DIY HVAC repair guides, industry news, product spotlights, and expert tips from the team at Open To Public HVAC Parts in Dallas, TX.
Your outdoor AC unit pulls air through aluminum fins to release heat from the refrigerant. Over time, those fins collect dirt, grass clippings, cottonwood fluff, and other debris that acts like a blanket — trapping heat inside the system and forcing your compressor to work overtime. A dirty condenser coil is one of the most…
Every time your thermostat calls for cooling, a small but critical part called the contactor closes a high-voltage circuit to power on your compressor and condenser fan. Think of it as a heavy-duty light switch controlled by your thermostat’s 24V signal. When a contactor fails, your AC either won’t turn on at all, or it…
If your HVAC system won’t turn on at all — no fan, no heat, no cooling — the problem might be a bad transformer. The transformer steps down your home’s 120V or 240V power to the 24V that runs the thermostat and control circuits. When it fails, everything downstream goes dead. The good news: testing…
When your AC compressor won’t start, it’s easy to jump to the worst-case scenario — a dead compressor that costs thousands to replace. But more often than not, the compressor itself is fine and a much cheaper part is the real problem. Before you start shopping for a new system, work through this checklist. The…
If your furnace lights up and then shuts off after a few seconds, a dirty or failed flame sensor is the most likely cause. The flame sensor is a small metal rod that sits in the burner flame and tells the control board that gas is actually burning. When it can’t detect a flame —…
Every Dallas homeowner knows the drill — your electric bill doubles or triples between June and September. Some of that is just the reality of cooling a house when it’s 105 degrees outside. But if your bill jumped more than usual, or it’s significantly higher than your neighbors’ bills, your AC system might be working…
If your AC trips the circuit breaker every time it tries to start — or runs for a while and then trips — something is drawing more current than the circuit can handle. Resetting the breaker and hoping for the best isn’t the answer. The breaker is protecting your wiring from overheating, and the root…
Replacing a thermostat is one of the easiest HVAC upgrades you can do yourself. Whether your current thermostat is malfunctioning, outdated, or you just want better temperature control, the whole job takes about 20 minutes and requires nothing more than a screwdriver and your phone camera. When to Replace Your Thermostat A thermostat typically lasts…
A healthy AC system is relatively quiet — you hear the fan running and maybe a soft hum from the compressor. When new sounds show up, your system is telling you something is wrong. The type of noise often points directly to the failing part, which means you can diagnose the problem from your backyard…
If your AC struggles to start — making a loud clicking sound, briefly tripping the breaker, or taking several attempts before the compressor kicks on — a hard start kit might be exactly what it needs. It’s one of the most affordable upgrades you can make to extend the life of an aging compressor, and…