Fall HVAC Maintenance Checklist

As the brisk autumn air begins to settle in and winter peeks out in Cincinnati and the surrounding area, readying your HVAC system for a change of seasons will keep your home comfortable.

Preparing your heating and cooling system for the colder months with a fall HVAC maintenance checklist not only guarantees a climate-controlled refuge from the intense weather but also offers many cost-saving benefits.

Regular HVAC fall maintenance keeps your system in top shape, saving you money and minimizing the risk of those always inconvenient breakdowns. Of course, we all want our HVAC system to last forever — though that’s not possible, fall heating and cooling maintenance extends the life of your HVAC unit, giving you peace of mind for years to come. In this blog post, we’ll talk you through some essential HVAC tips for fall and provide expert advice from Rick’s Heating & Cooling to get you through the teeth-chattering seasons.

Contact Rick’s Heating & Cooling for all your fall maintenance needs.

Fall Maintenance Checklist

Actively preparing your HVAC system with a fall checklist can make a huge difference for those in the Cincinnati community and the surrounding area. Rick’s Heating & Cooling offers expert HVAC tips for fall and has superior HVAC specialists ready to keep your HVAC system running with ease and efficiency throughout the colder months. Stay ahead of potential stressors and keep your home warm and ready for pumpkin spice season. Here’s the list!

· Change Your Furnace Filter

A clean furnace filter is crucial for maximum airflow and minimum wear and tear, reducing strain on your system. During weather that requires heat, replace your filter monthly to ensure your HVAC system runs like a top and doesn’t cost you a fortune.

· Clean Your HVAC Ducts and Registers

Ducts and registers circulate air throughout your home. Clogged ducts lead to dust buildup and reduced airflow. Our professional cleaning services help your HVAC maintain its performance and keep the air cleaner for a healthier indoor environment.

· Clean Your Chimney and Outdoor Vents

Clear chimneys and outdoor vents provide excellent air circulation, essential for proper ventilation and safety. Blocked vents can also cause dangerous carbon monoxide buildup. Rick’s Heating & Cooling recommends professional cleaning for chimneys and outdoor vents, especially those with fireplaces or gas heating systems.

· Test Your Furnace and Listen for Unusual Noises

The early bird always wins out, so turn your furnace on in early fall in case it needs maintenance or repair. Listen for unusual noises like grinding or clanging, which could indicate mechanical issues or potential system failures. For any concerns, trust Rick’s Heating & Cooling and contact experts you can trust for your furnace tune-up.

· Replace the Batteries in Your Carbon Monoxide Detector

Regularly check that your carbon monoxide detector is working properly — there is usually a test button or a light signaling it’s working — for home safety. Your detector is there to alert you to dangerous CO levels that can be life-threatening. Replace the batteries twice a year, such as when changing your clocks.

Don’t Let Fall Sneak Up on You

By completing this fall maintenance checklist, you can go into fall with a high-functioning HVAC and peace of mind. Preventative maintenance and tune-ups keep your costs lower and your HVAC in business longer.

As leaves turn and you look forward to time with family and friends in your home, trust Rick’s Heating & Cooling in Cincinnati and the Warren County area to tune up your HVAC for fall and winter fun. Contact us today!

3 Ways To Extend the Life of Your Central Air Conditioner

Your central air conditioner is at the center of your home’s comfort during those hot and humid days, working tirelessly to keep you comfortable when the heat is on. But like with any system, it eventually experiences wear and tear over time. The average lifespan of most air conditioners is 10 years. However, there are ways to keep your AC running efficiently for up to over 15 years. In this blog, you’ll learn the three most effective ways to extend the life of your air conditioner so you can enjoy years of continued cooling comfort.

Keep the Outdoor Unit Clean

Your AC’s outdoor unit plays a vital role in keeping your home cool. However, it can’t do its job if it’s buried under leaves, twigs, and other debris. When anything blocks the airflow, the unit must work harder, ultimately reducing your AC’s efficiency and performance. Plus, dirt and grime can build up over time, clogging the coils and reducing the system’s ability to cool your home. So, give your outdoor unit a little TLC by cleaning it regularly and giving it more years of reliable service.

Change the Air Filter Regularly

The air filter in your AC system is responsible for catching all the dirt, dust, and other airborne particles and preventing them from circulating in your home. But if the filter gets too clogged, it restricts airflow, forcing your system to work harder than it should. This can lead to premature wear and tear, reduced efficiency, and eventual system failure. Luckily, all you need to do is make a habit of changing out your air filter once every month. A clean filter means better airflow, less strain on your system, and a cooler, more comfortable home for years to come.

Schedule Regular HVAC Maintenance

Even the best-maintained systems need a professional touch now and then. Scheduling regular HVAC maintenance helps catch potential problems before they become costly repairs. A professional technician can perform a thorough inspection, identify any issues that may go under your radar, and take preventative measures to keep your system running efficiently.

While you should always be performing basic maintenance on your AC, it’s recommended to schedule professional air conditioning maintenance at least once a year to help extend the life of your air conditioner. This way, you can be sure your AC is ready to tackle the summer heat without breaking a sweat.

Keep Your AC Running Smoothly With Rick’s Heating & Cooling

By keeping the outdoor unit clean, changing the air filter regularly, and scheduling professional maintenance, you’ll enjoy a cooler home, lower energy bills, and a longer-lasting AC unit. Extend it even longer with air conditioning services with Rick’s Heating & Cooling. With 24/7 emergency service, free estimates on replacement quotes, and a Better Business Bureau accreditation, we’ve been the experts to trust since 1986.

Keep your air conditioner running for longer when you choose Rick’s. Schedule your next AC service with one of our technicians today.

5 Benefits of Regular AC Maintenance

Technician is checking air conditioner. Air conditioning, HVAC service technician using gauges to check refrigerant and add refrigerant.

Incorporating regular AC maintenance into your home care routine is a powerful investment to protect the efficiency and lifespan of your cooling system. HVAC professionals can spot early signs of natural AC wear and tear and often make minor adjustments to correct small problems … before they become costly repairs.

Rick’s Heating & Cooling technicians help homeowners save money and preserve their comfort with year-round AC maintenance checks. Our HVAC inspections target common issues, and address indoor air quality too.

We encourage our Cincinnati customers to schedule routine AC checks, especially before the summer when you’ll need your cooling most. Here are five reasons why regular maintenance is essential. Enjoy benefits like:

1. Better Air Quality

When an AC unit is in top shape, you’ll breathe easier. Literally.

Indoor air quality is often overlooked in home comfort, but it’s critical to health and safety. An AC unit plays a large role in indoor air quality since it recirculates cooled air through filters or ductwork. If air conditioning filters aren’t clean, you run the risk of inhaling stall, contaminated air.

During an AC maintenance service, we’ll clean filters and ductwork, reducing allergens while replenishing the air supply in whatever room you’re cooling.

2. Better Energy Efficiency

A well-maintained AC unit operates more efficiently, which means higher savings and lower costs on energy bills.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that by “combining proper equipment maintenance with appropriate care,” homeowners can cut AC energy consumption by as much as 20% to 50%. A trained HVAC professional will address inefficiencies or energy leaks you may be experiencing, guaranteeing your home is kept insulated and cool.

Regular AC maintenance isn’t just useful; it’s smart.

3. Longer Life Expectancy

Homeowners typically expect their central AC systems to last 10 to 15 years before needing replacement. However, most homeowners neglect the importance of routine AC tune-ups.

Maintenance helps extend the lifespan of your AC by minimizing the impact of regular use on its inner components, including fan and blower motors. A properly maintained air conditioner can outlive an unmaintained unit by up to five to seven years. If regularly checked, your AC can function for up to 20 years.

4. Fewer Costly Repairs

HVAC professionals agree that over 80% of expensive air conditioner repairs are preventable with low-impact, straightforward maintenance. Replacing evaporator coils and compressor parts or reversing the damage of refrigerant leaks are costly endeavors that typically worsen if left untreated.

We take a proactive approach by catching AC issues early. During a routine tune-up call, we’ll look for clogged air filters, dirty coils, or thermostat irregularities. Our AC repair services diagnose and then solve a range of common to complex problems.

5. Better Comfort

Nothing is more inconvenient or uncomfortable than your AC cutting out on a scorching day. When Morrow temperatures soar as high as 90 degrees F, whole-home cooling becomes necessary.

AC maintenance services ensure that your air conditioning unit produces a consistent, effective, cool air output. A fully functioning AC is responsive to temperature settings and can quickly meet a thermostat’s demands.

Why Choose Rick’s Heating & Cooling?

Routine AC maintenance promotes better air quality and enhanced comfort, plus offers countless cost-saving and energy-efficient benefits. Rick’s Heating & Cooling technicians provide our Mason homeowners with premium air conditioning services, focusing on preventative, long-lasting care. As AC experts you can trust, we take it upon ourselves to treat our customers like family, leading with transparency, integrity, and professionalism.

Schedule an AC maintenance service for your Cincinnati, OH, home today! Enjoy these benefits, and many more, with a professional tune-up or repair.

How To Replace Air Filters in Your Cincinnati Home

Replacing the filters on your HVAC system as necessary is an important part of maintaining healthy air quality, protecting your system against wear and tear, and keeping air flowing freely for high energy efficiency and a lower risk of your system overheating or freezing over.

air vent cleaning to fix air filter cleanliness

Below, the experts at Rick’s Heating and Cooling discuss how to replace air filters, including when you should do so, how to ensure you have the right size, and other decisions you might need to make.

How Often Should You Replace Air Filters

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as it’s a factor of two things: the air quality in your home, which is to say how much dirt, dust, mold, pollen, and other debris is passing through the filter, and the MERV rating of the filter, which is to say how small the openings are and thus how much it’s pulling out of the air that passes through it.

Poor indoor air quality and a high MERV rating can lead to a home that needs to replace air filters every month — or more — while more normal air quality and air filter ratings will have you replacing them once every season. It’s important to check your filter regularly to see how dirty it’s become, in addition to considering manufacturer recommendations on the matter.

How To Find the Right Air Filter

Air filters are largely interchangeable so long as you have the right size, but you’ll need to pay attention to that size — all three dimensions can be different, so make sure you match not just the height and width but the thickness of the current filter. It should be written right on the existing air filter — if not, or if you don’t have one, check your manufacturer’s guide for the right measurements. You should be able to find instructions and measurements online by looking up your model at the maker’s website if all else fails.

You’ll also be choosing MERV ratings, which means understanding your options. MERV ratings range from 1 to 16, with higher numbers removing a larger number of smaller particles. You might also see HEPA filters, which are filters with a particular pleated design rated to remove 99.97% of particles.

A higher MERV rating or a HEPA filter will give you better air quality, but they might need to be replaced much more often. Too high a rating will reduce airflow and put your system under increased strain, increasing energy costs and potentially leading to problems over time. For this reason, most sources recommend a MERV rating between 8 and 10, with homes in need of more stringent air quality improvements going as high as 13.

In almost all cases, filters 14 to 16 and HEPA filters are overkill for a home HVAC system and less efficient and safe than tailored indoor air quality solutions such as air purifiers.

Replacing Your Filter

Once you have your replacement filter in hand and know it’s time to do so, replacing it is almost always a breeze. Most systems come with one of two designs: a slot for your air filter to slide into or a large opening behind an intake grate that you’ll cover with the filter before replacing the grate. If you’re lost on where your filter goes, you should look up the manufacturer’s instructions based on your model.

Fortunately, that’s the entirety of the process — pull the old filter out and put the new one where it was. If your filter is the right size, it shouldn’t require force or effort — at worst, it might be slightly snug, but a properly sized filter shouldn’t be forced.

Get More Help With Your Cincinnati Home’s Air Filters

If you’re lost somewhere in this process or your system needs professional maintenance or repairs, let the experienced HVAC technicians at Rick’s Heating & Cooling deliver outstanding service today. We’re available 24/7 for emergency service, offer free estimates on replacement quotes, and treat every customer like family. So you’ll always have someone you can count on for stress-free HVAC services in the Cincinnati area.

Ready to learn more about our HVAC services or need help replacing air filters today? Contact Rick’s Heating & Cooling now and speak to a team member about your home heating and cooling needs.

Three Common Signs Your AC Needs To Be Repaired

Air conditioners are no strangers to the ravages of time. Every minute of operation brings debris and dust with it. Filters become clogged, fins are bent out of place, and electrical connections become loose. Without routine maintenance, your system will break down, but the signs are often subtle.

An efficient air conditioner operates invisibly, emitting no unusual noises or odors. You might have a blockage or electrical fault if you’ve noticed unexpected scents or overheating. Air conditioners are equally prone to overheating, which can quickly destroy expensive components. The cause is often as simple as an old filter or refrigerant leak, but you might need a new fan or capacitor. Let’s take a closer look.

It’s Blowing Hot Air

If your air conditioner is blowing hot air on a scorching day, you’re at risk of a more substantial breakdown. Always treat excess heat as a serious problem. If you’re lucky, you might have an easily repaired blockage or refrigerant leak, but if you’ve experienced a tripped breaker, your outdoor condenser might have powered off. If you experience another trip, leave it off and call for a repair.

Your air conditioner produces water as a byproduct that’s eliminated via a drainage system. If this line becomes clogged or develops a leak, you might need a technician’s assistance. Before you call your trusty Rick’s technician, check that your thermostat is correctly set and the batteries are still functional.

It’s Making Strange Noises

Air conditioner maintenance is imperative to a healthy, durable system. Without an annual service, your unit might become noisy, but not all sounds are serious. You might hear:

Banging

A faulty compressor usually causes this. Components may have worked themselves loose, causing detached parts to hit your compressor’s frame.

Screeching

A faulty fan motor usually causes this sound. Damaged bearings or a broken fan belt might also be the culprits.

Humming

Faulty contactor relay switches tend to make a humming sound. The problem could involve your electrical components, so it’s best to turn your system off until your AC unit repair team arrives.

Buzzing

Buzzing can indicate a hazardous breakdown. Your fan blades might be unbalanced, but you may also have a refrigerant leak. This often leads to overheating, which could destroy an important component.

Clicking

Your system should click when you turn it on, but your thermostat might be faulty if you notice a continuous noise. Rattling is often caused by debris intrusion.

It’s Emitting Unpleasant Smells

Your air conditioner vent should be completely odorless, so if you notice a new scent, assume it’s time to call your AC maintenance team. Every odor has its potential cause.

Mildew

A musty scent could indicate a flaw with your drainage line. A moist unit can quickly develop a mold infestation, so treat this as urgent.

Stagnant Water

The scent of stagnant water is often easily repaired with a quick clean, but if this doesn’t remedy the problem, your drainage system might be clogged.

Rotting

A rotting scent could indicate an injured animal has died in your ductwork. This problem is more unpleasant than it is hazardous.

Burning

Always treat burning as urgent. It could indicate an electrical fault that can quickly become a fire hazard.

Exhaust Fumes

This is another urgent symptom that could indicate a hazardous fluid leakage.

Why Choose Rick’s Heating and Cooling for Your Air Conditioning Repairs?

At Rick’s Heating and Cooling, we know that repairs come with budgetary constraints, so we offer free estimates upfront. Busy days can be repair days because we give our clients a two-hour scheduling time frame. Our 24/7 urgent repair service will soon restore your comfort if your system breaks down amid a heat wave. We’re a BBB-accredited company with 30 years of industry experience. Our clients are our family, so we’ll treat you with integrity and care. Whether you need a simple central air repair or a comprehensive installation, Rick’s Heating and Cooling offers quality you can trust.

Cool down with an AC repair from Rick’s Heating & Cooling. Schedule your next service online today.