Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

DonaldsRump

(7,715 posts)
7. Thanks to all who replied
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 04:07 PM
Sep 2020

Your advice was well-taken.

I had the duct cleaning folks come in yesterday, and it was AMAZING what they did. Cleaned all the ducts and patched/replace the ones that had problems. That was what I expected.

What I didn't expect was they removed blowers from both furnaces, completely cleaned them and completely cleaned the furnace itself, the returns, and the vents. Our furnaces now look like they are straight out of the box. I am sure the air we are now breathing is much cleaner.

In that regard, we replaced the cheap filters I had installed with MERV 11 ones that I got from Amazon. They are still one one inch think (not the massive 5 inch thick MERV 16 in my OP), and they should be pretty fine. It's very hot in the Bay Area now (nearing triple digits) and very poor air quality because of the smoke from the fires. However, although we have the windows closed, we are now using the fans from the furnaces without the heat to cool the house down along with a few stand-alone fans. It's working fine. I only realized a few months ago that you could use the furnace fans without the heat to cool the house down. I also checked with our main HVAC company, and they say it's perfectly fine to let the blowers/fans run constantly, which we will do for the next several days with the excessive heat warning and the smoke. Apparently, the greatest damage to the blowers comes when they are turning on and off.

Also, buy your air filters on-line, not at the store. You'll get a much cheaper per unit price and a better selection. I'm going to use this and see how it goes now.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»DIY & Home Improvement»Installing MERV 16 filter...»Reply #7