ABC Blog
Choose a City

AC Compressor Not Working: What’s Going On?

. Posted by in • Austin
AC Compressor Not Working

It’s a hot day, and you’ve just returned home after a long afternoon out in the grueling Texas heat. The first thing you probably want to do is plop yourself down on the living room sofa and enjoy a refreshing rush of cold air. Except that today, of all days, you realize that something seems to be wrong with your air conditioner. How could this be? You hear the machine powering on and the familiar sound of air whirring through the system. Maybe it’s because of your AC compressor not working or another component that’s broken. Perhaps it’s another problem entirely.

Understanding how HVAC systems work can help you diagnose the problem you are having and determine what to do next. In this blog post, we’ll explain some of the common air conditioner problems, including why your air conditioner compressor might be turning on, but not cooling, and why an important part of … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Garbage Disposal Humming: Quick Fix Or Big Problem?

. Posted by in , • San Antonio
Garbage Disposal Humming

We tend not to think much about our appliances. That is, until something goes wrong.

One evening, as you are going about your normal routine, you scrape your leftover food from your dinner plate, turn on the disposal and wait for that familiar and gratifying noise of food heading down your garbage disposal.

But something’s not quite right. What’s that humming sound? There’s supposed to be roaring. Grinding. Not a soft little purr.

But that’s all you’re getting.

What does it mean? Is there some kind of quick fix? Or is your disposal ruined?

We rely on our garbage disposals after pretty much every meal. We expect these appliances to take whatever we throw at them and keep on going, even when you don’t notice and a spoon slips down your drain or your children put eggshells in the garbage disposal.

Unfortunately, these kinds of common plumbing mistakes—as well as just general wear and tear—can cause … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Furnace Leaking Water In Winter: What Should You Do?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
furnace leaking in winter

It’s winter, and that furnace you don’t think twice about for the rest of the year is finally getting some work.

Not that you typically gave your heater much thought, even during the colder months. When your house started to get chilly, you’d turn the temperature up on your thermostat to get things toasty, and that was that.

That is, not until last week. That day, you were in the attic and you saw something that gave you pause: the furnace was leaking water. Is it supposed to be doing that? Should you get it fixed?

This is an issue that heating professionals get asked all the time, and the short answer is pretty simple: no, your furnace should not leak, and yes, you absolutely need to have it repaired if you notice an accumulation of water around this appliance.

Before you start to panic, however, it’s important to understand two things:

  1. This is actually a pretty … Read Full Post »
Comments Closed

Water Heater Burst: Why This Happens And What To Do Next

. Posted by in • Corpus Christi
Water Heater Burst

When a water heater bursts in a home, it is a shocking event, not to mention a messy one, and it could potentially cause a lot of expensive damage. If your hot water heater burst, you’re probably wondering why this happens and what to do next.

In general, the basic reason why hot water heaters burst is that there is corrosion within the tank, which can lead to the tank bursting at its seams. Unfortunately, there are several possible underlying causes that can contribute to water heater explosions, and it’s not always apparent which one is the culprit.

Sometimes there are risk factors or warning signs that could indicate a water heater explosion is imminent, but not always. In order to understand the risk factors that could contribute to a water heater exploding, it’s important first to understand the type of water heater that you have in your home.

Types Of Water … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Should I Cover My AC Unit In The Winter?

. Posted by in • Austin
HVAC tips for winter

Anyone who lives in the southern portions of the United States will tell you that having a good air conditioning system is essential because, for about two-thirds of the year, your unit is going to be running pretty much nonstop.

You’ll depend upon your AC to survive our hot, sweltering summers, when the temperatures frequently hit triple digits. You’ll also rely on your system during much of the spring and fall, since the 80s and 90s stick around for much longer here than in many other parts of the country.

During the hottest times of the year, homeowners may regularly clean or replace filters, pay attention to how their system is running and remove debris from around outdoor vents.

When the cold weather (briefly) sets in, however, many of us promptly forget all about our AC, basking in lower electric bills while we can. Some homeowners might not even give the air conditioner … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Electrical Safety Tips To Protect Your Family At Home

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Electrical Safety Tips

You’ve dealt with electricity in your home before. We all have. Say the power goes out and you need to flip the breakers. A much more common experience is the countless times you’ve had to change a light bulb. No big deal.

So, when you decided to put ceiling fans around your house, you opted to do it yourself. After all, you’re a smart person. How hard could it be?

Most homeowners soon discover that dealing with electrical tasks around the house isn’t as straightforward as we’d imagine. Using the example of installing ceiling fans, perhaps you flipped off the breakers in the places where you were putting the fans. You got the right tools. You hung the fans up, one by one. Boom. Done. Except that when you flipped the power back on, two of them didn’t work. Sigh.

So, you went back and forth, turning off the power, working on the fans, then turning the … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Why Am I Running Out of Hot Water Faster Than Before?

. Posted by in • Austin
a thumbnail from the video featured in this blog

Running out of hot water faster than normal is extremely frustrating. Typically, this issue happens more often with tank style heaters, but it can still happen with tankless heaters. According to Michael Marugo, Plumbing Operations Manager at ABC Home & Commercial Services, homeowners start to run out of hot water faster than normal when there is sediment in the bottom of your water tank.

Unfiltered water can have sediment in it which, overtime, can settle into the bottom of your tank water heater. You can remove this sediment by having your water heater flushed annually. If you water heater isn’t flushed, this debris and limescale can build up on the bottom of your tank. If you have inches and inches of this sediment, it takes away from water that could be heated by your water heater. You may be running out of hot water faster before because there’s less space for … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

My Gas Stove Igniter Keeps Clicking: What Should I Do?

. Posted by in • Austin
Gas Stove Igniter Keeps Clicking

You’re in a rush on a weeknight to get dinner on the table. This is a pretty common scenario.

You put a skillet on your favorite burner to get the process started. Yep, most of us also have one of those.

Then it happens. Ugh. When you move the switch to “Light”, your gas stove igniter keeps clicking, but doesn’t turn on.

If you’re like most homeowners, the last sound you want to hear coming from an object that uses gas and gets blazingly hot is ticking.

What’s going on? What should you do?

This is quite a common problem, primarily with stoves that have a spark ignition system. The most important thing to know is that a clicking stove isn’t dangerous, though you should deal with it promptly.

A normal igniter clicks up to three times before it sparks and lights your stove. Sometimes, however, the igniter will click continuously—even after the stove is lit. … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

No Air Coming Out Of Vents: How Can I Get My AC Working?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
No air coming out of vents

When the sun is out and temperatures are brutally high, homeowners know that it’s critical to have a working air conditioner. Without a properly functioning AC, when summer temperatures rise into the 90s and 100s, you are not just uncomfortable indoors—it can actually be dangerous for humans and household pets, not to mention potentially harmful to your appliances and electronics. So what should you do if your AC suddenly stops working?

When your AC isn’t functioning well—or at all—it may be due to a problem that requires an experienced professional to fix. Certain common AC issues, such as a broken capacitor, are risky for inexperienced DIYers to try handling themselves; even cleaning your own AC condenser coils carries the risk of shorting out your unit. There are certain things, however, that the average homeowner can do to troubleshoot a problem with an air conditioner and resolve an issue on their own. … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Solving A Common Austin Plumbing Problem: Clogged Drains

. Posted by in • Austin
Austin plumbing

You’ve had a long, stressful day. All you could think about for the past few hours is slipping into your bathtub to let all that tension flow away.

That’s your only thought as you come in the door. You’re barely paying attention as you turn on the hot water, grab a towel and step into the bath. That’s when you realize you have a problem.

There are three inches of freezing cold water in the bath. What happened?

The faucet water is steaming hot, so that must mean there is an issue with the drain.

You’d thought it was draining more slowly lately, but you never imagined it would completely stop. Well, you’re not about to sit in day-old dirty water, so your bath is going to have to wait.

Hopefully, unclogging the drain wouldn’t take too long, you think to yourself.

Whether it belongs to a sink, shower, tub or toilet, clogged drains are among … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed