Homeowner Guides
Straight answers about your home's comfort
Plain-English guides to heating, cooling, and plumbing decisions for Collin County homes, written by the team that's kept McKinney comfortable since 1958. No jargon, no pressure.
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Cooling · Learn
Cooling & AC guides
Air-conditioner lifespan, efficiency, repairs, and maintenance, for homes that run the AC most of the year.
- Cooling
How long does an AC last in North Texas?
Most central air conditioners in North Texas last 12 to 17 years when they're sized correctly and maintained twice a year. Our cooling season is long …
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What does SEER2 mean for your energy bill?
SEER2 is the efficiency rating for air conditioners and heat pumps, higher numbers use less electricity to deliver the same cooling. Because North Tex …
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Why your AC isn't cooling the house
When an AC runs but the house won't cool, the cause is usually one of a handful of things: a clogged filter choking airflow, a dirty or iced-over coil …
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What a spring AC tune-up actually covers
A spring AC tune-up cleans and tests the system before the cooling season so it runs efficiently and doesn't fail in the heat. It typically includes c …
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Heating · Learn
Heating guides
Heat pumps, furnaces, freeze prep, and tune-ups, clear answers for mild winters and the occasional hard freeze.
- Heating
Heat pump vs. gas furnace in North Texas
In North Texas, both heat pumps and gas furnaces make sense, the right choice depends on your home's existing setup, your utility costs, and the rare …
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Why your heater isn't keeping up
When a heater runs but the house stays cold, the usual culprits are restricted airflow (a clogged filter or dirty blower), a thermostat or control pro …
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Protecting your system in a Texas freeze
A hard freeze in North Texas is rare but severe, as February 2021 showed, and it stresses both heating systems and plumbing at once. The best protecti …
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Furnace maintenance: what a heating check covers
A fall heating tune-up gets your furnace or heat pump ready for winter and, on gas equipment, doubles as a safety check. It typically includes inspect …
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Plumbing · Learn
Plumbing guides
Water heaters, repipes, and hidden leaks, practical guidance for North Texas hard water and clay-soil homes.
- Plumbing
Tankless vs. tank water heater
A tankless water heater heats water on demand and gives effectively endless hot water while saving space and usually outlasting a tank; a traditional …
Read the guide → - Plumbing
Signs you may need a repipe
A repipe, replacing a home's water piping rather than patching it leak by leak, makes sense when you see repeat leaks, persistent low pressure, discol …
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Why your water bill spiked: finding hidden leaks
A sudden water-bill spike almost always means water is leaving somewhere it shouldn't, most often a silently running toilet, an irrigation break, or a …
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Why your drains keep clogging
A drain that clogs once is a clog; a drain that clogs over and over is a buildup or a line problem. Recurring clogs are usually grease and soap scale …
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