Is your Furnace Filter Making You SICK?
Air conditioner filters commonly used in residential applications are often inefficient, low cost furnace filters purchased from a local hardware store. These filters generally consist of a cardboard frame housing fiber mats or blankets of varying thickness, fiber sizes, and densities. Manufacturers recommend changing these filters regularly, however, homeowners rarely follow such recommendations.
As a result, particulate buildup on the filter increases thereby increasing the pressure drop or resistance across the furnace filter. When this occurs the airflow naturally seeks the path of least resistance. Since the thin cardboard filter frames provide a poor perimeter seal, when the resistance increases, air tends to leak around the frame edges thereby completely avoiding filtration.
One company recently received a US patent for a new, efficient, air conditioning filter incorporating a plurality of filtration methods in series configuration for optimum filtration performance and low resistance. The invention comprises: a rigid frame custom fabricated and sized for a conventional air handling unit filter track, a gasket attached to the frame for providing a seal to prevent air bypass, a conventional replaceable dry-type filter media, viscous impingement media, and an electrets or electrostatic filter, arranged in series.
These new furnace filters have been engineered to eliminate the many problems found in ordinary furnace filters. They are available through air conditioning companies and home inspectors; you can also find them on the internet by searching Air Sponge Filters.
articlecity.com
Furnace Filter
Regular furnace maintenance is indispensable to keep your home’s cooling or heating system in top condition. Cleaning a furnace can be cumbersome to some homeowners but knowing that the build up of dust and debris in the system can create friction and a possible fire hazard, they should deem it important. There are lots of professional services offering furnace and duct cleaning using the right tool to fully reach down and target the dirt accumulated in your HVACs furnaces. However, there are simple tools that are easily accessible right in your nearest hardware store that can let you clean your own furnace and spare yourself from spending with labor.
Check out these simple steps on how you can go about cleaning your own furnace filter.
1. Disconnect the power and fuel sources. You don’t want your first furnace filter maintenance job to be your last so keep it mind that you are working on an electrical appliance. Never work with the electrical wires unplugged. As an additional safety measure, in gas and oil furnaces, the pilot light and fuel supply needs to be shut off.
2. Locate your furnaces maintenance service panel. You can refer to the user manual to see if you might need any tool to accomplish this task. Some furnace doors open by hand, while others are screwed in or fastened so you may need a screwdriver or other simple tool to open it.
3. Locate the furnace filter. The furnace filter is that spongy like piece of object that sits between the furnace and the air duct. It has a width of 1 inch or slightly more than that.
4. Once you locate the filter, take it out from the furnace. If you have a reusable filter, you can just take it out and clean all the dirt from the filter with your garden hose. Let it dry before replacing it. If you have a disposable filter, you can just replace it with a new one.
5. Clean the areas where the filter sits. You can use an old toothbrush to get into the furnace�s blower and smaller spaces and thus effectively remove accumulated dust and debris.
6. Replace the filter and put back any safety cover that you have removed. Check to see if everything is in order, if yes, you can reconnect the furnace and turn it on. If you have an electrostatic air filter, simply take it out, wash it with a hose an place it back in the filter tracks.
7. Run the furnace for a few minutes and observe if there are unusual sounds or smell coming out. If you smell burning wires or are hearing crackling sounds for prolonged period of time, shut down the furnace and call in a furnace and duct cleaning professional.
A clean furnace is the number one thing to keep heating or cooling equipment running at its peak performance along with maintaining its life span. Checking your air filters for blockage at least once a month, especially if you use continuous heat throughout the winter season, can not only increase your furnaces’ efficiency but it can also cut down your bills and save your family from possible respiratory health issues as well.
articlecity.com