Air Filter & HVAC Tips
- Change your home air filter! This may seem obvious but many of us forget to replace or at least check our home’s system filter regularly.
- Please be sure your filter is the correct size. Any air that can squeeze by any gaps will. This could cause dirt, dust, and other debris to reach the equipment and cause major problems.
- Do you hear a clang every time your heating or air comes on? It could be that the filter is a little loose in the grille holding it in place. The air sucking through pulls it up and it hits the metal frame causing a bang. It is totally normal, but annoying, so you can take the filter out and run a little strip of foam tape around the edge of the metal for a more snug fit.
- Make sure that if there is an arrow printed on the filter that the arrow is pointed TOWARD the furnace. This is the direction the air is flowing. From inside the house toward the system.
- If you have to change your HVAC filter in a ceiling application, switch the thermostat fan to the “on” position before opening the metal frame grille. This will make sure the filter stays put and doesn’t fall on your head as you are replacing it. It also holds the new filter in place while you lock the grille back into place.
Other Tips to Remove Allergens
- Portable air cleaners will only clean the area within a small radius of the unit. Tests have been done over the years regarding claims on effectiveness and how well they clean the air, and it isn’t much. Consider a whole-home air purifier if you are serious about indoor air quality.
- Turn the thermostat fan to “on” or “circulate” in the spring and fall when you aren’t typically running the heat or the air conditioning. This will run the air in the home through the filter and help clean it during the peak allergy seasons.
- Do you commute a lot? You will want to check the air cabin filter on your car and make sure that it is replaced regularly. They typically will check it when you have your oil changed, replace it when it gets gunky. We all tend to spend a lot of time in our cars and this can help those of us with the worst of the seasonal allergies.
- Take a shower before bed! I know it sounds like a strange tip, but as a lifelong allergy sufferer, I had a doctor recommend this to me and it makes a world of difference. Scrubbing all of the gunk off your hair and body before slipping into a comfy dream state will (hopefully) make you rest easier.
If you like these HVAC tips, please share! If you have any other questions about how to best navigate your heating and cooling system with allergy season, please reach out to us here or at the office 916-481-0658.