Are you having trouble locating the air cleaner for your HVAC system? Don't worry, you're not alone. It's usually located where the return air duct meets the air handler, but it can be tricky to find in some cases. In this article, we'll provide useful tips for finding your filter and demonstrate how to properly change it during your next maintenance visit. In a horizontal unit, you'll see the return duct entering the side of the unit with the filter along the side of the air handler. If you have a vertical air handler, look for the filter above or below the unit, depending on whether the air handler goes from top to bottom.
Usually, the air cleaner is close to your home thermostat, in a return duct. Or, it's most likely right next to the air handler for your air conditioning system. Someone may have added an air intake (yellow arrows) to improve total air flow through the system, but drawing return air from near the oil or gas burner in a furnace can be dangerous. When replacing the filter in an air conditioning system, you may come across some unusual areas. Air passes through the filter with each cycle, leaving dust, dander and other contaminants behind so you can breathe easily. There should be a metal divider that prevents significant air intake if you only use a 1-inch filter.
For the Ruud achiever 80-foot super quiet air controller, there is a molded permanent air filter that slides down the back of the unit when you look at it from the burner side. Air handler filters may be located between the return air chamber and the rest of the air handler containing a cooling coil for an air conditioner or a heat exchanger for heating systems, and also a blower fan that causes air to move through these components and out to the supply lines. We can provide useful tips for finding your filter or locating it and demonstrating how to properly change it during your next maintenance visit. Replacing the air conditioner filter in your home will allow the unit to continue to blow cool air without interruption. A collapsed filter inserted into a blower fan can cause fan overheating and even fire in a building. I recommend having a filter on the air inlets as it helps keep the return ducts and fan clean; however, if you already have a proper air filter in or on the air handler that should protect the fan, you should be careful not to add more layers of filtration without talking to your HVAC company about airflow rate requirements of your system and ensuring that additional filters don't restrict airflow through the system. The photo at the top of this page shows another conventional air filter located inside a vertical compartment of the air handler blower, in which case the filter was very dirty and blocked with debris. Opening the blower compartment door in these systems will expose one or more filters that are simply placed in place in a frame. All central heating and cooling systems must have an air filter, but it may be more difficult to locate in some HVAC units than in others.
We hope this article has helped you find and replace your home's air filter with ease!.
