Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Cincinnati’

6 Signs You Have Dying Furnace

Monday, October 26th, 2020

furnaceAs a general rule, it’s best to have a furnace replaced before it has a chance to fail completely. It’s not much different than with a car—you don’t want the car’s final moments to be when you’re on the road. Getting ahead of a furnace that’s in its final year or two is more convenient, and it also means you’ll start enjoying better heating performance and energy efficiency from a new system.

The trick is determining when you need Cincinnati, OH, furnace service to put in a new furnace. We’ve listed 6 common signs that your furnace is approaching the end and it’s time to make arrangements for a replacement.

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How a Faulty Thermostat Can Harm Your Home’s Cooling

Monday, September 14th, 2020

technician-working-on-thermostatAir conditioning systems are complicated machines, so there are numerous ways they can malfunction and lose cooling capacity. Thankfully, they are also durable machines, so most homeowners won’t need to call for air conditioning repair in Cincinnati, OH more often than a few times during their AC’s service life—and most of those will be during the last few years.

But there’s an important part of a home’s cooling that can malfunction that’s outside of the air conditioner: the thermostat. The thermostat is part of the overall HVAC system of a home, and when it develops faults, it can have serious effects on home comfort. It’s easy for a non-professional to misdiagnose a thermostat problem as a different issue with the AC. This is why we recommend you always call HVAC pros when you’ve got issues with your cooling: only skilled technicians can find out what’s actually wrong and fix it.

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An Air Conditioner Dehumidifies—But It’s NOT a Dehumidifier

Monday, July 20th, 2020

man-with-fanThis is an important topic when it comes to air conditioning. Homeowners are often confused about how their ACs affect indoor humidity. People know that high humidity makes hot weather feel much worse, but don’t often know exactly why or what an air conditioner does to alleviate the problem.

The short answer is that an air conditioner can make you feel cooler, but not because it significantly lowers humidity in the air. An air conditioner does have some dehumidification properties, but not enough to make a difference or be considered an actual dehumidifier.

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Why Is My AC Leaking Water?

Monday, June 22nd, 2020

water-drip-dropWhen you listen closely to the sound your central air conditioner makes while it runs, you’ll occasionally catch the noise of water dripping. Your AC doesn’t use water to provide cooling (that’s how evaporative coolers work, an entirely different type of cooling system), but water is a byproduct of how it operates.

And yes, that means your air conditioning system may start to leak. When you see water pooling around your AC, you’ll most likely need professional service for air conditioning in Cincinnati, OH to fix the problem—and it’s a problem you can’t ignore!

We’ll look a bit more at why your AC may start leaking water.

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What Do AC Efficiency Ratings Really Mean?

Monday, June 8th, 2020

air-conditioner-money-saverWith the summer rushing up to meet us, many homeowners are in the spot where they realize they need a new air conditioning system to make it through the season. ACs aren’t eternal machines; they wear down after 10 to 15 years. You may be in this situation: you know you need that new air conditioner, or you may end up trapped with a busted one during the hottest day of the Ohio summer.

Is anything holding you back? It can be a big investment to have a new air conditioner installed, but this is a vital HVAC service in Cincinnati, OH that Bartels can make much easier. We’ll start by helping you understand a part of air conditioning that confuses many people, and that’s the efficiency ratings.

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Why Skipping AC Maintenance Can Cost You

Monday, May 11th, 2020

ac-with-maintenance-toolsWhen we say that scheduling AC maintenance is mandatory, we don’t mean that there is some type of city regulation that will issue you a fine if you don’t have it done. It’s mandatory if you want the best service and longest system life for your central air conditioner. That’s important, especially when you consider how rough the summer can be, and how much you’ll rely on your home cooling system to keep your family comfortable and healthy.

But how bad can it be? you may ask. What’s the real cost of skipping spring maintenance now and then?

The answer: Pretty bad and pretty high. We’ll go into what can happen if you don’t schedule this vital air conditioning service in Cincinnati, OH each spring.

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Should You Shut Down Your Heater for the Middle of the Year?

Monday, April 27th, 2020

natural-gas-furnace-burnerWhen the summer weather finally settles in and we know we’ve seen the last of the chill for the season, you’ll face a decision about your heating system. Should you shut it down entirely for the summer until it’s needed again in the fall? Or is it better to simply keep it on, but not in use?

The answer to this question varies depending on the type of heating system you use, and it’s not always an absolute “on” or “off” distinction. We’ll go into the details for the different types of systems you may have:

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How Long Will My Furnace Last?

Monday, March 16th, 2020

Furnace-standardAt the end of each winter, you’ll want to assess your furnace and ask yourself if it is getting close to—or even reached—the end of its service life. If you think the furnace is too old, the spring and summer is a good time to have the new installation work done, since you won’t need to have the furnace keeping your home warm.

One of the key pieces of knowledge in deciding if a furnace needs a replacement is how old it is. But what does that age tell you? How long can you expect a furnace to last? The answer isn’t straightforward, since other factors come into play.

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Everything You Need to Know About Smart Thermostats

Monday, July 8th, 2019

Nest-ThermostatYou may expect an HVAC contractor in Cincinnati, OH, to tell you that you need a brand new HVAC system if you are serious about getting the most efficient and effective performance possible from your air conditioner. That is not always the case, though. Sure, there are instances in which a full system replacement may be necessary. However, there are also plenty of instances in which upgrading a single component can be the fix you’re looking for.

This is frequently the case with thermostats. Specifically, for those homeowners still using outdated manual thermostats or very basic digital models. There is a whole world of advanced thermostat technology out there just waiting for you, so what are you waiting for? Using a smart thermostat is a simple but incredibly effective way to start getting more from your HVAC systems. They require professional installation with compatible systems, though, so be sure to work with a member of our team.

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Don’t Ignore a Faulty Ductless System

Monday, June 24th, 2019

ducltess-mini-split-in-roomDuctless mini splits are excellent ways to enjoy year-round cooling and heating without the many inconveniences that ductwork creates. The majority of homes have ducts for central comfort, and they bring plenty of disadvantages:

  • Loss of efficiency because of heat gain through the duct walls in hot weather and heat loss in the cold weather—especially unconditioned places like an attic.
  • Ducts collect dust and other debris that reduces performance and also lowers indoor air quality.
  • Ducts are susceptible to developing leaks, which seriously impair HVAC system performance and waste energy.

Escaping from all these problems is one reason many homeowners elect to have a ductless system installed rather than a standard ducted one. But this doesn’t mean that ductless mini splits are completely free from trouble. We recommend you watch for signs of faults in a ductless system and call for HVAC service in Cincinnati, OH as soon as you suspect something is wrong.

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