HVAC Tips from Sears Heating and Cooling

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...

My Air Conditioner Smells Bad. What Is Up? Have you recently turned on your air conditioner only to find your house smelling like a trash can a few minutes later? What could be the cause of this craziness? If your air conditioner smells bad, it's time to read on my friend! Causes Of a Smelly Air Conditioner There are several popular causes of your air conditioner putting off foul odors. Some of the most common reasons include: Mold formulating in duct work Mold growing on evaporator coils Clogged condensate lines Mold Growing In Duct Work Did you know that the duct work in your home is actually a perfect place for mold to grow in the summer? Mold thrives in cool, damp and dark areas and this is can be a prime description of a lot of duct work. As the warm air passes over the cool evaporator coils, condensation begins to occur and this moisture, mixed with other dirt and debris can travel through your duct work making it a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Gross! This is a great reason to have your duct work cleaned every few years (not to mention your furnace will thank you for it as well). Also, to help cut down on bacteria and other contaminates growing in your duct work, check out getting a UV Light installed, such as the APCO Fresh-Aire UV. Mold Growing On Evaporator Coil As previously stated, mold thrives in cool, damp environments. Unfortunately, your evaporator coil...

My Air Conditioner Runs Continuously, What's Up?  Have you noticed your air conditioner running a marathon outside for days on end? Wondering what is causing this to occur? Read on! First, let's get the obvious out of the way. If your air conditioner runs continuously, it is obviously having some trouble keeping the temperature steady in your home and it is running non-stop to make up for this. Talk about an easy way to incur high electric bills! With that being said, let's dive in to 7 common causes for this issue. Dirty Filters Speaking of obvious, it is pretty well known that if your furnace filter is dirty and clogged, no air will be able to pass through it to cool your home. This is always the first step in the diagnostic process, to change your furnace filter. Simple fix and definitely the cheapest as well! If you've changed that baby out and noticed your air conditioner still running all the time, it's time to move on to some more complicated causes. Low Refrigerant First, it's important to note that your air conditioner is a "closed loop" system, meaning that your refrigerant should never leak out. It's not like gas in your car that needs to be re-filled after so many miles. If you are low on refrigerant, that means that you have a leak in your system somewhere and unless it gets fixed, the refrigerant will just leak right back out again (talk about throwing money away, literally). However, if you...

7 Signs It's Time To Replace Your AC Wondering if it's time to finally replace that AC that has been giving you trouble? Check out these 7 popular signs to help you make the best decision! 1.) Your air conditioner is old (10 years +) Air conditioners are designed to last 8-10 years on average. However, assuming that you have had annual maintenance completed by a licensed HVAC company, some units can last 15+ years easily. Also, as of the year 2020, R-22 will no longer be available anywhere as it is being phased out by the government. You can read more about this here. This also means that the price of R-22 related repairs right now has begun to skyrocket due to dwindling supplies all across the country. R-22 is being replaced by R410a, which is found in all new air conditioners that are sold today.    2. Your air conditioner is noisy In general, your air conditioner should not be noisy while running. It is normal to be able to hear the quiet hum of the compressor as it runs in your outside condensing unit, but it should not be anything overly noticeable. If your condensor is beginning to sound like an airplane taking off, chances are your compressor is beginning to die, and that equates for 50% of your air conditioning system. If you have an old air conditioner, replacing the compressor would not be the wisest option financially as compressor replacements can easily cost $1,200 or more....

Is Your Air Conditioner Leaking Water Inside Your House? Believe it or not, this is actually a pretty common problem many people face with their air conditioners during the warmer months. Read on to find out what's going on! Help! Water Is Leaking On My Furnace! So the weather is hot outside, you happen to walk into your basement and see what seems to be water streaming onto your furnace from the top. What is going on? How can I stop it? Let's begin with stopping the problem first: Turn off your air conditioner at the thermostat immediately It's important to turn of your air conditioner as soon as possible to stop the flow of water onto your furnace. The interior of your furnace holds several electronic parts that can become damaged by the intrusion of water.  What Caused This To Happen? Did you know that your air conditioner is essentially one big dehumidifier? When your air conditioner runs, it actually pulls humidity (water) from the air. This humid air is pulled in via the return air vent and then blow over the evaporator coil to cool down the air. This process causes condensation (water beads) to form on the evaporator coil, which then is supposed fall into a drain pan and then exit your house via the condensate lines into a drain in the floor. However, it doesn't always happen this way as you are finding out now first hand! This points to the fact that there is obviously...