Disclosure: This article contains a paid product integration by Trane Residential. All views and opinions expressed herein are my own.

Why Change Your Filters?

Your home breathes just like we do. Dust, smoke, dirt, mold, fumes, and other elements from the outside are brought in every time you open a door or window and even with changes in pressure systems due to weather events. These things end up in the air in your home and it’s the responsibility of your heating & cooling system to circulate, collect, and filter these particles out of the air and deliver you clean, temperature controlled air back to keep your home both comfortable and clean.

In order for your heating and cooling systems to work properly, they need to be able to pull air in. A filter that is old and dirty is like going for a jog with a plastic bag over your head with only a tiny pinhole poked in it! Not only is your body going to have to work harder to try and keep you going, but you’re also probably not going to make it very far before you collapse due to asphyxiation. Your home’s heating and cooling system is no different. When the filter is plugged or dirty, it has to work harder to do its job. With prolonged neglect, the components will overheat, wear out, or fail entirely which can lead to thousands of dollars in repairs or replacements.

Fortunately changing the air filters in your home is typically one of the simplest (and most inexpensive) DIY jobs a homeowner can do. It usually requires very few (if any) tools so even the most inexperienced people can do it.

How to Locate Your Filter

Depending on your home’s heating and cooling system, you may have one or several filters. Typically a home that has a single furnace/cooling system only has one filter while a larger home that has multiple heating/cooling zones may have more than one. In either case, locating your furnace is usually a good place to start. Check your utility closet, or basement to find your system. The filter on your furnace may be attached to the side in an enclosure, or it may be inside the unit under a cover. If so, turn the power off to the furnace before changing the filter to avoid damaging any components.

If you have a roof mounted or attic based system, the filter may also be mounted to the ceiling in a hallway or living area under a grate. In all cases, the filter is on the air intake/return of your HVAC system as it filters the air that is pulled into the system.

Changing Your Filter(s)

Once you’ve located your HVAC system and filter, all that’s left to do is change the filter!

Step #1: Remove the Cover Grate

Overhead filters usually have a grate door which can swing down to access the filter, while furnace filters may be under the unit or beside it. Some filters may be held in with a wire or retaining clip.

Step #2: Remove the Dirty Filter

You know a filter is in need of replacement if you have trouble seeing light through it, or it is visibly dirty. When in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to replace it especially if it’s been more than 6 months since it was last changed.

Step #3: Make Sure You Buy the Proper Size Replacement

Knowing the size of the air filter you are replacing is important to make sure you are replacing it with the proper sized replacement. The size of your filter is listed on the filter itself typically as a 3 number combination (e.g. 16 x 25 x 1) When shopping for a replacement filter, you will need these numbers to buy the correct replacement.

For replacement filters, I recommend you use the new Trane Comfort Performance Filters which you can find at Walmart.com. Trane has been a leading manufacturer of HVAC systems for decades and their new Comfort Performance filters are compatible with virtually all HVAC systems.

Step #4: Replace Your Air Filter

Before re-installing your filter, it’s a good idea to place the date on the side of the filter so you have a reference for when it was last changed next time you check it. It’s also not a bad idea to set yourself a reminder on your calendar to change it again in 3-6 months.

Reinstall your new air filter (paying attention to the arrow on the side that indicates air flow direction), re-attach any retaining wires or clips, and close any grates or doors that you previously opened to access the filter. Also be sure to remember to turn the power back on to the furnace or system if you turned it off.

So that’s it for this project! It’s a simple periodic maintenance task you should add to your to-do list to keep your home’s HVAC system in good shape. It’s inexpensive, and will keep your system running properly for years if you keep up with it. Much like your car, regular preventative maintenance goes a long way towards keeping your home in good working order.

Thanks for reading this article. If you enjoyed it, here are some other projects you might also enjoy. See you next time!

5 DIY Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

10 Ways to Warm Your Home and LOWER Your Energy Bill

How to Monitor Your Homes Energy Usage

In this project I’m going to show you how to monitor your home’s energy usage by installing a Sense Home Energy Monitoring Device that you can monitor right from your phone or tablet. This device allows you to view your home’s energy usage in real-time on your phone. With that information you can determine which areas of your home to focus on improving.

Disclosure: This video and article contains an unpaid product integration by Sense. All views and opinions expressed herein are my own.

One of the things I’m very passionate about is finding ways to make my home more energy efficient. A few months ago I learned about a product called Sense. Sense is an energy monitoring device that installs into your breaker panel and allows you to see how much power each device in your home uses. You can use that information to make more energy efficient improvements to your home. 

Disclaimer:

I’d like to remind you that I am not a licensed electrician. If at any point you are not comfortable tackling this project on your own, please reach out to an electrician that can help you with the installation. This is designed to be a guide to show you how it can be done, but does not replace the expertise or knowledge of a licensed electrician. 

Installing the Device:

The first step to installing this device is unpacking the box and taking a look at all the components. The package contains with a device monitor, an antenna, 2 sensor clips, a power cable, and an optional mounting bracket.

Next you’ll have to get access to your main breaker panel, and shut the power off. Remove the cover panel and have a look at your breaker setup. This device requires that it be wired into a dual pole 220v breaker which is not included in the kit so if you don’t have one available that you can tap into, you’ll have to buy one that matches your panel. If you do need to purchase a breaker, you’ll also have to verify that your breaker panel has space available to install it.

Installing the Antenna

Once you’ve verified you have space available for the install, remove a knock out from the panel box and install the antenna into the hole. From there you can connect the antenna to the device monitor itself. If you don’t have room inside the panel, you can use the optional monitor bracket to install it outside the panel.

Wiring the Device

Install your new breaker if you need to or connect the wiring to your existing breaker. The black and red wires connect to the breaker itself, and the white wire attaches to the neutral bar in your panel.

Connecting the Service Clips

Now this is where things get dangerous if you’re not familiar with your panel box. You’ll need to connect the current sensor clips around the service legs coming into your panel. These 2 wires ARE ALWAYS LIVE even if your panel box is shut off. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TOUCH THEM. In my case, these wires are hidden underneath the meter on the panel which is secured by the power company with a lock which I didn’t have a key for. So I called my local power company and asked them to come out and shut off the power and remove the lock so that I could access those wires. Since they shut the power service off to the house, there was no danger of me being shocked when I connected the clips. Once I had them installed, they replaced the meter and turned the power back on.

Once I had the wiring all connected, I removed the necessary knockouts on the cover of my breaker panel, reinstalled it, and turned the main power back on at the breaker. From there, the device fires up and starts it’s process.

Download and Set Up the App

Next I downloaded the Sense App on my phone, and began the setup process. It connects via WiFi and prompts you to setup your device. Once logged in, it takes a couple days to calibrate and then it starts the process of identifying devices around your home.

Identifying Devices

The device shows exact energy usage in real-time and starts to identify different devices around your home automatically. It has a smart learning algorithm that can determine which devices are which and starts to label them around your home. You can verify or change the name of the device right in the app. As more homes connect to the app, it continues to learn and define new devices.

You can go around and flip devices on and off and see the effect on your energy usage in real-time. And you can set goals with notifications to keep your energy consumption down, see which devices are using the highest percentage of power, get pretty accurate estimates on your energy bills by inputting your typical costs. They also offer a solar option which will tell you how much energy your solar panels are producing and how much they are offsetting your energy bill if you have solar panels.

Review

Overall, this is a really cool device. It’s helped me realize how inefficient my home is when it comes to heating and air conditioning. I didn’t realize how many hours those devices run on a daily basis which drastically affects my utility bill. Moving forward I’ll be taking that information to continue to invest in ways to offset that energy usage.

I think a device like this can definitely be useful for someone like myself who owns an older, fixer upper that is looking to improve its efficiency. The Sense device can help tell you where your energy and thus where your money is going. This can help you prioritize where you focus your remodel efforts. And over time, this could save you a lot of money. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this project. I’d like to thank the Sense team for sending over this device and allowing me to test it out. 

Check out some of my other home energy & electrical tutorials:

10 DIY Ways to Warm Your Home and Lower Your Heat Bill

How to Install a Post Lamp