Furnace check-up being done, need your advice:

[Stiff Clamp]

My furnace installed in 1979 is currently in good shape. Just had it inspected+cleaned Monday. For $99.
Sure it had some components replaced in the 2010s . . .

 

[WilliamM2]

Probably charges labor "by the book" like a car mechanic, and not straight hourly. They gotta eat too, you know.

As a former computer tech that didn't always get properly paid for my labor, requests like this irk me.

It's not a request, He was there being PAID to do a tune up.

 

[dullard]

I have 20 pleated furnace filters $2 each from Home Depot for ordering a 12 pack. You want a Merv 8 for residential use. More than that and your blower will either struggle or become less efficient which costs more in your power bill. I change them once every 2 months.

Quoting for emphasis. The filter is to protect the furnace/AC. Get a dedicated HEPA air filter unit if you need to remove stuff from the air to protect you from smoke, smog, allergens, etc. Don't try to force your furnace or AC to do the air filtering for your health. It just doesn't work well that way and can lead to large temperature swings in the house, extra electricity use, and wear/tear on the furnace/AC.

MERV 8 is a good recommendation, but maybe consider MERV 6 if your HVAC is especially old.

On topic for the thread, I agree that replacing your own capacitors is simple and cheap. And just always get one more capacitor than you need, so that you never have to deal with an emergency situation caused by a failed capacitor. I once had that emergency and ended up meeting an HVAC guy at the Verizon store as he checked out a new phone on a weekend just so I could buy a capacitor off of his truck.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I just have a basic dust filter in mine, as anything thicker and I find the motor seems to be starved of air and runs faster. I think they are designed to be loaded down a bit.

I built a dedicated air cleaner, although I did it mostly to help with the litter box smell. But it probably also helps for the dust and dander somewhat. It has a dust filter, merv 13 hepa filter, and carbon filter in that order.






I still need to paint it and I want to do some modifications to the top area since right now it's just loose. That part is mostly to muffle the fan sound and it works surprisingly well as is. I may experiment with foam or something. The turbo setting is still too loud for my liking for running it that way 24/7.

There's always the cortisol style but I find they take up more space. Ideally I'd almost want this on a stand so it's higher up but I did relocate the grille to the top and it seems to be helping with the cat litter smell at least. Not doing much for dust though, I don't think it's powerful enough at low speed so any dust that doesn't make it directly to the intake will settle elsewhere. Before I screwed in the front part, it would suck the OSB sheet right up with a decent amount of force though so it does have some power to it.

 

[olds]

I keep a spare capacitor here at home in case mine goes out. Was around $25.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I keep a spare capacitor here at home in case mine goes out. Was around $25.

Only times I've ever had to replace a capacitor was when the blower fans went south and afaik it's usually recommended to do both at the same time.

Maybe I just have bad luck with blower fans, though.