From Samhain to Store Shelves: The Rise of Halloween in the U.S.
The roots of Halloween stretch far back — to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a harvest-end ritual when people believed the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin. Over time, it transformed: Christian influence turned it into All Hallows’ Eve, and when Irish and Scottish immigrants brought the tradition to America, it became the candy-coated celebration we know today.
Here’s where it gets frightening — at least for your wallet. Halloween is now a multi-billion-dollar industry in the U.S.:
In 2023, consumers spent $12.2 billion on Halloween candy, costumes, and décor — up from $10.6 billion in 2022.
For 2025, the National Retail Federation projects a record-breaking $13.1 billion in total spending: about $4.3 billion on costumes, $4.2 billion on decorations, and $3.9 billion on candy.
The average American will shell out roughly $114.45 for Halloween fun this year.
It’s a celebration of indulgence, imagination — and hidden expenses. Which, if you think about it, sounds a lot like neglected home maintenance.
Comfort Tech: A Brief History of Your HVAC & Plumbing Systems
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration: Scary Shivers
Believe it or not, the modern air conditioner wasn’t designed for comfort — it was built for paper. In 1902, Willis Haviland Carrier created the first modern cooling system for a Brooklyn printing plant whose paper wrinkled from humidity. That invention didn’t just dry ink — it changed how the world lived and worked.
Soon, cooling spread to movie theaters, department stores, homes, and cars. Refrigeration followed, replacing icehouses with electric chillers. But in the early years, some of those refrigerants were downright terrifying — ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and methyl chloride could make an entire building uninhabitable if they leaked. Even modern systems can “haunt” homeowners when refrigerants leak or compressors fail, turning comfort into chaos.
(Want to see how creative — and strange — inventors could get? Check out The Quirkiest Plumbing Patents Ever Filed.)
Plumbing: From Muck to Modern Flush
Plumbing is even older — and no less fascinating. In 1775, Scottish inventor Alexander Cumming patented the S-trap, that clever bend beneath your toilet that keeps sewer gases from creeping into your home.
Since then, pipes evolved from lead and clay to copper and PVC, but not without their share of horror stories. ServiceOne’s plumbers have uncovered everything from lost dentures to slithering surprises in drains. You can read about a few of their most unforgettable encounters in Four Really Scary Halloween Tales from Brave Plumbers.
The Scary Parts: Hidden Dangers in HVAC & Plumbing
Ghost Drafts That Chill You to the Bone
Ever feel a mysterious chill in one room while the rest of the house stays warm? Those “ghost drafts” often come from leaky ductwork, poor insulation, or unbalanced airflow. The result isn’t just discomfort — it’s a haunting increase in your energy bills and a tired HVAC system struggling to keep up. Like a phantom that won’t rest, a duct leak keeps returning until it’s sealed for good.
Skeletons in the Crawl Space
Out of sight shouldn’t mean out of mind. Beneath your floors or behind your walls, you might find the “skeletons” of outdated plumbing or crumbling ductwork — corroded pipes, soggy insulation, or even a critter or two that made themselves at home. Old cast-iron plumbing can leak slowly for years before you see a single sign upstairs. The longer those ghosts stay buried, the scarier (and pricier) their resurrection.
The Haunted Basement
If you’ve ever tiptoed into your basement and caught a whiff of mildew or heard an ominous drip-drip-drip, you already know the setting. Haunted basements often owe their creepy charm to clogged condensate lines, overflowing AC pans, or hidden leaks in old plumbing. Left alone, that moisture can rot flooring, breed mold, and lead to expensive foundation repairs — the kind that make homeowners scream.
When Refrigeration Turns Frightening
The history of cooling comes with some true horror stories. Early refrigerants were toxic enough to send chills through anyone, but even today, a refrigerant leak can quietly sabotage efficiency and air quality. If you ever smell a faintly sweet, chemical scent near your vents, it might not be your imagination — it could be the ghost of a refrigerant leak, calling for a technician before it drains your comfort (and your wallet).
The Fatberg Monster in the Pipes
Deep in the sewer system, a much uglier monster stirs. “Fatbergs” form when grease, wipes, and other debris congeal into massive clogs that block pipes and sewers. You’d be amazed (and maybe horrified) at what plumbers have pulled out of drains — check out Why “Flushable” Wipes Are Nice for You but Terrible for Your Plumbing for the gruesome details. Think of fatbergs as the swamp monsters of modern plumbing: disgusting, preventable, and capable of causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Deferred Maintenance: The Real Horror Story
All these issues — drafts, leaks, smells, and blockages — share a single culprit: neglect. Deferred maintenance is the scariest ghost of all because you don’t see it until it’s too late. A slow refrigerant leak can cripple your system, and a tiny plumbing drip can destroy drywall or flooring long before it’s discovered. Regular maintenance might not sound thrilling, but compared to a 2 a.m. emergency repair, it’s a comforting bedtime story.
Trick-or-Treat Yourself (to Comfort)
Before cooler weather sets in, give your home a treat. Schedule a full HVAC tune-up, clean your filters, inspect condensate lines, and check plumbing traps for leaks or strange smells. Watch for water stains, soft spots, or that musty “haunted house” odor — your home’s way of whispering that something’s wrong.
And remember, a ClubOne Membership keeps those surprises at bay. With annual HVAC and plumbing inspections, you’ll get peace of mind, priority scheduling, and discounts that make maintenance feel like magic instead of mayhem.
From Pumpkins to Pipes: Closing the Circle
As you string up orange lights and carve your pumpkins, remember that Halloween transformed from an ancient festival into a $13-billion-dollar spectacle — a celebration of turning fear into fun.
Your home’s comfort systems do the same thing every day: they keep out the cold, move air, drain water, and maintain comfort so you can focus on the good kind of chills — the movie-night kind. But when you ignore them, that’s when the real fright begins.
Don’t wait for ghosts in your ducts or monsters in your drains — call ServiceOne Air Conditioning & Plumbing today and keep your home fright-free!
Toys at Halloween?
Starting NOW, you can get a PTU for just $99 with the donation of a new, unused toy for our annual Toys for Tots drive.
This $99 PTU with a toy is only available through December 12, 2025! Call yo schedule it now.