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Are AC Units the Newest Target for Neighborhood Thieves?

. Posted by in • Austin

Protect your HVAC system from unscrupulous folks

Some news items just make you want to shake your head. Something we heard the other day certainly fits this bill: Apparently, homeowners across Texas are waking up to find that thieves have stolen their HVAC systems in the night! It appears that a few homeowners have even caught these unscrupulous bandits in the act. Since cool air is a basic necessity during the long, hot Texas summer, you need to know how to protect your home from AC thieves.

They Steal WHAT?!

According to a recent news report, a family in the Houston suburb of Katy recently got an unpleasant surprise: They awoke to find that their entire air conditioning unit was missing. Although they were fortunate not to catch the potentially dangerous thieves in the act, they lamented the loss of an essential piece of residential equipment. Since AC units are heavy and have … Read Full Post »

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The Best Thermostat Settings for Summertime Energy Savings

. Posted by in • Austin

Dial up the temperature to dial down your costs

Everyone wants to keep cool all summer long, but there’s no need to pay extra for that privilege. There’s plenty you can do to cut the energy usage of your air conditioning system without compromising comfort, and probably the simplest way is to just adjust your thermostat.

The rule of thumb for summer thermostat settings is to set it as high as you can without becoming uncomfortable. For most people, that’s somewhere in the 76-79 degrees Fahrenheit range. Turning your thermostat up by one degree cuts your energy usage by about 8%, so it pays to make that adjustment even if it’s just from 72 to 73. Experiment with different settings and find your family’s sweet spot.

One way to make it easier to set your thermostat higher is to invest in ceiling fans. Fans make the air feel cooler by producing a breeze … Read Full Post »

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Warm Fridges and Wet Clothes: Common Appliance Issues

. Posted by in • Austin

Avoiding major problems with timely appliance repair

Everyone has the occasional issue with a load of dishes that doesn’t wash properly, but there are definitely several warning signs that you should keep an eye out for in order to ensure that a small problem doesn’t end up developing into a catastrophe. After all, the cost of a serious repair or a necessary replacement will be unpleasant enough to deal with, and this issue can easily be exacerbated by additional problems such as spoiled groceries.

What Are Some of the Most Common Appliance Issues?

1. Water leaking inside of a refrigerator

If you’ve recently discovered water underneath the crisper drawers, it’s imperative to get your freezer’s defrost drain unclogged. This can easily be accomplished by one of our service specialists, and it will help protect you from ending up with ruined food and the possibility of water leaking onto the floor.

2. Flakes in your ice

Having … Read Full Post »

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Are There More Where That Came From?

. Posted by in , , , • Austin

How to know when one pest is actually many

Finding a single pest might be just a fluke, but it might also be a sign of a serious infestation that needs professional attention. Once settled in a new home, roaches, ants, termites and other small pests get to work on expanding their colonies. Multiplying at a fast rate in a constrained space means that a few occupants will be accidentally squeezed out and left to wander your floors and walls in plain sight. Below, we’ve put together a handy pest-by-pest guide to help you learn how to tell the difference between an evicted resident and a random passerby.

Roaches

Roaches love hiding in dark and moist crevices, so you’ll need to do a little investigating to make sure that one roach isn’t a displaced member of a larger colony. Faucets, electrical appliances, hollow wall cavities, door frames, drains and cracks in furniture are … Read Full Post »

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History Lesson: Five Times Bugs Changed the World

. Posted by in , , • Austin

The impact of pests on human history

Whether you’re afraid of them or fascinated by them, it’s safe to say that bugs have had a big impact on the world around you. In fact, they’ve been responsible for everything from widespread deadly diseases to providing sustenance for soldiers. Learning the history of some of these pests can help showcase one of the many factors that have helped shape our culture, and it can also point out the importance of calling a professional pest control company when certain insects decide to become unwanted tenants in your home.

Five History-Changing Bugs

1. Oriental Rat Fruit Flea

Many people erroneously believe that rats were solely responsible for the Black Death bubonic plague that killed approximately 75 million people during the 14th century. However, scientists have discovered that the oriental rat fruit flea is actually the prime culprit for this massive loss of life. The fleas were infected … Read Full Post »

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Beat the Heat: What Summer Means for Your Pipes

. Posted by in • Austin

Plumbing trouble isn’t just a cold-season phenomenon

Winter isn’t the only season that can wreak havoc on your pipes. In central Texas, the mercury exceeds 100 degrees on dozens of days per year, and an unprepared plumbing system can take a serious hit as a result. Below, we outline some of the most common hot-season plumbing problems and offer some common-sense tips for dealing with them.

Sweating Pipes

When the weather warms up, your skin isn’t the only thing that sweats. Poorly insulated pipes can “sweat” excess water and create serious leaks that eventually threaten the integrity of your ceilings or floors. Due to contraction in the pipes themselves, sweating pipes that are already constrained by clogs can suffer catastrophic backups.

Sewer Backups

Although summer tends to be a fairly dry season in central Texas, occasional thunderstorms and unseasonable rains can cause unexpected sewer backups that devastate your home’s lower levels or yard. Likewise, tree … Read Full Post »

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More Than a Trickle, Less Than a Flood: Achieving the Perfect Water Pressure

. Posted by in • Austin

It’s not as hard as it sounds!

We’ve all been there before. You turn on your faucet or shower and are blindsided by a deluge of fluid that practically knocks you off your feet. Alternatively, you’re greeted with a pathetic trickle that’s barely enough to get your skin wet. In either case, your home’s water pressure needs adjusting—and fast. While this might seem like a task for a professional plumber, it’s possible to do on your own. Your family is sure to thank you for it.

How Can You Adjust Water Pressure on Your Own?

Every residential structure that doesn’t use groundwater is outfitted with a pressure regulator that protects its water system from the industrial-strength flow of water through municipal pipes. This reduces the average flow into your home from about 200 psi—an extreme torrent—to about 50 psi. However, various factors can interfere with this flow, and your regulator can fail as … Read Full Post »

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Central Texas Drought May Be Producing Mutant Mosquitoes

. Posted by in , • Austin

The newly improved pests bring bigger bites and fatter bodies to your backyard

For homeowners in Central Texas, the ongoing drought has many ramifications. Drought conditions change the way you maintain your lawn and use water in your home. They may even impact your pocketbook at the grocery store, where the effects of droughts across the nation are seen in food prices. You might be surprised to learn that the drought is also having an intriguing impact on one of the state’s most hated pests, the mosquito.

Are Mutant Mosquitoes Biting in Your Backyard?

Mosquitoes, known for their irritating bites, rely on water sources in order to lay eggs and maintain their populations. In fact, these bothersome pests are often found in areas with standing water such as still streams and backyard puddles. For many homeowners, the ongoing drought seems like the perfect solution to burgeoning mosquito populations.

Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case. … Read Full Post »

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Fire Ants and Crazy Ants Battle for the Throne in Texas

. Posted by in , • Austin

Who will win?

Residents throughout the Austin area and southeast Texas have grown accustomed to the problems that are associated with fire ants, most notably their notorious stinging bite. However, recent research indicates that a newer invasive species commonly referred to as the “crazy ant” is currently locked in a struggle for superiority with fire ants. In fact, entomologists believe that crazy ants might eventually win this territorial fight, and this isn’t as positive of a possibility as some people might believe.

What Is a Crazy Ant?

The scientific name for crazy ants is Paratrechina longicornis, and some Texas residents refer to them as Raspberry crazy ants. This invasive species originated in South America just like fire ants, and these pests have an unusual defense mechanism against their natural enemy. Fire ants typically spray venom to defend themselves against other ants and bugs, but this venom doesn’t usually kill crazy ants. Instead, a … Read Full Post »

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We’re One of Only Eight AC Contractors in Austin to Receive the Energy Star Century Club Award

. Posted by in • Austin

Prestigious award announced by the U.S. Department of Energy

ABC Home & Commercial Services in Austin has been providing our valued customers with HVAC repairs and a diverse selection of other services since 1949, and we’re pleased to be one of the recipients of the 2013 Century Club Award. This award is indicative of our dedication to providing our clients with the absolute best eco-friendly options. We believe that educating our customers about Energy Star-rated AC products is a critical aspect of enabling them to save money and reduce their negative impact on the environment.

What Is the Century Club Award?

The Century Club Award is intended to honor businesses that meet specific criteria established by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Home Performance with Energy Star Program. In order to qualify for this award, ABC Austin needed to be able to demonstrate that we had improved … Read Full Post »

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