Frequently Asked Questions | HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical

You should have your AC professionally serviced at least once a year, ideally in spring before peak cooling season hits. In the SC Midlands, where humidity and heat put extra strain on cooling systems, annual maintenance is the difference between a unit that lasts 10 years and one that lasts 15+.

A professional tune-up includes checking refrigerant levels, cleaning coils, inspecting electrical connections, testing the thermostat, and clearing condensate drains. Skipping it typically costs more in repairs and higher energy bills than the tune-up itself.

Carolina Conditions offers AC maintenance year-round, and Total Home Care Club members get tune-ups included. Call 803-233-7172 to schedule.

Replace your AC if it's 10–15+ years old, uses outdated R-22 refrigerant, or you're facing a repair bill over $1,500. Repair it if your unit is under 10 years old and the repair is less than half the cost of a new system.

A common guideline is the "$5,000 rule": multiply your unit's age by the repair cost. If the total is over $5,000, replace. If it's under, repair. South Carolina's humid climate also tends to age units faster, so factor that in.

Not sure which makes sense for your home? Carolina Conditions offers free in-home replacement estimates — and our Price Match Guarantee means you won't overpay. Schedule online or call 803-233-7172.

The three most common causes are a dirty air filter, a frozen evaporator coil, or low refrigerant. Start by checking your filter — if it's clogged, replace it and let the system run for an hour. If you see ice on the indoor unit or refrigerant lines, your system is frozen and needs to be turned off to thaw before it'll cool properly.

Other possibilities: a thermostat set to "fan" instead of "cool," a tripped breaker, or a refrigerant leak. Refrigerant work requires an EPA-certified technician — never attempt it yourself.

If filter changes and thermostat checks don't fix it, our techs can diagnose same-day across Columbia, Lexington, and surrounding areas. Call 803-233-7172.

Most HVAC systems in the Midlands last 12–15 years, slightly shorter than the national average because of South Carolina's humidity, salt air (in some areas), and long cooling seasons. Heat pumps tend to wear faster than gas furnace + AC setups because they run year-round.

Regular maintenance can extend that lifespan by 3–5 years. Signs your system is reaching the end: rising energy bills, frequent repairs, uneven cooling between rooms, and excessive noise.

If your system is over 10 years old, it may be worth getting a free replacement estimate — newer units cut energy costs significantly. Call 803-233-7172.

As a general rule, you need about 1 ton of cooling per 500–600 square feet of conditioned space in South Carolina — but that's only a starting point. True sizing requires a Manual J load calculation that factors in ceiling height, insulation, window quality, sun exposure, and how many people live in the home.

Oversized systems short-cycle (turn on and off too frequently), which wastes energy and fails to remove humidity. Undersized systems run constantly and never quite reach your set temperature. Both shorten system life.

Carolina Conditions performs a full load calculation as part of every replacement estimate — at no charge. Call 803-233-7172 or schedule online to get started.

Flush your water heater once a year — or every six months if your home has hard water, which is common in the Lexington and Columbia area. Flushing removes sediment that builds up at the bottom of the tank, reducing efficiency, shortening the unit's life, and causing the popping or rumbling sounds many homeowners notice.

Signs your flush is overdue: water that takes longer to heat up, knocking noises during operation, or rusty-tinted hot water.

Total Home Care Club members get annual water heater flushes included with their plumbing maintenance. Learn more about membership or call 803-233-7172 to schedule a flush.

Shut off your home's main water supply immediately — usually a valve near where the water line enters your house, often in the basement, crawl space, or near the water heater. Then turn off the electricity to any affected areas at the breaker if water is near outlets or electrical equipment.

Open the lowest faucet in your home to drain remaining water from the pipes, photograph the damage for insurance, and call a licensed plumber. Don't try to patch the pipe yourself — temporary fixes often fail and cause more damage.

Carolina Conditions offers 24/7 emergency plumbing service across the Midlands. Call 803-233-7172 anytime, day or night.

A rising water bill with no change in usage usually means you have a hidden leak. The most common culprits are running toilets (which can waste 200+ gallons a day), dripping faucets, leaking water heaters, or slab leaks under the foundation.

To check, turn off everything in your home that uses water, then look at your water meter. If it's still moving, you have a leak somewhere. Toilets are the most common cause — drop food coloring in the tank, wait 15 minutes without flushing, and if color appears in the bowl, the flapper is leaking.

If you can't find the leak yourself, our leak detection specialists use non-invasive equipment to locate hidden leaks without breaking walls or floors. Call 803-233-7172.

Tankless water heaters are worth it for most South Carolina homes if you have the budget upfront. They provide endless hot water on demand, last 15–20 years (versus 8–12 for tank models), use up to 50% less energy, and take up far less space.

The trade-off: installation costs more — typically $2,500–$4,500 versus $1,200–$2,000 for a tank unit — and existing homes may need gas line upgrades or electrical work. For homes with high hot water demand or families that take back-to-back showers, the payoff is usually worth it within 5–7 years.

Carolina Conditions specializes in Rinnai tankless installations, with financing available up to 72 months at 0%. Call 803-233-7172 for a free estimate.

Never pour grease, coffee grounds, eggshells, or fibrous foods (celery, potato peels, onion skins) down the kitchen drain — they're the top causes of clogs. In bathrooms, use drain strainers to catch hair, and avoid flushing anything other than toilet paper and human waste, including "flushable" wipes, which don't actually break down in your pipes.

Run hot water down drains weekly to keep them clear, and consider a monthly enzyme-based drain cleaner (not chemical drain cleaners, which can damage pipes over time).

If you have a slow or recurring clog, our drain clearing specialists use camera inspection to find the root cause. Call 803-233-7172.

Your panel likely needs upgrading if it's over 25 years old, made by Federal Pacific or Zinsco (both have known safety issues), uses fuses instead of breakers, or is only 100-amp service in a modern home. Other warning signs: breakers that trip frequently, lights that flicker when appliances turn on, warm spots on the panel, or a burning smell.

Most homes built today need 200-amp service, especially if you have central HVAC, an electric water heater, or plan to add an EV charger. Older 100-amp panels often can't safely handle the load.

Carolina Conditions provides free electrical panel inspections across Columbia and Lexington. Call 803-233-7172 to schedule.

Whole-home generators make sense for South Carolina homeowners who experience frequent outages from summer thunderstorms, hurricanes, or ice storms. Standby generators kick on automatically within seconds of a power loss and run on natural gas or propane — so you don't need to keep gasoline on hand.

Sizing depends on whether you want to power the whole house (typically 18–26 kW) or just essentials like the AC, refrigerator, and a few outlets (10–14 kW). Expect installed costs of $7,000–$15,000+ depending on size and gas line work needed.

We're a certified Generac dealer offering free generator assessments — including sizing, permitting, and installation. Call 803-233-7172.

Most homes can support a Level 2 EV charger (240-volt, fast charging) if your electrical panel has the capacity. A typical Level 2 charger needs a dedicated 40–50 amp circuit, which means your panel must have available space and total amperage to handle the load. Older 100-amp panels often need an upgrade first.

Installation involves running a dedicated circuit from your panel to the charger location (usually the garage), mounting the unit, and pulling permits with your local jurisdiction. South Carolina also has federal tax credits available for residential EV charger installation.

Carolina Conditions handles EV charger installations end-to-end — panel assessment, permits, install, inspection. Call 803-233-7172.

A breaker that trips occasionally is doing its job — it's protecting your home from electrical overload. But if a breaker trips repeatedly, you have one of three problems: too many devices on a single circuit (overload), a short circuit (a wire touching another wire or metal), or a ground fault (a wire touching the grounded part of an outlet or appliance).

Short circuits and ground faults are safety hazards and need professional diagnosis. Overloads can sometimes be resolved by moving devices to different outlets, but if your panel is undersized for modern use, an upgrade may be necessary.

Repeated breaker tripping is not something to ignore. Our licensed electricians can diagnose and resolve it — same-day service available. Call 803-233-7172.

Yes — current South Carolina electrical code requires GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets in any area where water and electricity could meet: kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, garages, unfinished basements, crawl spaces, and all outdoor outlets. If your home was built before 1975, it likely doesn't have them everywhere required.

GFCI outlets shut off power within milliseconds if they detect current going somewhere it shouldn't — preventing the kind of shock that can be fatal. Test them monthly by pressing the test button; the reset should pop out. If it doesn't, the outlet has failed and needs replacing.

Not sure if your outlets are up to code? Our electrical inspection service identifies safety issues throughout the home. Call 803-233-7172.