When Should I Change My Home’s Air Filters?
February 23rd, 2012 categories: Buyer Strategies, Home Life, Seller Strategies
How long has it been since you last changed your home’s air filters, Chantilly homeowners?
Home air filters trap and remove dust and particles from the air you breathe; leaving “clean air” to circulate your home.
Clean air in your home is important because it promotes better health.
One way to keep to keep your home’s air as clean as possible is to replace its used air filters at least once per quarter; or once monthly in homes with shedding pets or that otherwise “get dusty”.
Changing air filters is among the easier do-it-yourself chores for a Fairfax area homeowner; a task that takes less than one minute. The secondary benefit of doing it is that new filters help keep your HVAC unit in tip-top shape.
Here’s how to change your home’s air filter :
- Open the air filter compartment door/slider on your HVAC unit.
- Note the size of your current filter. It’s typically written on the frame.
- Note the direction in which the filter is pointing. There may be an arrow on its frame.
- Purchase a new filter at a hardware store. Make sure the sizes matches the size from Step 2.
- Remove the old filter.
- Replace old filter with the newly purchased one from Step 4. Make sure the arrow is pointing in the same direction as the original filter’s arrow.
- Using a marker, note the date of filter change on the side of the filter.
- Close the air filter compartment door/slider.
And that’s it.
When you find a filter type and style that you like, consider buying them in bulk — it can be helpful to have extra air filters laying around the home for when you need them — especially during season changes when you may want to replace filters more frequently.
In addition, when purchasing air filters, don’t opt for the cheapest available. Often, the least expensive filters allow large particles to recirculate through the HVAC unit, and back in to your home. Choose a mid-level or top-line product instead.
Your home and your health will thank you.
And when you are preparing your home for the possibility of selling here in the Northern Virginia area (or moving from elsewhere), please know that I am here to help! You can contact me directly with any questions.
If you are searching for a Chantilly area real estate agent, trying to make sure you make a great choice from the start, I invite you to visit of real estate Testimonial Video. It is an honest presentation of what makes us different.
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Getting Your Northern Virginia Home Ready To Sell: Spring Cleaning Checklist
April 12th, 2011 categories: Home Life, Seller Strategies
Spring has arrived in Chantilly and Centreville! With the warmer weather around the corner homeowners will be eagerly heading outdoors to enjoy the beautiful surroundings our area has to offer. And some will be getting their home ready to put on the market. But before you do so here are a few resources that can make your process all the more efficient and thorough.
This helpful checklist from MarthaStewart.com makes sure no job gets left behind.
From the smallest of chores to the biggest of projects, many common tasks are covered, including:
- Vacuuming and shampooing rugs
- Waxing wooden furniture and non-wood floors
- Dusting books and shelves
- Resealing grout lines in kitchens and bathrooms
- Clean and/or launder window treatments
Then, you’ll want to remember to flip your mattresses, change your air filters, and test your home’s smoke alarm batteries.
Most of the cleaning can be handled with household items like rags and cleansers, but for a few of the items, you may want to rent a machine from a local hardware store or supermarket. Carpet shampooers are a noteworthy example. Rental costs are nominal and the potential time savings are big.
For some, household Spring Cleaning is a one-day affair. For others, it’s a weekend project that lasts a month. However you choose to do it, keep this checklist handy and you’ll have an easier time.
Also, please remember, if your Spring Cleaning is in preparation to sell your home The Kathy O’Neal Team is here for you!! Among many resources on our web sites, I think you will find MARKET SNAPSHOT to be especially helpful. You can use it to find the actual selling prices of homes in your Northern Virginia community. And of course, if you need an estimate of your home’s current market value, just let me know.
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Save your HVAC and breathe easier: Change air filters
July 8th, 2010 categories: Home Life
Your AC is probably getting some heavy use here in Northern Virginia during this time of year.
That takes a toll on the filter. Lots of complications – and costs – can be the result of a badly clogged air filter. It pays to replace them frequently.
The experts recommend that you not buy the cheap filters.
You pay a bit more for the good ones, but after watching this 1-minute video, you’ll see why cheap may by costly
Airborne particles are smaller than most mesh filters. Pleated filters are recommended instead.
The better filters start around $11 and they can be purchased in bulk from Amazon at a good discount.
The 3M’s Filtrete line of products is a high quality brand carried in most big box stores.
You may want to consider changing the filters out monthly if you have shedding prone pets or special sensitivity to dust.
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Cleaner Home Air and Saves Your HVAC System: Replace the Filter
February 22nd, 2010 categories: Home Life
Chantilly home owners can extend the life of their home heating and air conditioning system with just a little easy maintenance.
The simple task of replacing your filter not only helps the system last longer, it also helps keep your home air a bit cleaner.
The job is easy…for many systems even easier than you will see in this video. Not all systems require that you take the back panel off to get to the filter. For many you just slide our the old and slide in the new.
I have seen a quarterly (every 3 months) change recommended, but some suggest once a month is optimal, especially if you have pets or other conditions where frequent change can help prevent potential problems.
Also to remember…the cheap filters do not perform well. You can offset the extra cost of the deluxe filters by buying them in bulk.
This video will show you the ineffectiveness of the lower cost filters.
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