Right Away Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Mechanical — serving Des Plaines and Chicagoland homes and businesses

Questions We Get Every Week

Do you handle HVAC repair and installation in Des Plaines?

Yes. Our shop is at 2093 Rand Rd in Des Plaines, and we handle HVAC repair, installation and maintenance here every week — air conditioners that are running but not cooling, furnaces that will not light, boilers, heat pumps, ductless mini-splits, thermostats and rooftop equipment on commercial buildings. Tell us what the system is doing when you call 847-550-3322 and the technician arrives stocked for that work.

My AC is running but blowing warm air. What should I do?

Set the thermostat fan to auto, check the filter and make sure the breaker and the disconnect by the outdoor unit are on. If air is still warm, the usual causes are low refrigerant from a leak, a dirty condenser coil, a failed capacitor or contactor, or a frozen evaporator coil — turn the system off if you see ice on the lines and call 847-550-3322 (Chicago: 773-250-6060) so we diagnose it before the compressor is damaged.

Is it worth replacing an old air conditioner with a high-efficiency system?

Sometimes. Upgrading an older, inefficient air conditioner to a high-efficiency system may reduce cooling electricity use by roughly 30%–50% in qualifying situations, but actual savings vary with your existing equipment, the replacement system, the building, the climate, the installation, maintenance and usage. We price the repair and the replacement side by side after looking at your setup instead of promising a savings figure.

How do I know if my water heater needs replacing?

A conventional tank water heater in the Chicago area usually lasts eight to twelve years, and hard water shortens that. Rust-colored hot water, popping or rumbling from sediment, moisture around the base of the tank or a pilot that will not stay lit are the common signs. A leaking tank is not repairable; a bad thermocouple, gas valve or element usually is, and we will tell you which one you have before quoting a replacement.

Why does my furnace keep shutting off after a few minutes?

Short-cycling is most often a restricted filter, a blocked flue or intake, a dirty flame sensor, or a system that is oversized for the house. Those causes are very different in cost, so the diagnosis matters. If your furnace is cycling, replace the filter first, then call — running a short-cycling furnace all winter is hard on the heat exchanger.

My drain backs up every few months. Is rodding enough?

Repeat backups in the same line usually mean roots, a belly in the pipe, or a partial break rather than a simple clog. Rodding restores flow, but a camera inspection of the line is what tells you whether you are looking at annual maintenance or a repair. We would rather show you the footage than sell you the same rodding twice a year.

Do you work on commercial buildings as well as houses?

Yes. Alongside residential plumbing, heating and cooling we handle commercial and mechanical work — rooftop units, boilers, make-up air, water heaters and piping for offices, retail, restaurants and multi-unit residential buildings, including scheduled preventive maintenance for property managers.

What areas do you serve?

We are based at 2093 Rand Rd in Des Plaines and serve Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Mount Prospect, Glenview, Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Rolling Meadows, Palatine, Schaumburg, Northbrook, Addison, Elmhurst, Oak Brook, Lombard and the city of Chicago. Suburban customers call 847-550-3322; Chicago addresses call 773-250-6060.

Phone is the fastest way to reach a technician, and it is the number you call that routes your job: 847-550-3322 for Des Plaines and the surrounding suburbs, 773-250-6060 for addresses inside the city of Chicago. If your issue is not urgent — a quote for a water heater or furnace replacement, a maintenance plan for a building, or a question about a remodel — email or the request form on this page works just as well, and we will follow up with times that fit your schedule.