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What Does It Mean To Have a Forced Air HVAC System? Forced Air HVAC System When shopping for a new air conditioner or furnace, you may have come across the term "forced air" and wondered what it may mean. Well, there are no tricks to this one. It means exactly what it sounds like. When you have a forced air heating and cooling system, you have a system that uses a motor and a fan to blow (force) the air throughout your home via duct work.  Different Types of Forced Air Systems Although forced air may mean only one thing, there are several different types of forced air hvac systems available today. Some of the most popular include: Gas Oil Electric Boiler All of these terms are in relation to your furnace as that is where your blower motor and fan reside. The blower motor and fan inside your furnace is also the same motor that works with your air conditioner to cool your home. Most of these systems are quite efficient at heating or cooling your home on an annual basis. Those with all electric equipment (including a heat pump) may experience higher electric bills than those with a gas furnace. Alternatives To Forced Air HVAC Forced air heating and cooling systems are by far the most popular option in today's homes but they are not the only option. If you live in a slab (single story) home, you may be utilizing baseboard heating in the winter. Baseboard heaters...

What Is a Variable Speed Blower Motor? These types of blower motors are designed for efficiency and savings. How Do They Work? If you are looking to lower your energy bills, a variable speed blower motor may be a good investment. Variable speed motors move at different speeds as opposed to normal motors that tend to run at only one speed. With standard motors only having an "on/off" mode, they tend to kick your furnace or air conditioner on many times during the day, wasting energy.  By having a variable speed blower motor that automatically controls the amount of air coming out of your vents, you are able to better heat or cool your home to a precise temperature. These motors will deliver just the right amount of air to keep your home comfortable.  Also, if you have a zoning system in your home, a variable speed motor is an excellent option as you are able to customize your comfort.  Save Money Variable speed blower motors can save you money on your energy bills as they do not consume as much electricity as standard motors. Cleaner Air & Less Noise Variable speed motors can help keep the air in your home cleaner. By having them run on lower speeds when not cooling or heating your home, you can have the air in your home recirculated through your filters on a continual basis. These types of motors are designed to run for extended periods of time so it does not hurt the...

House Plants Help Indoor Air Quality Who knew that those pretty house plants could be actually useful in your home? How House Plants Clean the Air Did you know that adding plants in your home can actually improve the overall quality of the air inside? Yep! Plants actually purify the air and reduce the amount of air particulates believe it our not. Plants can absorb airborne particulates as they take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. Not only this, but the micro-organisms that are present in the soil of the plant are responsible for the overall cleaning effect as well. Which Plants Are Best For Indoor Air Quality? Most house plants are very easy to care for. A little water and sunlight and you're good to go! With that being said, some plants prefer certain environments over others (you don't see palm trees growing in Ohio!). When out shopping for plants, be sure to look at the recommended care instructions on the plant tag to verify you can provide the environment it needs. Here are some good house plants to check out: Boston Fern - Easy to take care of, but prefer a more humid environment to grow in with lots of sunlight. Bamboo Palm - These plants can get pretty big, growing up to 12 feet high at times! Aloe Vera - Easy to care for and also contain a clear liquid inside the leaves that is full of vitamins and great for the skin. Garden Mum...

What Kind Of Thermostat Should I Get? With so many different options available, it may be confusing as to which one is right for you! Manual Thermostat You don't see a lot of these thermostats in homes anymore unless the home is older. Manual thermostats are those old round models with a dial that you have to turn to the temperature you want. Surprisingly, many people still prefer these old types of thermostats over the newer, more efficient models. Manual thermostats are extremely easy to operate as there is no programming required, it is more of just an "on/off" switch that sits on your wall. It's important to note that these types of thermostats are not compatible with many of the new units that are sold today. If you have one of these old, manual thermostats, chances are your furnace and air conditioner are just as old.  Programmable Thermostats Programmable thermostats are very common these days and can be found in most homes. These types of thermostats are considered some of the most efficient due to the programming options it gives you. Instead of having to keep turning your thermostat on or off at certain times of the day, programmable thermostats can be programmed to hold a certain temperature and then change that temperature automatically at a different time of day. A great example of this is during the summer. During the day when it's hot, you can program the thermostat to cool your house to 72 and then die...

What Questions Should I Ask During An HVAC Estimate? If you've never gone through the process of receiving an HVAC estimate, it can be daunting. We are here to help you out with some important questions you should be asking! While you should technically be asking as many questions as you can when receiving an HVAC estimate for new equipment, here are a few that we believe are the most important and should always be asked. Is The Estimate Free? Before you even have someone out to give you an HVAC estimate, you should ask whether or not the estimate is free. Generally speaking, most companies will come out and provide you with an estimate at no charge, but there are a few companies here and there that will charge you a small fee for their time. Here at Sears Heating & Cooling, our estimates for new equipment are ALWAYS free of charge. Do You Offer Financing? It's well known that new HVAC equipment is not the cheapest thing in the world, but at the same time it makes sense as it is a large factor in your home and the overall comfort level of it. If you are not in a position to pay up front for a new furnace or air conditioner, it is always important to ask if the company offers any financing options. Most HVAC companies that offer financing do so through a third-party bank. Here at Sears, we offer third-party HVAC financing through Synchrony Financial....

My Second Floor Is Too Hot! Is your second floor hotter than the others? Learn why and what you can do about it below! What Causes The Second Floor To Be So Hot? For many home owners, the second floor is too hot in warm weather. During the hot summers, you may notice that your second floor can become several degrees warmer than the first. You've tried cranking up the AC but that only makes the first floor too cold and the second floor remains the same. What is going on?  Hot Air Rises Thermodynamics states that hot air naturally rises, so essentially it would make sense that your second floor is warmer than the first. When you air conditioner is running, it has to work harder to get air to the second floor as cool air does not naturally flow in an upward direction. There are a couple different factors that determine how hard you air conditioner must work to cool your upper floors: How old your air conditioner is The total number of rooms in the home Your roof (yes, your roof) Duct work and insulation If you air conditioner is close to the end of it's lifespan, it will have to naturally work harder than newer AC's to cool the upper floors. Also, if you have many different rooms in your home, the air must be dispersed over a larger area, taking it longer too cool. Surprisingly, your roof can be a culprit in keeping your second floor...

If your furnace is blowing cold air, you may be wondering why or how to fix it. There are several possible causes of a furnace blowing cold air, so it can be hard to give advice without gathering further information. However, below are some common causes that will cause your furnace to blow cold air. Thermostat is set to ON position Is your thermostat set to the ON position instead of the AUTO position? If you have your thermostat set to ON, the blower in the furnace will blow air continuously even when the burners aren't warming the air, causing cool air to come out of your registers. By setting your thermostat to AUTO, the blower will only blow air when the furnace is heating. Some people choose to leave their thermostat on the ON position as it helps filter air throughout the house. Your furnace has overheated So your furnace was blowing warm air, then all of a sudden the air becomes cool for no reason. What's up with that? It is possible that your furnace has overheated. Your furnace has a safety mechanism built in that monitors temperature and will shut down when it becomes too hot to prevent a fire from starting inside your furnace. The most common cause of a furnace overheating is a dirty air filter. If your filter is dirty, not much air can pass through and in turn, your furnace will start to overheat. Don't ignore this problem. Repeatedly overheating your furnace will...

Should I Replace My AC and Furnace at the Same Time? There are some great benefits to replacing both your old AC and furnace at the same time. Check it out! Did you know that the overall comfort of your home depends on your air conditioner and furnace working together year round? When the time comes to replace either your furnace or air conditioner, you should consider replacing both pieces of equipment together if they are older as you can actually save you both energy and money in the long term.  Ultimate Comfort Here are a few of the benefits of replacing your furnace and air conditioner together: Improved Energy Efficiency. Compared to older furnace and air conditioners, today's units are almost twice as efficient when it comes to energy. In the past, many air conditioners that were installed were just a measly 10 SEER (an energy efficiency rating for an air conditioner). Today's AC's and heat pumps can go up to over 19 SEER! The higher the SEER of the unit, the less overall energy it uses to run, which means more money back in your wallet come electric bill time. Today's furnaces have efficiency ratings that go all the way up to 98%, meaning 98% of the gas that comes into the unit is used to produce heat. Who wants to pay for gas they aren't even getting a benefit out of? No one. Mixing Technology Can Be Risky. Combining two different units can also cause a reduction in the...

HVAC Job Opportunities | Columbus, Ohio Now Hiring HVAC Techs & Installers! Are you looking for a job in the HVAC field in Columbus, Ohio? Look no further! Sears Heating & Cooling is currently looking for seasoned HVAC technicians and installers to start immediately. Why Work For Sears Heating & Cooling? Because we are the best HVAC company to work for in Columbus, Ohio! Don't believe it? Check out some of the great benefits that we offer: Extremely Competitive Wages. Some of our techs push the $100k a year mark! Did we mention you are paid weekly?! Crazy Good Health Insurance! A single person only pays $13 a week, family of 3+ pays only $90 a week. The first $1,500 a year ($3,000 for a family) is completely covered. No out of pocket co-pays for family doctor visits. Profit Sharing! That's right. If we are profitable as a company, you get a slice of that at the end of each quarter. It's only fair! Paid Time Off. Earned on an accrual basis after your first 60 days of employment. Easily take a week or more paid time off each year. You are also eligible to earn supplemental vacation that can be used during slower times of the year. 401k Match. We match 40% of up to 5% of your salary and have done so every single year since 1987! Year-Round-Work. We provide you with year round work to keep the money coming in. Company Cell Phone. To stay in contact...

High Electric Bills: Is My HVAC System To Blame? Did you recently receive your electric bill and notice a massive jump in cost? Did you know that your HVAC System could be to blame for this? High electric bills are a common complaint during the super hot and super cold months. There are several different things that could be causing this increase so let's dive right in. Emergency Heat Running, Outdoor Unit Broken This one obviously relates to the colder months and if you have a heat pump. Heat pump systems are interesting in that they can essentially have two different ways to heat your home: the outdoor unit and the indoor unit (furnace). Generally speaking, the outdoor unit is designed to heat your home as long as the outdoor temperature is at 34 degrees or above. If it gets much colder than this, there is just not much heat outside that your condensor can work with to transfer inside, therefore, your system switches over to "emergency heat" mode. When this change happens, your outdoor unit shuts down and your furnace takes over at heating your home. This can cause some serious bill increases if the weather outside is extremely cold and you have an electric furnace. The simplest way to think about it would be to imagine an over-sized toaster running for hours on end and chugging an enormous amount of electricity at the same time.  When the weather drops below freezing outside, it is normal for emergency heat...