Frequently Asked Questions

An air conditioner is one part of your home comfort system. It cools your home by removing heat and humidity from the indoor air. An HVAC system is broader. HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, which means it covers both cooling and heating, along with airflow and indoor comfort.

If your home needs AC repair, furnace service, or a full system replacement, Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing works on all major makes and models and provides heating and cooling services throughout the Texas Hill Country.

The most important thing you can do is schedule professional AC maintenance every year before the heavy summer heat arrives.

Between tune-ups, keep the outdoor unit clear of leaves, dirt, and grass, check that supply and return vents stay unblocked, and replace your air filter on schedule.

Regular maintenance helps your system run more efficiently, reduces wear and tear, and can help prevent mid-season breakdowns. Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing also offers AC tune-ups and repair service if your system is not cooling properly.

If your furnace turns on but the air coming out is not warm, a dirty air filter is one of the first things to check because it can restrict airflow and affect performance.

Other possible causes include thermostat issues, ignition or pilot problems, gas supply issues, or condensate drainage problems.

If changing the filter does not solve the problem, it is best to have a professional inspect the system. Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing provides furnace repair, furnace installation, and heating tune-up services to restore safe, reliable heat.

Two of the most common water heater problems are leaks and failed heating elements. Sediment buildup can also reduce efficiency and shorten the life of the unit over time.

If you notice inconsistent hot water, unusual noises, rusty water, or water around the tank, it is a good idea to schedule service before the issue gets worse.

Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing services both traditional tank water heaters and tankless water heaters, including repair and replacement.

Basic electrical maintenance means making sure the parts of your electrical system you rely on every day are safe and working correctly.

That includes checking outlets, switches, breakers, grounding, and panels for signs of wear, damage, or improper operation.

It also helps to have professional inspections done before small problems turn into safety risks. Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing offers electrical repairs, electrical installation, panel work, rewiring, surge protection, lighting, EV charging, and other residential electrical services.

No. Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing does not work on septic systems.

The team can help with plumbing issues leading up to the septic connection, but septic tank and septic system work itself is not part of the company’s listed service offerings.

That depends on the type of filter your system uses, the size of your household, whether you have pets, and your indoor air quality needs.

Many standard filters should be checked monthly and changed about every 30 to 60 days, while some higher-capacity media filters can last longer.

A dirty filter can reduce airflow, hurt efficiency, and put extra strain on your HVAC system. If you are unsure which filter schedule is right for your home, Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing can help during routine maintenance.

Most homes should have HVAC maintenance performed twice a year.

One visit should be scheduled in the spring for your air conditioning system, and one in the fall or early winter for your heating system.

This helps catch wear early, improve efficiency, and keep your system ready for the season ahead. Blanco’s Shield of Protection membership includes two annual precision HVAC tune-ups, one for heating and one for air conditioning.

Yes. Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing offers water softener services, which can help improve water quality and protect plumbing fixtures and appliances from hard water issues.

If you want to improve your home’s water quality, the team can recommend the right solution for your needs.

Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing offers air duct repair, air duct cleaning, ductless AC services, and indoor air quality services.

These solutions can help improve airflow, comfort, and the quality of the air inside your home. If you are dealing with dust, uneven temperatures, or poor indoor air quality, the team can inspect your system and recommend the right next steps.

Insulation is not specifically listed on the site, so that service should not be promised in the FAQ.

The best thermostat setting depends on your comfort preferences, your schedule, your home’s insulation, and energy-saving goals.

Many homeowners choose a setting that feels comfortable when they are home, then adjust it a few degrees when they are away or asleep to reduce energy use. A programmable or smart thermostat can make this easier.

If you are struggling with uneven temperatures or high utility bills, Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing can inspect your HVAC system to make sure it is operating correctly.

The company’s plumbing pages list a wide range of plumbing services, including repairs, water heaters, drain cleaning, sewer line inspection, water softeners, slab leak repair, and kitchen and bathroom plumbing.

Backflow prevention is not clearly listed by name on the website pages reviewed, so this FAQ should only say yes if the company has confirmed it internally.

Based on the public website alone, it is safer to say homeowners should contact the office directly to confirm availability for backflow prevention and testing.

A good preventive habit is to inspect and flush your AC drain line about once a month during heavy cooling season, especially in hot Texas weather where algae and buildup can develop more quickly.

Many homeowners use warm water and vinegar to help keep the line clear, but you should always follow manufacturer guidance and use care to avoid damaging the system.

Professional AC maintenance is still important because technicians can inspect the full condensate system and catch drainage problems early.

The Shield of Protection Membership is Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing’s maintenance plan for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems.

It is designed to give homeowners proactive maintenance, priority scheduling, repair discounts, and long-term savings.

HVAC members receive two free precision tune-ups each year, 20% off HVAC repairs, 48-hour priority scheduling, a free diagnostic fee on all trades, and a yearly loyalty credit toward a new system, up to $800 if the membership remains active.

Plumbing benefits include a yearly hot water tank flush, one free plumbing inspection, and 10% off plumbing repairs.

Electrical benefits include one free electrical inspection, 10% off electrical repairs, 48-hour priority scheduling, and a free trip charge.

Yes. Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing offers financing through several providers, including Synchrony, Wells Fargo Home Projects, Service Finance, and GoodLeap.

The financing page notes features such as simple applications, fast credit decisions, promotional financing options, and convenient monthly payments, with financing subject to credit approval and provider terms.

The Wells Fargo offer on the site also mentions 60-month financing with approved credit on qualifying deluxe and above Trane equipment, with restrictions applying.

Blanco AC, Electrical & Plumbing serves Blanco and many surrounding Texas Hill Country communities.

The service area page includes places such as Wimberley, Woodcreek, Willow City, Waring, Stonewall, Spring Branch, Spicewood, Sisterdale, Round Mountain, Meadowlakes, Marble Falls, Kendalia, Johnson City, Horseshoe Bay, Henly, Grapetown, Fischer, Eckert, Dripping Springs, Cypress Mill, Cottonwood Shores, Driftwood, Canyon Lake, Cain City, Albert, Bulverde, and Blanco.

The site also lists sister companies for some areas outside the direct service area.

Nine times out of ten, it is one of two things. Either a GFCI outlet has tripped, or a breaker has tripped in your panel. GFCIs are those outlets with the little reset button on them, usually found in your kitchen, bathrooms, garage, and outside. They work in groups, so when one trips, it can take out several outlets at once. A tripped breaker usually means that circuit was pulling more power than it could handle.Start by checking your GFCI outlets first and pressing the reset button. If that does not fix it, head to your breaker panel and look for a breaker that is sitting in the middle position instead of all the way to on. If you are not sure what you are looking at, give us a call. We would rather walk you through it than have you guess.

A breaker that will not reset is trying to tell you something. Either the circuit is overloaded, or there is an actual problem in the wiring or a device connected to it.The biggest power hogs are usually anything that heats or cools, things like microwaves, toasters, space heaters, and hair dryers. Before you reset the breaker, try this: unplug everything connected to that circuit, reset the breaker, then plug things back in one at a time to see what is causing the trip.

If the breaker trips even with nothing plugged in, that is a wiring issue and it needs a licensed electrician. Do not keep forcing it.

Every breaker has a limit, measured in amps, and that number is printed right on the breaker itself. Microwaves typically pull around 12 amps. Add a toaster running at the same time pulling 10 amps, and on a 20-amp circuit you are already over the limit.The fix is either to avoid running both at the same time, or have us run a dedicated circuit to your kitchen so you are not sharing power between appliances. Older homes in Blanco run into this constantly. It is a very common upgrade.

AC units pull a big surge of power the moment they kick on. There is actually a nameplate on most units that tells you the minimum and maximum breaker size it needs to operate correctly. If your breaker is undersized for your unit, it is going to trip every time the AC starts up.Before assuming it is the breaker size, make sure the unit itself and the wiring are in good shape. A struggling AC will draw more power than a healthy one. If everything checks out mechanically, upgrading to the maximum allowed breaker size usually solves it.

GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. Electricity is supposed to flow in a complete loop, out through the black wire and back through the white wire. A GFCI outlet constantly monitors that balance. If it detects even a tiny imbalance, just half a milliamp, it shuts off instantly. That is fast enough to protect you from a serious shock.They are required by code anywhere near water, so kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoor outlets all need them. If you are not sure whether yours are up to code, we can take a look.

A few things could be going on. The most common culprits we see are an old appliance with a worn-out motor, a refrigerator that has developed an internal issue, or the GFCI outlet itself going bad. They do wear out over time.It could also be a wiring problem somewhere in the circuit. If you have reset it more than once and it keeps tripping without an obvious cause, stop resetting it and call us. Repeated tripping is the outlet doing exactly what it is supposed to do. Something is wrong somewhere.

Yes. No exceptions on new construction. It is a code requirement, and it is there for good reason. Outdoor outlets are exposed to weather, and the risk of shock is real.Older homes sometimes have a single GFCI in the garage that is protecting the outdoor outlets as part of a chain. That setup was acceptable under older codes but would not pass inspection today. If you are not sure how your outdoor power is protected, we are happy to check it out.

Because the breaker is not just controlling the power, it is protecting the wire. Every wire has a maximum amount of current it can carry safely. The breaker is sized to match that wire. If you put in a bigger breaker, you have removed the protection, and if too much power flows through that wire, it overheats. That is how electrical fires start inside walls where nobody can see them.There are a few exceptions, like AC units, which sometimes require a larger breaker by design. But in general, if your breaker keeps tripping, the answer is a new circuit, not a bigger breaker.

The breaker part is not the hard part. The code requirements are. Any metal within five feet of the tub needs to be bonded to it. The disconnect has to be placed in a specific location. The wiring has to be the right gauge for the load. Get any of that wrong and you have a serious safety hazard next to a body of water.We have seen DIY hot tub installs that looked fine on the surface and were genuinely dangerous underneath. This one is worth doing right the first time.

Usually, yes. The wattage limits on fixtures were written with incandescent bulbs in mind, because incandescents put off a lot of heat. LEDs use a fraction of the energy and produce far less heat, so a 100-watt equivalent LED is typically fine in a fixture rated for 60-watt incandescents.Check the packaging on your bulb. It will tell you the actual wattage the LED draws, which is the number that matters.

AFCI stands for Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter. An AFCI breaker detects electrical arcing inside your wiring, which can indicate a loose connection or damaged wire, and shuts the circuit off before it becomes a fire.Newer homes are required to have them in bedrooms and other living spaces. Older homes do not always have them, but adding them is a smart upgrade, especially in a house with aging wiring.

We would strongly advise against it. Even with the main breaker off, parts of your electrical panel remain energized. Touching the wrong thing can cause serious injury or start a fire. It is one of those jobs where the risk is not worth it.A licensed electrician can swap a breaker quickly and safely. If cost is a concern, call us and we will give you a straight answer on what it actually takes.

It is not the most complicated task, but the consequences of doing it wrong range from annoying to dangerous. The most critical step is turning off the breaker to that circuit before touching anything, and confirming the power is actually off with a voltage tester, not just assuming.A licensed electrician can replace most outlets in under an hour. For the peace of mind that it is wired correctly and up to code, it is worth the call.

This one is serious and should not wait. Your home gets power on two legs from the utility. If one of those legs has a bad or loose connection, you lose power to half the house. Sometimes the first sign is lights dimming or pulsing when your dryer or AC kicks on.The problem could be on the utility side, from the lines coming to your home, or it could be at your meter or panel. Call your utility company first; they will often test and fix their side at no charge. If the problem is between the meter and your panel, that is where we come in. Either way, do not put this one off.

A faint click when you flip a switch is normal. Electricity makes a small arc every time the connection is broken or completed. What is not normal is a loud pop, any crackling, or a burning smell. Those are signs of a loose connection or a switch that is failing, and they are worth having checked out sooner rather than later.

If you have a 3-way switch, meaning the light can be controlled from two different locations, the up and down positions do not always correspond to on and off the way a standard switch does. It depends on the position of the other switch. This is normal behavior and not a wiring problem.

Extension cords are fine for temporary use. They are not meant to be permanent wiring, and using them that way is both a code violation and a fire risk. Check your cords regularly. Nicks, exposed wire, loose ends, and any sign of heat or melting mean it is time to replace the cord immediately.If you find yourself relying on extension cords because you do not have enough outlets where you need them, that is a good sign it is time to add a circuit.

Maybe not. Many homes already have tamper-resistant outlets installed, which have built-in shutters that prevent a child from inserting objects. Look closely at your outlets. If you see a small shutter inside the slots, you are already protected. If you are not sure, we can check for you.