Did you know that you are supposed to change your home’s air filter?
Yeah. That is one of those things that I did not learn as a homeschooler.
Or maybe I am just that naive to think that air does not need filtering. That we breathe in rainbows and fairy dust. ONLY rainbows and fairy dust. Not dirt and pollutants. Or toxic waste that has gone airborne. If only I was right. But alas, we DO live in a dirty dirty world (and I ain’t talking just about politician’s love life) and because of all that grime, our home’s air does need a little filtering once in a while. And when I say once in a while, I mean every three months at the very least. That’s what my very-non-homeschooled boyfriend Jeremy taught me.
He also taught me how to change the filter in our beast of a furnace. He’s romantic like that 🙂
First, we have to take the outer metal piece off the furnace.
Ours just slides out…
…and reveals a whole lotta ‘stuff’ including some wires and some pipe-age, and the metal shield on the filter compartment. That shield just needs a screwdriver to remove it from the furnace.
Then the filter is in the side area – and just needs to be slid out. It really is so simple a fifth grader could do it. Especially those genius fifth graders on TV.
At this point it is good to take note of which way the air filter is facing. Cause when you replace it, you’re gonna wonder.
Now are you ready for this nastiness?
It’s gross. Really gross. Like grosser than the ticket prices to ComicCon.
Let’s just say that this little sucker has been doing it’s job.
Especially seeing as how they start all fresh and clean like this:
All we did was buy the same size as the one we removed (it’s noted on the cardboard frame) and made sure to take a Sharpie and mark the date on the cardboard frame. Marking the date would ensure us that we would not forget the date we replaced the air filter. Either that or explain the sinus headaches when we forget to replace it on time.
Also, if you are considering buying a filter, we learned that it is a good idea to get a hepa filter if you have allergies. We don’t suffer too badly from allergies so we didn’t worry about that.
After we marked the date, we slid the new filter back into place…
…and then replaced all the metal furnace parts.
SOOooooo simple. And now I am fully equipped to replace the filter all by my lonesome. Pretty sweet since we plan on switching out the old for the new on a bi-monthly basis at the very least.
Very quick, inexpensive and easy fix especially since this one little change can help keep our air condition unit running well. And if we neglected this furnace, it could cost THOUSANDS to repair or replace. Plus, filtering the nasties out of the air can help prevent all sorts of respiratory issues. And with Will in the house, I can not be too careful. Man, am I a good mom or what?! Nominate me for mom-of-the-year for this one 🙂
So there you have it – the lowdown on how we filtered the grossies from our air. Tell me I am not the only one out there that didn’t have any idea that you had to do this task. Please? And are you the filter-changing peep in your home or is your spouse the one that maintains the air? Perhaps now that you know it is oh-so-simple you will be sure to tackle it? Or you might be allergy-ridden and might consider switching to a chemical-coated filter to rid your home from airborne dust, mites, and toxic fairy dust? Either way, I am breathing a little easier. It’s sort of like the same exact feeling I got when Willy is actually free at the end of the movie. I mean, that fatty could have totally died being all whale-outta-water, ya know?
You are totally not the only person that didn’t know. And my handyman husband didn’t know either! I have super bad allergies, and at the time we were renting a townhouse. My allergies had been acting up really bad and someone said “maybe you need to change your air filter more often”. At this point and time we looked at this helpful person like they had three eyes. Both of us had grown up in homes with out central air and electric heat, so air filterwho? So you are totally not alone!!!! Though now I am the air filter queen! And my hubby showed me how to change it all by my little lonesome too 😉
I highly suggest going with a Filtrete 2200 series filter. Consumer Reports rated them as the best furnace filters you can buy.
We used to have one of those wash and reuse filters, switched, and actually noticed a difference, which is kind of gross!
We installed a new programmable thermostat and it actually has a button that allows you to indicate when you put in a new filter. Then it reminds you three months later. It’s kind of handy. Much handier than the location of your filter which seems like a pain to replace.
Ours is right in the floor in the hallway next to the thermostat with a big metal grate over it. It used to be in the wall in the hallway but when they did the renovations before we bought it they moved it and I’m sooooo glad. Since our house was built in 1931 we still have the original “whole house fan” and transoms. Too bad all the windows are painted shut.
I JUST replaced my nasty air filter this week – it was disgusting too! My furnace is easier to replace because it has a little hunk of metal that slides out of the way (no tools needed!). Like you, I never knew about replacing these and when I bought my house, I waited waaaaay to long to change it. I really like the idea of putting the date on it…why didn’t I think of that!? Brilliant – that will make it so much easier to remember! Thanks for the tip!
As an asthmatic with allergies we try to replace ours as often as possible, but our new AC system takes a weird size filter, so the 3M Filtrete filters have to be adapted to fit 🙁
I never knew about air filters either. It was when we were buying our current house our inspector showed us what he was doing and told us how to check and replace it.
Did you put the play by play on the blog so you’d have instructions for yourself when it’s your turn to change the filter? That’s smart thinkin, Katie Bower!!
I worked with a lady once that did not know these things either.
She had a brand new car and did not know she was supposed to change
the oil. It was smoking one day when she pulled in to work and
we (her co-workers) could not believe it. Thank goodness it did not
catch fire.
Inspectors and realtors should have a list of things like this to
tell you. Also, to make sure you apply for your Homestead Exemption
so that you can save money on your property taxes each year.
Instead of marking the date on the filter, I just mark it on our calendar when we should replace it.
I change ours. I noticed we have the same brand furnace but mine is much simpler to change? But then again you have your bf to do it 🙂 http://homeowned.blogspot.com/2010/05/clearing-up-air.html
Wow KB. That is a very extensive task. Every house I’ve lived in has had a furnace that require no removal of a backing at all. They have all slid right out and into an easily accessible slot. So easy in fact, that I wondered how they could really be doing a thorough job. No wonder you didn’t know, you couldn’t see it!