My husband and I have spent a lot of time consulting with an architect. After living in our cramped, starter home for the past 11 years, we were finally ready to make some needed changes to it. We have added an extra 600 square feet of space onto our house. Before the construction began, we finalized the plans for our new heating and air conditioning unit with our HVAC contractor. Because our home was going to be substantially bigger than it is now, we purchased a larger HVAC system. We also installed a new, digital thermostat inside my home. On this blog, I hope you will discover the best types of HVAC units to buy for mid-size homes. Enjoy!
Does it seem like your heat or AC don't seem to be pumping as strongly as it used to? If you are having airflow issues, you might be able to fix the problem on your own. Often, the issue lies in the furnace. This article explains how to clean the furnace filter and pump to ensure that you don't have airflow issues with your heat or AC. These are simple DIY jobs that could completely fix your problem.
Check and Change the Filter
The first thing you should do is check and clean your furnace filter. Often, you don't even need to open up the furnace cabinet to clean the filter. Some units have the filter on the outside of the main cabinet. It is usually located in a compartment or slot within the ducts, near where the duct is attached to the cabinet. If so, you will probably be able to just pull the filter out of place without any tools.
When you pull the filter out, inspect it. Most filters are white so you can immediately tell how much dust buildup there is. Some people try and clean the filter, but this does not work very well. The filter ridges are made out of felt that is very sticky. Even with a powerful hose vacuum, it can be hard to get all the dust off of it. Luckily, furnace filters are cheap and very easy to replace. To make sure you have no problems matching the size of your filter, you can just take your old one to the store. Most filters are similarly sized, so you want to be 100% sure that you find the exact fit. It is also very important that you clean out the empty filter compartment before you put the new one in place. You will need a narrow attachment for a hose vacuum to do this. You might also need a flashlight so you can actually see inside the compartment as you are cleaning it.
Cleaning the Furnace Pump
The furnace pump is also very easy to clean, but you will need to open up the cabinet. The furnace pump is a small plastic box that is about the size of a shoebox. This box has tubes leading out of either end and has vents on the sides. It is most important that you vacuum out the vents to make sure that dust is not blocking the airflow into the pump. You might as well vacuum out the entire furnace cabinet while you have it opened up.
With a clean filter and pump, your system will probably be cheaper to run. Contact a professional, such as Advanced Heating & Cooling, if this doesn't solve your problem.
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