I live in an apt complex where maintenance changes the filters every so often. I fell asleep I guess and missed them knocking on the scheduled day and had the chain on my door. When I called, they said I'd have to do it myself (I guess they were a bit miffed). Well, OK, I've been changing a/c filters for close to 40 years by myself. I could not for the life of me figure out where to put the damn thing!!! Looked up the model number and came here to RU-vid and here's Dustin!! (my son's name by the way) and I saw the tray slide out at the bottom and BINGO! Got it in all my lil ole' 70 yr old self :-) arrows up (cuz that's how the old one was) for the air flow and everything - even dated. I'm so proud! So, thank you Mr. Dustin for your help in posting this for us simple folk. Bless you! ((hug))
Hello Linda , I’m so Glad to help you !!!! I sorry for delays in responding, your my 2nd reply comment ever , but you made me smile 😊 Anything else , don’t hesitate to contact me ;) As I always say , no ? Is a stupid ? We’re All learning all the time !!!! Thanks again !!!!!!!!
Thank you for reminding us about the arrow, adding date the filter was placed and just all the helpful tips! You literally are the only video explaining the arrow and chicken wire on my 3 M filter! Thank you again!!!!
Wao! Thank you very much for all the consulting, it helped me a lot to understand the whole process behind in terms of good maintenance for a couple of dollars versus a great $$$ repair result.
You are Certainly Welcome Luis !!! Glad it helped !!! I also have a couple other videos on other maintenance items in your house that might help as well !!!
You Are Certainly Welcome !!! And also remember to put a cup of vinegar down your A/c pvc drain line to prevent sludge buildup & a unnecessary service call !!!
No need to call service company to come and defrost the coil. Remove the cover, and if you see the coil is iced over, keep system off except maybe the fan and let coil thaw. It may take awhile depending on how bad it is iced. After completely thawing, put in a new filter and then let her rip.
Thanks Grey !!! Great advice , only thing I’ll add , is if it happens again right away , the coolant could be off , causing the freeze or the fan motor could have a problem also , causing the freeze ... But thanks & a hairdryer can help speed up melting process ... Thanks Again!!!
Jasmon, It happens , don’t beat yourself up , Just make sure you change filter once a month , & drop a cup of vinegar down the pvc drain line . I have other video’s & reels that might be useful to you for home maintenance tips , Hope this helps !!! Thanks Dustin
@@ricodeguzman5338 As long as you are not dumping vinegar directly in tray inside airhandlier , The fumes can not cause breakdown of coils !!! ( it’s too watered down for that ) Hope that helps !!!
You’re from Florida ? Must be way different operating than Winnipeg. We change filters quarterly here on our rooftop air handlers and even in suite filters are only once a year since we run a/c only for the summer months
Hey Supercycle , Yes , Orlando , Florida For Residential ( once a month ) It’s summer/hot here 11 out of 12 months A/c is 60% of electricity bills here !!! Anything we can do for efficiency helps !!!
Hi Nasman, The reason is , cause once the filter gets dirty ( it can get sucked up in coil area ) And can cause coil to freeze - cause it’s not getting the air it needs to move the cold So putting on bottom gives you some space between filter & coil area ( if filters dirty ) It goes around filter !!! I hope that was helpful !!! Dustin
Hi Greeter , Ty for your ?, IMO It is better to leave on bottom rack ( my reasoning is , it buys you time if you forget to change filter by accident every month , because when it’s on top & gets dirty , it could suffocate airflow to coils & make them freeze … so bottom rack is way better …, Hope this helps answer your ? Thanks Dustin
Ive been putting my air filter in wrong for soooooo many months . I even saw my maintenance man put it in which is the wrong direction now that i see this video smh
Shantall , No worries, You Don’t Know , What you don’t know , I’m trying to educate homeowners & renters how to keep their maintenance cost down ( especially during these times ) Trust me not All Maintenance Guys Know What they are Doing !!! Glad it was helpful !! Thank you for commenting !! Dustin
Sorry for delay Just seeing this , My gut saying that some of the air will go above the filter And overtime will get into the coils it’s best probably to have a cover door or make something to block it after you put the filter in. Hope that helps you.
Florida power and light just came out to do an energy assessment for me. They said I needed a larger AC return box because it was too small for the size of my air conditioning unit. So I'm going to retrofit that to make it fit the unit but currently my AC filter is on the wall return grille. When I put a new box on he told me to put the AC filter just under the coils and air handler. Is that the best place for the filter? I also heard that the best place for the filter is where I have it located right now on the wall in the grill and I just want to make sure that I'm not doing that wrong. Tyia
Hi Steven, There’s always multiple ways to do something I don’t think it really matters whether it’s in the side or right underneath as long as it’s filtering the air before it goes to the coil !!! Hope that helps
That’s a Great ? , I need to ask some of my A/c tech friends & see if there’s a better material you can use , I will get back to you as soon as I get a answer , Thanks Dustin
the handler is in my garage and has a filter box like your video. i also have a return on a wall in my living room that has a filter. do i need to use both filters? my hvac guy said only use the filter box on the handler. leave the filter off on the one in the house
@@dustinshomesolutions The filter box on the handler is 16x20x1 for a Rheem 2.5 Ton, 2 stage, 15.2 SEER2, 1200 sq ft home. the filter in the living room is 18x20x1. Also can I use the electromagnetized aluminum washable filter rather than the disposable paper filters?
@@memember8447 Yes on electrostatic filters !! ( As long as you can’t see right through it ) And clean it every month!!! The 16x20x1 filter is standard ( more reasonable to buy -if buying filters ) HD & Lowe’s sells in Pack of 3 for very reasonable $) Hope that helps
Dominique Why do you think Closet is soaked Is drain clogged ??? Filter sometimes can get sucked up ( was arrow facing right way (pointed towards coil) What size is filter ???
Hello NewKirk , I’m curious How many filters do you have??? If “1” just once a month, If multiple, (like 3-4) maybe every 3 months!!! Just depends on how many people / animals in the home !!! I have homeowners that only in there homes here one week every couple months ( the filter doesn’t get dirty at all ) But than I have homeowners that have a dog & cat , 4 people living there , filter gets dirty way quicker !!! And should be changed more often!!! Hope that helps !!!
For Everyone else ( Most People Just Have 1 Filter in AirHandler unit ) But some different home types around the country might have filters on walls or ceilings ( I’ve seen 3-4 filters on ceilings - smaller ones - in our neighborhood- there’s home styles that have this ) It’s stinks for homeowners because you have to get on a ladder & chage them etc . Hope that helps !!!
Hey Olivia. Thank you for your feedback. I totally understand. The reason I made the video this way is becuase I recieved a previous feedback that I went too fast. So I try to slow it down for most of my audience. In any case, you can always speed up my video to 2X on RU-vid and it will go faster and straight to the point. Again thanks for watching.
Carrier AC units should come with a tray to hold this filter rather than it just flopping around in it. They could engineer it so that it takes a standard size. but i wouldn't want to break the geniuses hearts. They are way too smart for me. Good Video though!
Your vid is still helping haha. Where can I get a filter box like yours? A/C tech wants to charge me 250.00 to install one. Wondering If i can do it myself. 250 isn't bad though, but just wondering...
Sorry for delay, Just seeing this for 1st time , The a/c company charged $20 off memory, but that was during brand new install when home was built … I’m sure it’s more after the fact , cause you have to retro fit the duct work to make it work , Hope this helps Again , sorry for delay
This was so helpful!!! But I'm still confused on which way to face the filter. The air is sucking upwards. So does that mean the coils should be facing up or down? Right now I have the coils facing upwards and the arrow is pointing up. I just want to make sure that's the right way.
Hello Clarissa, Thank you , Appreciate it, The direction of the arrow on air filter usually represents the airflow direction , so you want the arrow to face upwards like it’s going into the unit ( if Hvac unit is standing upward “most are “) from the bottom of the unit arrow is pointing up ... I hope this helps you & Thank you for your Question
Thank you for taking the time to actually reply to your viewers. This was the exact question I've been looking for In many videos to get answered. So thank you so !!
I would say If the arrow saids airflow next to it , than the arrow faces up towards coil ... If it says nothing , I would have the chicken wire up from experience, I hope this helps you
Hello CCD , Can you upload any pics of it ? But my gut is saying chicken wire up , so it prevents it from getting sucked up in unit ... Maybe arrow was printed on wrong direction, that could happen ... Hope this helps !!!
Any ideas why the air handler runs and also blows cold air in the upstairs zone every time the AC is on downstairs in the downstairs Zone. I have the thermostat off upstairs. Thanks
what about the big filters on the door before the handler? the coil mesh filters or something...? if i have a filter on the grate door. is there one in my unit as well? miller unit, the return is right at the unit
Sorry for delay , Just seeing this , The blue mesh see through ( supposedly washable filters ) they don’t stop the dust as good as a disposable filters, sometimes you have to check there isn’t another filter in unit under coil area ( sometimes it’s in there & you don’t know ) hope this helps Sorry again for delays
Need Help ! My air handling unit has a BAR right in the middle of the filter. It makes it impossible to remove. Is there a Trick to get the old filter out ? I've never seen a bar like this. It's a 1991 American Standard unit. Looks very much like the one in your video.
@@dustinshomesolutions Thanks, I figured it out, there is a "T" bar that the inner side of the filter fits into. It was stuck from rust ! Finally wiggled it loose.
Good to hear you got it , Please don’t hesitate to ask any more ?’s if you run into a issue (Apologize for delays ,Sometimes it doesn’t show me when someone comments, I’ll do a better job scrolling through to make sure I catch them faster ) Ty Have a good 4th of July !!!
Sorry to bother you sir got another question 🙄. My air handler is in a closet like in your video. And I was wondering how big the opening should be under the unit. The filter is on the door. The opening for the return seems a bit small. Wish i could send ya a pic. Since we moved in i notice my ac turns on every 10 to 15 min during the day and about every 30 to 40 min at night. I understand it's alot hotter during the day especially with Temps from 95-100 her in south texas. It's starting to cool off here, yet I feel the ac is working more.
Hello Gregory, Sorry for delay ( new to this , was growing my business )but now I’m here & will try and answer ?’s in a speedient manner... So air goes through return vents , through filter (takes out dust/dirt particles) and than through coil , than fan motor forces it after its cooled or heated to rest of house ... I Always said to my homeowners, If you only did one maintenance item in your home ( change your filter once a month & drop a cup of vinegar down condensation drain (pvc ) @ same time ... Hope this helps !!!! Thanks 4 your ?
Hello Cleo, Sorry for any delays , You would have to measure left to right where filter goes & then you will have to measure (front to back) of where filter goes & it would be most likely 1” thick , Hope this helps Please don’t hesitate to ask anymore ?’s Thanks Dustin
Great ? Ronj, I guess it would really depend on filter & how low compressor air was … It’s worth a shot ( what’s the worst that can happen - it fall apart ) Please let us know how it works out , Thanks in advance
@@dustinshomesolutions yeah the inside unit . I change the filter often and also the outside drainage is clear . I don’t know why the pan inside keep getting water . Any help please ?
Vick , It’s filling up , or water is constantly in pan ??? Here in Florida , units run 99% of the year , so the Pan is always wet & water goes down pvc pipe & goes outside , the water comes from the humidity out of the air , it gets pulled out from the ice cold coil & gets rid of it , cooling down your house also … That’s why a clean filter is important, so coil doesn’t freeze from not getting correct air passage … Sometimes coil can extra wet , from extra humidity in house or the freon isn’t correct , so the unit is out of balance & excess moisture stays in pan/coil area ( sometimes outside unit sweats also … Hope that helped so far If you have more ?’s , don’t hesitate to ask , Thanks in advance Dustin
2nd Attempt : Hello TL , Please check pvc drain line that it isn’t backed up , there’s a sensor usually that will make the thermostat blank if water is backing up , please let me know what you find … If backed up , use a 6 gallon shop vac to suck it out … Should come on within 10 mins after doing that … If so , drop 1/2 gallon of vinegar down drain line to help eat away sludge in lines that remain … Hope this helps!!!
I did that and it wasnt it and I think I didnt explain myself properly. The screen isnt going out, it still works ok. It's the background is turning black as if signifying a dirty filter or dirty something. I changed filters and tried the reset but no change. Do you know of like a smoking detector or something like?
Sorry for delay , Can you tell me what kind of thermostat it is ( ex: nest, etc.) Respectfully I don’t recall there being a smoke detector option on any of the thermostat I’ve seen Also , have you tried calling thermostat company ( to ask them what could this could be) Possibly faulty thermostat ? Hope this helps
Thank you this is the closest I have found on a model close to my air conditioning unit. Do you have any videos cleaning the fan blades as mine probably does need to be clean. We have lived here a few years and the owners never cleaned it nor did they do any upkeep.
I Respectfully Do Apologize in the delay to respond to your ? Here’s the best answer I have for cleaning your fan blades , Shut breaker off & open the air handlier door ( 4 hex head screws) You can get in housing where blades are with a tooth brush & vacuum hose , to get dust/decree off , & maybe wipe down after with wet paper towels to get Grime off , Vinegar can help also , I hope I helped you , if you do have more ?’s , please don’t hesitate to respond ( I promise I’ll answer much quicker ) Thanks Dustin
Hi Daniel , It’s perfectly all right to put it on the top rack. The reason I say put it on the bottom rack is to make sure that you change it each month ( your case - clean it ) if it’s not changed/cleaned and it’s on the top rack it could suffocate the unit and cause unit to freeze… I hope that helps… Daniel, I have a question for you… Your washable filter, Can you see directly through it or can you see a silhouette through it?
@@dustinshomesolutions thanks. You can not see directly through it. In fact im concerned it may be too dense but we do have allergy issues in our home.
Daniel I totally understand , Listen to the air handler unit when it’s running to hear if it is struggling , if not , you will be ok , just make sure once a month your cleaning the washable filter , Hope that helps
My furnace came with a reusable/washable filter. After a few years I decided I wanted better filtration and bought some new filters. They are EXACTLY the same size as the old filter. However, when I put one in, it is a very loose fit where as the old one was a tight fit. I left the new one in for a bit but it was sucked up partially into the furnace. What is the problem??
Hello Christine . It could be a size of filter issue , Some brands make smaller or larger filters ( but they can say the size your unit is calling for ) Experiment with a couple different brands to find one that works for yours ... Also the washable filters from manufacturers are garbage ( they let all the dust right through filter & cause adverse affects on unit & excess dust in house ) But glad your keeping up on the maintenance 👍🏻 Hope this helps !!! Thanks for your ?
Respectfully, Sorry to hear that , My Take on it is , Regardless if they did it intentionally or not , The coil & fan motor would have pretty much suffered same fate because it was a year without a filter or a filter change ... The filter should be change every month , so the dust doesn’t end up on coil & fan motor causing breakdowns ... And it also cost you more in electricity, cause unit struggles more to do it’s job ... I hope that helps you
Hi David , When I made this video , you could buy them at homedepot 3 filters for $9 , I’m sure the price has gone up , I was in Lowe’s yesterday & you can get 2 filters for $8 now , there’s many options , so Lowe’s & Home Depot has many filter options & prices … just want to get a filter that you can’t directly see through , just a silhouette through , hope this helps !!! Thanks Dustin
@@dustinshomesolutions Thank you much but I was looking for carbon or charcoal filter in that size. My neighbor is literally killing me with smoke. Filberbuy does not sell. Thank you again.
So with filters , some or most have arrows The arrow should face toward the coil /fan motor area’s … *if it doesn’t have a arrow , but does have chicken wire though , chicken wire aims up towards coil/fan motor area’s … Hope this helps
What do I do if my filter is 20x23x1 it is absolutely expensive 😢. Can you help me a way to remember which way it goes? I see an arrow up and/or down? Which way is the correct way to put it?
Hello Ruth , Merry Christmas, The arrow always aims toward the coil/ fan blower motor . If unit is like mine in video , arrow faces up . You can buy a 20x24x1 filter & cut it down , To 20x23x1 (this should save you big money ) Hope that helps !!!
@@dustinshomesolutions thank you so much! This was really helpful! Jehovah God bless you for giving us so great information. Specially to me that I was totally lost.
Hi Dustin. I change my filter every month. Last week, I noticed the back corner of the old filter was slightly wet, now the new one is a little more wet?
We just moved into a new home and we have 2 ac units upstairs in a hallway closet similar to that one. It’s the same AC with the filter box at the bottom, but on that same wall, below the closet door, there are 2 large vents. My husband opened them up and it was full of dust. Should I have a filter on those vents as well?
So you can if they are both cheap filters , but if they are dense filters like a allergy one , you don’t want to , it makes the unit struggle & cost you more money on your electric bill & potential quicker breakdowns in the hvac system . My suggestion, clean every area you reasonably can , than change filter under unit once a month . Is the filter size standard right below unit ???? Hope this helps so far
I just moved in to my house and the door were the ac is in has a filter and then there is a filter under the unit that has a metal edge. Is that metal filter just a factor filter? Never seen a metal edge like that. The builder who sucks, never explained anythihg.
Hello fencerider, Yes that is a factory filter You can throw that away , if you look through it , it barely stops anything … it’s best to just have one filter ( so it doesn’t restrict unit ) a filter that you can see a silhouette through but not directly see through is the best … Hope this helps you , Please make sure you change filter & drop a cup of vinegar down drain line once a month to keep problems at bay , Thanks Dustin
Our box under the furnace uses a 16x25 filter. The issue we have is the return is very loud and we have to take the grill off to vacuum the box. Would having the filter outside of the air return vs under the furnace reduce noise?
Thank you for your ? To start so I can see what your seeing ( do you happened to have a pic of outside of furnace area ) *Sometimes people have vent boxes right below furnace/air handler unit & right in a wall outside/below unit they have a vent/filter area there & yes if filter is there instead of furnace box , yes that cuts down on noise you hear & makes easier to change filter ... Sometimes big return vent is on 1st floor ceiling , if unit is on 2nd floor ...( sometimes that can cut down on the noise below unit people are hearing ) Please send pic if you have one , thanks in advance
Hello, Good ? So your air handler needs one filter. Most homes/places have it right below air handler, but the rest of the air handlers have filters in the walls or other return vents in the ceilings ... That’s to make it easier for the end user to change them out cause where the air handler is ( example- some air handlers are in the attics-not a easy place to change the filter for anybody every month ) So they might put it in a big return vent duct on ceiling & that’s where you change it. *It’s a good idea to Make sure you check all return vents & air handler to see if there is just one filter ... Sometimes multiple filters are used & this will start to struggle the unit from getting the air it needs . Hope this helps !!!
Hello R Vaughan , If the filter is clean & this happens , It’s most likely a freon/pureon issue … Do you have someone who can put some gauges on your a/c unit to see if low on refrigerant?
@@dustinshomesolutions Bit of an interesting story. I have this 40 gallon tank underneath the air handler and it was filled to the top, so humid in there the previous air filter collapsed into the water, thus doing all kind of weird stuff. I sucked out all the water, new air filter and everything is good as new. It even circulates the cold air without so much as the Trane turning on when its 90• outside. Next month's bill should be half! It's a fairly new system
@@dustinshomesolutions All I can say is that it is a huge square box (approx 40 gallons) below where the filter rests where it basically drains the water back to the pipes. I've never seen this anywhere else, I may have to blow out where it leads to the pipe because it doesn't seem to be draining fast enough, ergo maybe the reason why its blowing more moisture into the house. Pretty annoying considering I have a dehumidifier running inside because it is also 100% humid outside.
Counterintuitively, a dirty filter makes the blower motor use less current. Just saying, keep your filters changed! But don't use those darn HEPA filters, they can stop up in a week or 2!
Bob , Sorry for delay Just seeing this … So I was told by electricians when filter is dirty , the motor has to work even harder to pull the air through , so it uses more electricity to work … I am going to look into this further … But thanks for the rest ( spot on )
@@dustinshomesolutions This is easily illustrated. You can plug a vacuum cleaner into a "Killawat" meter, and note the wattage used. Now stop up the hose and you will hear the motor speed up and wattage go down. Just saying, because a dirty filter causes the compressor to work harder, which uses far more current than the air handler fan!
Ty Magik , Good ?, Only one ( I prefer bottom to buy you time if you forget to change on time each month ) We tried to put 2 filters , it really makes the unit struggle ( starts making weird noises ) to pull air through both ... I highly recommend not using 2 filters ... Hope this helps you !
Hello my carrier HVAC unit pulls my air filter up when they system comes on does that mean my filter arrow should be pointing upward? I just purchased a new home and the filter that was initially installed didn't have an arrow on it to tell me which direction the air filter should go
Great ? So some filter types do not have a arrow , so if it has chicken wire on it ( that goes on top ) ... If it has a arrow ( it goes up towards the inside of unit , Here’s how it works - air comes from return(s) & goes through coil( getting cold -for A/c) , fan motor blows it through duct work to supply ducts ... Now with yours ( usually big filters like a 20x25 filter always have a problem after a few weeks bending up in chase , if it has two racks in filter chamber ( put at bottom one). Thank you without you knowing it ( you just solved a problem I couldn’t figure out ) Give me a few weeks to do my idea ( I’ll share and you can do to yours to prevent it from getting sucked up in coil chamber ) Thanks again & hope this helps
@@dustinshomesolutions thank you for responding is the metal part of the HVAC unit supposed to be cold and should there be a slight sweating from it getting cold?
Depends - If there’s a lot of humidity Than it can sweat ... Yes The Hvac unit is generally colder when A/C is running ... But I find if fan motor doesn’t move the air ( because it’s not working properly ) a lot of cold air can stay in coil area & can cause it to freeze ( see if you can look in filter chamber with a flash light & see if coils is iced up ) if not , your doing fine ... Another check , is too feel near a supply vent & make sure air is coming out with a pressure to it . If A/C is running & supply vent is really not moving air it Could be a sign of a fan motor issue . Hope this helps ...
@@dustinshomesolutions thank you so much im learning so much being a new homeowner and it people like you that have been so informative/helpful. I greatly appreciate it. Please if you remember include me on your update you're going to do in two to three weeks
You are more than certainly welcome !!!! I always believe that 95% of people just like yourself can do home maintenance & repairs , if they just had someone to show them how to do it .( And understand the Why it needs to be done part)
Hey Flamingo girl , Sorry for delay , Thank you for sharing!!!!! I will have to stop at HD & Lowe’s to see what’s the lowest going rate now !!! Thanks Dustin
Hey BronzeGirl, That definitely works !!! Don’t forget to add 2-4 cups of vinegar To drain line also !!! This will save you from the drain line backing up !!! Thanks for commenting Dustin
Hey BlackHornetTactical, Great ? So here in Florida, We need to have air conditioning running at least @ 80° If no one is in the home for long periods of time … It’s because if not , the doors in the house will expand & get jammed up . Plus your a/c is like a car ( it has to run ) If it sits longterm without functioning it will have issues !!! Hope that helps Dustin
❌❌❌I Always Get Asked Where I Buy My Filters - Well I Went Yesterday Morning & Bought 12 A/C Air Handler “Filtrete 300” air filters ( A Years Worth ) for ✅$50 Total @ Lowe’s 🔵!!! ❌❌❌It’s always good to buy these filters in bulk … This is the perfect kind of filter for Most A/C units ( just see if they have your size ) They do have many filters , 1 Filter that’s made for allergies etc ( cost $22 for 1 filter ) If you need this than get it ( but I always recommend to buy in bulk & save ) 🔵If This Was Helpful , Please “Like” Everything that was helpful Please “Follow Me” for more content on helping with your home maintenance 🔵🔵If You Get Your A better Deal on Filters Somewhere Else For a Great Price ( Please put it In comments - and a pic of it please - Thanks in Advance Dustin