Changing the Furnace Filter

This is one of those chores I hate. We seem to have the most inconvenient filter placement in our last two furnaces. *grumble* It has been completely worth it though. I felt like I wasn't recovering from a cold -- mild sore throat, a little congested for weeks -- until I changed the filter. All better now. It hadn't been *that* long but still looked like a cat had nearly been sucked through with all the fur. I need to write a reminder on my calendar.

[alison]

I like your status.

Oh wow, I'm surprised (in a good way) that cleaning the furnace has helped with the congestion.

[spotty_dog]

Yeah, ours requires that you remove the front panel then unscrew two screws and then you can access the filter. And the furnace manual recommends that you check it every 3 weeks! Aiyaiyai!

[BonBon]

I like your status, too.

We change our filter on the first day of each season. In our first house I don't think we EVER changed it (we were there for 3 years!) and the second house a contractor pulled it out a year after we moved in and looked at us like we were nuts. LOL. I think we had a whole cat on there.

Spotty...every three weeks?! Who has time for that?

I put that status up on Friday and what do you know, it still applies today!

Our furnace is every 3 months, I believe. What is with all the screw removal and wires running near the filter and all that? THe furnace at our last house had TWO filters to change and I started wearing gloves to avoid cutting myself on the metal. Not that I want to do it any time soon, but if we have to replace this furnace, I'm asking about the filter access on a new one.

[houseelf]

Let my experience serve as a warning to others. We burnt out a component by not changing ours often enough. It was a cold, $200 lesson.

Kelly

[poky]

Our renters burned out a component by not changing the filter on the furnace in the house in Oregon. It was closer to $500 for that. We have "change filter furnace" in the rental agreement, now, so if it happens again, it's their cost, not ours, at least. That one is slightly difficult to get to, but not absolutely horrible, we did it every few months the whole time we lived there.

Our furnace here is *so* civilized. it's out in the open (since the half the basement with the furnace and laundry area is all part of the air circulation system). I see it every single time I do a load of laundry, and it's a 20 second job to change it. I change it when it starts looking dirty. Oh, and Costco carries the filters in a 3-pack, too. Yay!

Ours is super simple, it's just a drop in. My bigger issue is that dh seems to see changing the furnace filter as one of those expensive "conspiracies", and will always argue that we "just did it last month". I've just started doing it when he's not around.

[BonBon]

ours is a drop in too, I had no idea that there were more complicated ones than that. This house has two furnaces, and the builder wanted to put them BOTH in the freaking attic!!!! yeah, I put the kibosh on that one. (attic access is via a stepladder through a tiny hole in the master closet ceiling...um yeah)

[Momo]

We MUST change ours @ the very least every 3 months. My older brother used to be a heating and air guy, he said go ahead and just buy the cheaper Ace hardware version ($3 to $5), then buy spray charger for the air/furnace filter and coat both sides. By doing this you increase the ability to catch a lot more dust, dirt, hair and allergens w/out paying for the more expensive 3M brands.

[spotty_dog]

In Phoenix we changed our filter monthly, I think it was in the rental contract to do so. That dust is a bear!

[DCJenn]

Our HVAC system that cost more than my car, (a lot more, in fact) has one of those fancy, never have to change the filter systems. Except you DO have to vacuum the "pre-filter" once a month or so. Then apparently there's the filter, then there's the electromagnetic dohickey. All I know is that I have two cats and two dogs and a SIL who is allergic who was able to stay in my house w/ nary a sneeze.

The HVAC guys come every six months and wave their magic wand at the dohickey and go on about their business.

Jenn

Wait, furnaces have filters??

Shoot. Lately I have been trying to psych myself up to take ownership of home maintenance things. But I have not progressed from identifying problems and calling repair people to actually doing anything myself.

Guess I'll add this to the list of things to look into!

[Momo]

In Phoenix we changed our filter monthly, I think it was in the rental contract to do so. That dust is a bear!

I bet you did; my brother also said anyone w/pets must change it more frequently. We just had the 3rd driest monsoon in 12 years and Awahtukee really was dry...something about those darn mountain ranges that steer any PHX area precip away from us ! Needless to say the dust is AWFUL this year!

[spotty_dog]

I bet you did; my brother also said anyone w/pets must change it more frequently.

That thing was *nasty* when we'd change it. Freakin' fur balls.

Sam, there are so many wonders of home ownership waiting to be discovered! Make sure you are vacuuming the refrigerator condenser coils every 3-6 months! And if you're in a cold climate you may wish to winterize your outside faucets around now.