Furnace tip

JcMack · #1 10-17-2009, 08:15 AM

I had my 25 yr old furnace checked last week by a local company. The guy re iterated to me that you shouldn't use the popular allergen filters (dust, mold trappers) in your older furnace. Stick to the fiberglass cheapo free flow filters. Old furnaces were not designed for anything but free flow filters. If you use the dust trappers it's like covering the cold air returns. The heat exchanger may overheat and crack. Maybe everybody knows this.

HEADKNOCKER · #2 10-17-2009, 08:29 AM

This is True!! The Cheapo Blue filters that cost about 50 cents are better for older furnaces..
Another tip would be to clean your furnace before startup to heat every fall.
If your handy only, remove the burners, usualy one screw per burner & tap them out on smothing solid & vacume the rust/debris in each chamber of the heat exchanger + the burners, also make sure the gas opening is clear on each nozzle with a paperclip etc.
On newer power vent furnaces there's a rubber hose that attaches to the exhaust vent fan housing & runs to a preasure/suction switch, These are known for getting a small piece of carbon on the inside of the fan housing & preventing switch activation, You can remove the hose from the fan housing & insert a paperclip or propper sized drill bit into the opening to open it up.. This is the #1 repair done by most HVAC techs & they'll charge you $100+ plus cleaning & service call..
I've been a Maintenance Tech for 10+ Years..
Be Safe if your unsure of anything & have it looked at by a Pro & be ready to PAY..
Gary/Hk

gunlovingirl · #3 10-17-2009, 08:32 AM

Good tip. I have a heat pump (hate it) and use the allergen filters. While it may cut down on dust, I still sneeze a lot. A little story about furnace filters and a good friend of mine in another state. She was recently divorced and I would occasionally make the 6 hour drive to spend a weekend with her. She was telling me about her ridiculously high electric bills. I asked her if she had changed the furnace filter recently. She said she didn't even know where the filter was. We went to the basement and I showed her where the filter was and how to change it. I was shocked when I pulled the old one out. It literally looked like it had a coating of tar on it! Completely black. Almost looked like it was black plastic coated. We went to Walmart and picked up a pack of filters and I told her to get into the habit of changing the filter every month, even if it didn't look bad. They're cheap. I have never in my life saw a filter that looked like hers. It was obvious her ex hadn't changed it either. I'm surprised there was any air at all coming out of the registers. If you know someone who may not know about filter change or how to do it, maybe an elderly person, take a few minutes to check their furnace out. To most of us, it's a simple habit. But to some, like my friend, it may be something they aren't even aware of.

Jack Flash · #4 10-17-2009, 09:39 AM

Quote:

If you know someone who may not know about filter change or how to do it, maybe an elderly person, take a few minutes to check their furnace out.

Good suggestion!

I changed my Mom's furnace filter last year some time, then at the beginning of the heating season she asked me to look at it. It was so full of airborne lint, it looked like a piece of shag carpet! How did I let it go that long? A pack of new filters I had bought her were setting right there.

Forgetfulness, (I'm not exactly a kid myself), is my only excuse. Now it's on my list of things to check when I visit.

mtb1bkr · #5 10-17-2009, 03:07 PM

I use the cheapo ones on my new furnace/AC. Mainly because I am a cheapo myself. I aint afraid of no allergens, God but them here, I'll deal with them. My wife and oldest child have some allergy problems, but not terrible. My Daughter and I don't have much trouble with them. We have two dogs and used to have a parrot, so we're all pretty acclimated to the allergens. Plus, our current location doesn't have much for allergens.

Bill

mtgianni · #6 10-19-2009, 12:16 PM

Also if your dealer has installed a system with 2" filters that are only available from him for $17.50, [2] 1" filters fit into that rack just fine.

Amici · #7 10-19-2009, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtb1bkr

I use the cheapo ones on my new furnace/AC. Mainly because I am a cheapo myself.

That may be a false economy. My new system was DESIGNED around the thick (3"+) filters, which keep out the allergens AND the dust that otherwise accumulates in the ductwork. The filter is large, with deep pleats - I am sure there is no restriction beyond what the system was designed around.

Seeing how much garbage it traps and remembering how little was in the cheap, thin, old fiberglass filters tells me I'm doing the right thing.

fiasconva · #8 10-19-2009, 05:13 PM

Another good tip my HVAC dealer told me to do with the cheapo filters is to spray them with your wife's hair spray or something like that before you install them. They will pick up even more dust particles that way.

Spotteddog · #9 10-19-2009, 09:54 PM

What MT said above!
The older equipment isn't rated with the same level of "make up air" the new stuff is. And Jack, YES by all means check any oldsters furnace filters!
(Thanks Jack!)

gunsmith11 · #10 10-20-2009, 10:07 AM

What is considered old, mine was installed in 1996

ecam8000 · #11 10-20-2009, 11:02 AM

I addded one of the electronic filters. The unit was a couple hundred, but it flows well and zaps everything. My wife said the dusting in the house has decreased a bunch. The down side is where/who to install it. The plus is when the clean me light comes on, the "filters" takes a bath in the sink and left to dry. With the money I'm saving on filters, I should get paid back in another 40 years or so.