HVAC Tips from Sears Heating and Cooling

Why Does My Air Conditioner Smell Bad? Have you recently turned on your air conditioner only to find your house smelling foul a few minutes later? Dirty Sock Syndrome There is nothing worse than coming home on a hot day and walking into an air conditioned home that smells like a dumpster. If you have just turned your air conditioner on for the first time of the year, this is popularly known as "dirty sock syndrome" and is due to dirt and dust growth on your evaporator coil. If your air conditioner is creating foul smelling air all of the time however, there could be several things occurring. Here are a list of the most popular odors and their likely culprits. Air Conditioner Smells Musty If your air conditioner smells musty when you turn it on, you may have dust, mold or mildew growing in your duct work or indoor coil. Mold thrives in cool, damp and dark areas and the duct work and indoor coil of your home are prime culprits for this to occur. Your air conditioner's job is to actually remove humidity from your home and when that humidity cannot drain properly, mold will begin to grow over time. The only remedy to these issues is to have your duct work cleaned every few years and have maintenance performed on a regular basis to ensure no water is accumulating in the wrong spots. It is also possible to have your evaporator coil cleaned as well to ensure...

Fixing an Air Conditioner Refrigerant Leak Did you know that it's technically possible to fix a leak in an air conditioner? Although it may not be the most cost efficient repair to make based on the age of the unit, fixing a leaking air conditioner can buy you some extra time to get the money needed to have a new one installed. Let's take a look at what all goes into repairing a refrigerant leak in an air conditioner. Determining the Type of Refrigerant This first step is extremely important due to the fact that putting the wrong refrigerant in your air conditioner will destroy the compressor. You will need to determine the age of your air conditioner to verify what type of refrigerant it is using. If your AC was manufactured before 2010 then it is most likely using R22, the old and now phased out refrigerant. If it is newer than 2010 it will utilize R410-A refrigerant. Locating the Refrigerant Leak Evaporator Coil By far, the most common place for a refrigerant leak to occur in an air conditioner is at the indoor evaporator coil. This coil sits on top of your furnace and is what absorbs the heat from the indoor air before sending it outside to be dispersed. This coil which is shown below, is also commonly called an "A-coil" due to it being the shape of the letter "A". Most refrigerant leaks are very small pinhole sized leaks that can only be detected by a...

Is It Possible For My Air Conditioner To Give Me Headaches? Believe it or not, air conditioning can actually be the cause of headaches for some people. Cold Air Can Cause Dehydration Did you know that your air conditioner not only cools the air in your home but also acts as a large dehumidifier as well? Yep! While lowering the overall humidity indoors is a good thing during the hot summer months, lowering it too much can cause dehydration which will in turn lead to head aches. Even mild dehydration can cause headaches so be sure you drink plenty of water even though you are inside your cool home. Another option is to have a humidifier installed that will work with your HVAC system to keep your home at a constant humidity level.  Cold Air & Blood Vessel Contraction If you keep your home too cool, it can actually cause the blood vessels in your head to start to contract causing a headache. Most home cooling modes are set anywhere from 69-72 degrees. If you have your thermostat set much lower than this, try turning it up a few degrees to give your head a break. Mold & Other Pollutants Mold is well known for causing headaches if the concentration is high enough. Your HVAC system can be a prime spot for mold growth in the summer due to it's damp, cool conditions. The most likely place for mold to grow is on your evaporator coil which sits on top...

List of Annual Festivals | Columbus, Ohio Annual festivals are something to look forward to attending with your family each year and Columbus, Ohio has plenty to choose from. During the warmer months, it seems as if there is a festival happening in the city somewhere each weekend! Check out the seasonal list below for some of the most popular events to attend. We have listed the festivals in the order they occur. Summer Festivals   Arnold Sports Festival This annual event draws thousands of people to Columbus, Ohio from across the Midwest states each year. Established in 1989 and named after the famous bodybuilder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the event is a multi-sport expo that consists of bodybuilding, strongman, fitness, and a figure and bikini weekend expo. The annual event is held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and occurs at the beginning of March each year with the next event scheduled for March 4-7, 2021. Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival Held in mid-May of each year, Sonic Temple is a 3-day music festival features around 50 of the most prominent rock and hard rock bands from around the world. Past headlining acts have included Metallica, Slipknot, TOOL and Evanescence. You can choose to attend for just one day or buy a 3-day pass for around $299. This event is held at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Asian Festival Held in Franklin Park, the Columbus Asian Festival is a 2-day event that occurs in late May each...

Best Ice Cream Places | Columbus, Ohio Here at Sears Heating & Cooling, we love our ice cream! Ice cream is good any time of the year but with summer fast approaching it's popularity will start to climb. Get acquainted with all the best ice cream spots in Columbus, Ohio by checking this top 5 list we have compiled. This list is in no particular order. 1.) Jeni's Founded by Jeni Britton Bauer, a previous student at Ohio State University, this place was actually started and is still headquartered here in Columbus, Ohio. They are well known for their unique flavors such as "Queen City Cayenne" which is chocolate flavored with cayenne pepper to spice it up! They offer an assortment of normal ice cream flavors to choose from as well. Jeni's splendid ice creams currently has over 47 storefronts across the United States.  2.) Graeter's Graeter's was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1870 by Louis C. Graeter. The company is well known for it's handcrafted "french pot style" ice cream that is still made in small 2.5 gallon batches to this day. This type of process produces a denser than average ice cream. Also, with 14% milkfat and high quality ingredients, Graeter's ice cream is considered a "superpremium" real ice cream. You will pay a little more than other places but you do get what you pay for! Sears Heating & Cooling recommends their "Black Raspberry Chip" flavor. There are currently 10 Greater's locations in the area and they...

How To Choose a Heating & Cooling Company A heating and air conditioning system is a huge home investment. For this reason you want to make sure that the HVAC contractor you choose is going to do the job right the first time. Correcting problems caused by a poor HVAC installation can be costly and inconvenient. You should also consider that the quality of the work of the heating and cooling company you choose will also affect the safety of your home as heating and air conditioning system malfunctions can be dangerous. Talk to Friends The best way to know what a contractor’s work will be like is to talk to folks who have already worked with them. Your friends and family will have real life experience they can share with you about different contractors in your area. A great HVAC company will generally be well known and involved with the community you live in. You can also check local HVAC reviews online on sites such as Google and Facebook to verify other customer's past experiences. Check Qualifications The most important qualification to look for is the company's HVAC license. Licensing is important as they are required to be tested and then registered by the local government ensuring that they are an expert in the heating and cooling field. Also, most reputable HVAC contractors will belong to some type of qualifying association such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). There are several such associations that heating and cooling...

Is It Worth It To Repair My Air Conditioner? With warmer weather quickly on the way, now is the time to think about your air conditioner. Is it in good shape? Does it need major repairs? When it comes to ac repair in Columbus, Ohio, there are several questions you should ask prior to calling for service. When Should I Repair My AC? Your AC Is Less Than 12 Years Old If your air conditioner is less than 12 years old, it may be just worth repairing it depending on what is wrong. The average life of an air conditioner in Columbus, Ohio is around 15 years depending on how well the system has been taken care of. Minor Repair Is Needed Even if your unit is older than 12 years, if a minor repair is all that is needed then repair your air conditioner may be the best call. Minor repairs include things such as electrical component replacement, a dirty evaporator coil and clogged condensate lines. Repair Costs Less Than 50% Of a New Air Conditioner Depending on your air conditioner's age, if a repair costs less than half the cost of a new unit a repair may be the better option. Less Than 2 Repairs In Last 10 Years If you've had less than 2 minor repairs within the last 10 years on your air conditioner, a repair is still a good option depending on what is wrong. When Should I Replace My AC? Your Air Conditioner Is...

What Refrigerant Does My Air Conditioner Use? There are 2 primary types of refrigerants that are used in air conditioners today. R22 Vs R410A There are 2 primary types of refrigerants in air conditioners today. R22 and R410A. If your air conditioner was manufactured after 2010, it uses the new style of refrigerant R410A. Air conditioners made prior to this most likely are filled with R22. Why Are There Different Refrigerants? Believe it or not, R22 has actually been in the process of being phased out since the mid 1990s and was completely phased out as of January 1, 2020. R22 refrigerant is not nearly as eco-friendly as the R410A refrigerant. R410A offers several benefits compared to R22: Better Performance - The R22 refrigerant has to work harder to let go of the heat it absorbs inside your home. This extra work means your compressor has to work harder in return leading to a decreased lifespan. Better Efficiency - As previously stated, R410A is more capable of absorbing the heat from your home and dispersing it outside. This increases the overall efficiency of your air conditioner and allows your home to cool more quickly. Cheaper - R410A is much cheaper to obtain than R22. As R22 becomes more and more scarce, the price of it will continue to rise. Eventually all supplies of R22 will be depleted and you will have no choice but to replace your air conditioner if you have a refrigerant leak. Better For Environment - The...

How Often Should I Clean My AC? Even if you aren't having any problems with your air conditioner, it is still highly recommended to receive annual maintenance by a professional HVAC company. Warranty Issues Most manufactures require that annual maintenance be performed on your air conditioner in order to keep any warranties active. Think of it this way, if you were a car dealer, would you accept a warranty claim on it if the customer who bought it never did oil changes or regular maintenance? A plus side to this warranty requirement is that you will not have as many air conditioner repairs and increase its overall lifespan as well. Best Time Of Year Generally, best time to have your air conditioner maintenance completed is in the spring and early summer months to ensure that it is properly cooling your home. Most of the time, it is not necessary to check refrigerant levels unless the unit is pointing to a possible refrigerant issue. Each time a technician hooks up their gauges to your air conditioner, a small amount of refrigerant is released so limiting this process is recommended. As your air conditioner continually runs, it begins to accumulate dust and dirt even in places you wouldn't expect. Did you know that dirt and lack of maintenance are the top causes of HVAC breakdowns? An air conditioner that has annual maintenance performed on it can easily last 3-5 years longer than one that doesn't. Schedule Your AC Tune Up Have you scheduled...

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.  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 condenser 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. It would generally be money better spent...