Changing Filters & Common Breakdowns | #AskDerekCole Episode 89

Hey, on this episode we talk about your air filters and what are the most common problems this time of year. You ask your comfort and energy questions and they get answered. This is the Ask Derrick Cole Show. Hey, this is Derrick Cole. Welcome to episode 89 of the Ask Derrick Cole Show, answering your home and energy questions. And you cannot see it, but we have quite a crowd in here today. You might have heard that little laugh and snort, but that was the audience. How often should I change my air filter? Air filter, something very important for your system. Every 30 days is kind of a good rule to change your filter. I would check them when it's really hot like it's been. I would check them every couple of days just to make sure nothing weird is going on, especially if you have pets, cats, dogs in the house. Sometimes that hair can get airborne and stick on the filter and then cause it to clog up, which will then cause your system not to breathe, which will then cause your system to freeze, which will then cause it to not work, which would then cause you to place a service call, which would then cause us to come out. So you can prevent all that by checking your filter. Change your filter every 30 days and Depending on your system depends on what type of filter you need. If you need to go into air cleaning versus filtration, and then if you need to buy a better filter or a smaller, cheaper filter depending on your duct system. Of course, a professional can tell you which one to buy. The habit I've seen some people get into is either they get the really cheap one Or do you get the really expensive one? Well, the cheap one is not stopping anything. It's barely stopping the dog hair coming through. I mean, you're lucky if it stops it. And the expensive one doesn't allow airflow to go through because your system isn't made to handle that kind of filter. So you need to be careful to make sure you have the right one at your house. What common problems do you see this time of the year? With the, with the heat, you have a lot of capacitors, a lot of motors, a lot of contactors, and really it all goes back to dirt. Dirt is the killer of most air conditioners and heaters. So if you get the unit maintained, the mains cleaned, checked, normally you do not have these kind of problems. If you do not, then It's a whole big process because the motor moves the air. The more you don't change the filter, the more dirt gets on the motor, the harder it has to work, the more energy it uses. And then that goes out and that stops your unit from working. It all goes back to dirt. Dirt is the number one cause of the problem. So you need to make sure your unit is maintenanced, maintained, cleaned, checked. Heating, cooling season, make sure it's checked before you get into that period. So you know you're good to go. And if you go back to the first question, checking and changing your filter, that'll stop a lot of problems. According to Energy Star, this is the one thing you can do, you the homeowner, can do for your system to prevent breakdowns. That's Energy Star saying that, it's not me saying that. So it starts there, then have the unit cleaned, the maintenance, and checked by a professional twice a year, and that will prevent It won't stop the problems, but it will prevent a lot of what's going on in these extreme times when it's really hot or really cold because that system is under load, under stress, and it's going to break. Alright, that's episode 89 of the Ask Derrick Cole Show. Be sure to hashtag your questions #AskDerrickCole and we'll get them on the show.