and delivering an exceptional experience for team members and customers
Experience & Leadership
James Barras began his HVAC career through an apprenticeship program after deciding to pursue a skilled trade that offered both technical challenges and the opportunity to eventually build a business. Over more than two decades in the industry, his experience has included working for two HVAC companies and serving as an HVAC technician for the federal government at a research building in New Orleans.
After gaining field experience and completing an HVAC degree through Delgado, James returned to Louisiana’s Northshore and started his own HVAC business from a garage in Ponchatoula. Over the following 15 years, he developed the business into Professional Heating & Air, serving customers in the Hammond and Mandeville areas.
As the owner of Professional Heating & Air, James focuses on improving how the business operates, developing the people within it, and creating a workplace where employees can succeed in a positive environment. The company’s stated mission is to empower its people to produce exceptional results through an elite company.
His leadership philosophy shapes both the company’s internal culture and its approach to customer service. He emphasizes continuous improvement, professionalism, strong team performance, and providing the best experience possible for employees and customers.
Technical Expertise
- HVAC systems and service
- Louisiana mechanical contracting
- HVAC technician field experience
- Apprenticeship-based HVAC trade training
- HVAC work in a federal research-building environment
- HVAC company operations and service delivery
- HVAC workforce development and technician growth
- Customer experience within an HVAC service business
Licenses & Certifications
- Louisiana State Mechanical License: #57241
- HVAC Degree: Delgado, New Orleans
Editorial Standards & Disclosures
Content attributed to James Barras draws on his real-world HVAC experience and professional industry knowledge. His author content is created with accuracy and homeowner clarity in mind, is subject to editorial oversight, and may be updated periodically as industry practices or company information change.
Editorial Policy
Last Updated
September 9, 2026
May 24th, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
Air conditioners depend on the use of refrigerant for the cooling process to take place. As it’s cycled from coil to coil, pressurized into a gas and a liquid, it moves heat around so that we can enjoy comfortable temperatures on the hottest days of the year. Without refrigerant, we’d still be relying on box fans and we’d probably be a lot grumpier throughout the summer.
That being said, refrigerant can be a touchy subject. For any homeowners who aren’t familiar, there are several different types of refrigerant and two of them are becoming household names. When it comes to air conditioning in Laplace, LA, there’s Freon and Puron, both different types of refrigerant that different homeowners depend on.
That being said, if you’re unsure as to which refrigerant your AC is using, or you’re unclear as to why there’s a difference, then we hope you’ll keep reading. There’s a big reason why homeowners should know their AC’s refrigerant type.
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Tags: Air Conditioning, Laplace
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on What Kind of Refrigerant Is YOUR AC Using?
April 26th, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
When your doctor asks how you’re doing at a routine check-up, do you say, “At least my body works.” While that might lead to an awkward conversation and a few follow-up questions, the point we’re trying to make is that doctors are more inclined to wonder how your body is doing, rather than if it’s just working at all.
The same goes for your air conditioner. Telling a professional from our team that it just “works” so there’s nothing that needs to be done isn’t really good enough anymore. AC systems all over our area are starting to struggle and homeowners don’t think there’s anything wrong with them until they start grinding and shutting down. At that point, it’s usually too late.
So, it’s time to talk about air conditioning repair in Covington, LA. If your system isn’t working the way you want it to, then maybe there’s something our team can do to change that!
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Tags: Air Conditioning Repair, Covington
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on Your AC Shouldn’t “Just Work”
April 13th, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
We hear this comment a lot in the HVAC industry. We tell homeowners about the terrible problem of short cycling and what it could mean for their air conditioner, but they respond with “it still works, doesn’t it? What’s the big deal?”
Well, not only will we tell you what the big deal is, but we’ll also talk about why this deal is so big. Short cycling can signify a number of different problems occurring in your air conditioner. Some of them can be fixed quickly, and others will, unfortunately, require the entire replacement of the system. Yep, it’s that bad.
If you’ve gotten here because you think your AC is short cycling, and you need air conditioning repair in Hammond, LA, then you’re in the right place. Let’s talk about everything there is to know about short cycling, and make sure you call us if you still need help.
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Tags: AC Repair, Air Conditioning, Hammond
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on Short Cycling: What’s the Big Deal?
March 29th, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
If you’re confused by that title, then two things could be happening. The first thing is that your air conditioner doesn’t smell like anything, in which you’re probably at a blog post that’s not going to be much help. Or perhaps you’re one of the many homeowners with a bad smell permeating through your house, who don’t realize that this smell is coming from your air conditioner.
Yes, air conditioners can produce a foul odor for some very specific reasons. Before you ignore what we’re going to say and get to work on your system trying to find where that smell is coming from, remember that you could cause serious damage or void your unit’s warranty if you’re not careful. Leave this kind of work to the experts when it comes to HVAC in Covington, LA. We can get to the bottom of why your air conditioner smells this way and provide clear solutions to the problem!
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Tags: AC Repair, Covington, HVAC
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on What’s That Smell Coming From Your AC?
March 15th, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
Air conditioners aren’t as simple as you might think. Homeowners, especially those DIYers, love to work on their own air conditioning systems because they think owning them makes them qualified to work on them. After all, with the advent of the internet, you’ve probably got access to some great online tutorials that can walk you through some quick repairs, right?
Nope! Even though it technically is your air conditioner, you might not have the equipment, the training, or the expertise to perform a repair. It doesn’t matter if these are small repairs or something major like a whole component replacement. Our team can provide quality air conditioning repair in Hammond, LA at an affordable price that keeps things like your warranty intact.
Steer clear of unrealistic promises and online tutorials that show you being able to do something that might not be safe.
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Tags: AC Repair, Air Conditioning Repair, Hammond
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on The Do’s and Don’ts of AC Repair
March 1st, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
If this last year has done anything, it’s at least made you more aware of what could be floating around in your indoor air. Contaminants come in all shapes and sizes, some harmless and some absolutely seek to do us harm. It’s important that we stay informed as to what could harm us inside our home, and what solutions exist to prevent this from happening.
So, what if we told you that there were five distinct types of contaminants that existed within your HVAC system and your home? We’re not kidding, this can be quite a shock for homeowners that like to think of their homes as a sanctuary.
Contaminants in your air can also affect your heating in Covington, LA, by gunking up your air filter and damaging the sensitive components. Let us explain these five unique levels of indoor air quality contaminants and see where we can help.
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Tags: Covington, Heating, Indoor Air Quality
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Indoor Air Quality, Heating, and How It All Works Together
February 15th, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
Ah, don’t you love getting up in the morning with the sun shining through the window, only to encounter a heater that sounds like a train engine? We’re joking, this is usually the moment where frustration sits in and you realize that your heater might be in a serious situation. What do you do? Do you put the gloves on, open the thing up, and research some diagnosing tutorials online?
No, you don’t. And we’re not just saying that to be picky, we’re saying that because you’ll end up paying for that mistake down the line. We’d rather you spend your money on something that actually helps the longevity of your heating system, like professional HVAC in Mandeville, LA.
So aside from telling you what you shouldn’t do to your noisy heater in Mandeville, what should you be doing? Well, keep reading and we’ll tell you!
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Tags: heater, heater repair, heating service, HVAC
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Don’t Mess With a Noisy Heater
February 1st, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
We know, this makes us sound like the resident party-poopers. How dare we come into your home and ruin all the fun by telling you what you shouldn’t do. After all, it’s your house, your HVAC system, so you should be able to do with it what you want, right?
Well, not really. For starters, if you’ve got a gas-powered heating system, it can be downright illegal to tamper with that if you don’t have an HVAC license. Along those lines, doing anything other than what a homeowner should do to their HVAC system could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs or replacements, and can be a generally irresponsible thing to do.
If you’re not a big fan of throwing money out the window, and you’d rather leave the important stuff up to an HVAC contractor in Mandeville, LA, then pay attention. We’ll tell you what you should never try to do for your HVAC system.
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Tags: HVAC, HVAC contractor, HVAC repair, HVAC replacement, Mandeville
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on 3 HVAC Things You Should NEVER Try
January 18th, 2021 | Written By James Barras | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree
Heating contractors are all over the place these days. With the advent of the internet in the last 20 years and the disappearance of the phonebook, it’s become easier than ever to find a contractor in your area. While this might sound like a good thing, it’s both good and bad.
The good news is that you found our blog! You’ll also find our service pages through a series of links and you’ll be happy you did. The bad news is that other companies are getting attention as well, with nifty websites and cool designs and some of them might not have the best business practices.
We’re all about getting a job done right when it comes to HVAC in Covington, LA. Here are seven tips that can help you choose the right contractor when inundated with all of this information.
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Tags: Covington, heater service, Heating Repair, heating service, HVAC
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on 7 Tips When Choosing a Heating Contractor
