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If you love to dust----I have got the answer for you!

By
Home Inspector with Charles Buell Inspections Inc.

     It is not too unusual to find missing or out of place furnace filters----or even non-functional Electronic Air Cleaners.  All furnace filtering systems need to be maintained and even more important they need to be there!

     If they are not there at all, the same old air keeps circulating through the heating and cooling ducts.  When not present the supply ducts will get very dirty and the dust will circulate back into the home.    If you have air conditioning and/or heat pump components installed, the coils will become very clogged with this dust----making the unit inefficient or not functional at all. 

     Re-circulating this dusty air into the home works against most people’s distain of dusting.

     Home inspectors in Seattle should always check furnace filters.

     Take a look at this furnace installation.  The blue highlighted arrow shows the flow of return air to the furnace as it arrives at the Electronic Air Cleaner.

Air return to air filter at furnace

     With the Air Cleaner access cover removed we can see that the internal components of the filter are missing (pre-filters and Electronic coils).  The orange high-lighted area is the opening into the furnace plenum below the blower area of the furnace above.  That space left of the orange highlighted areas would normally be the location of the electronic coil components of the air cleaner.

Inside the Electronic Air Cleaner compartment

     What makes this installation “unusual” from what would otherwise be a very common place defect found in many heating systems, is the presence of another air intake that is the wrong side of the filters----that aren’t there.  This next picture----high-lighted in green shows that return air intake that goes through the plenum to an adjacent space.

  Second air return wrong side of the filter  

     So even with all the proper components in place and well maintained, this air intake would likely be the major source of unfiltered air to the heating/cooling system.

     How dusty is your house?

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, ASHI Home Inspector, Structural Pest Inspector, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

 

 

 

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Comments (16)

Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Mr Charles,

My family, species, has a built in duster.

Nutsy

Jul 28, 2009 07:17 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

So beat the dust our of here Nutsy:)

Jul 28, 2009 07:42 AM
Matt Listro
National Credit Fixers - Matt Listro - Vernon, CT
Your Credit Repair Expert

Hi Charles:

Excellent information in your post! I can't imagine anyone would be a fan of having to dust constantly at the very least I know I'm not! Thanks!

:)

Matt

Jul 28, 2009 08:12 AM
Lizette Fitzpatrick
Lizette Realty - Richmond KY - Lexington, KY
Lizette Realty, Lexington KY MLS - Kentucky Homes

This reminds me of the foreclosure house I just toured with my clients. It was filthy! Every air vent looked like it had never been cleaned in it's 11 years of operation.

Jul 28, 2009 08:38 AM
Craig Rutman
Helping people in transition - Cary, NC
Raleigh, Cary, Apex area Realtor

Thanks Charles. Now I have yet another phobia I'll have to receive therapy for!

I'm going to go dust my air flow filters right now!

Jul 28, 2009 09:05 AM
James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT
Connecticut Home Inspector

That furnace doesn't look all that clean or new either. So who did the the second return, home owner or pro?

Jul 28, 2009 09:22 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Matt, and yet you would be amazed at how often filters are only partially in place.

Lizette, yup---seen them too

Craig a new book title perhaps?  "Does your inspector make you crazy?"

James, yes the furnace was trash---no clue on when it was done---might have been that way for 21 years:)

Jul 28, 2009 10:58 AM
Shoshana Shay
St. Pete Realty - Treasure Island, FL

And I'd love to see your opinion of those "washable" filters that have holes bigger than Nutsy's tail...

Jul 28, 2009 01:50 PM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

This one was hard for me even with all those beautifully colored pointers.  Somewhere I got lost.  Seems that every system has a different place for a filter.

Jul 28, 2009 02:39 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Shoshana, lots of the washable filters do seem to have bigger openings.  The "pre-filters" in the Electronic filters do and are only mean to collect larger debris than can be "zapped" by the electronic coils.

Barbara, the filters do get located in a lot of different places depending on the configuration of the ductwork etc.

Jul 28, 2009 02:49 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Often I see second returns without filtration.  What are they thinking?

Jul 29, 2009 12:13 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Jay, less effective than riding down the road with the AC going full blast and the kids have the windows all the way down in the back:)

Jul 29, 2009 02:24 AM
Jack Gilleland
Home Inspection and Investor Services, Clayton - Clayton, OH

Anyone can do that stuff, right?  You don't need a pro.  Cut a hole and instant return air.

Jul 29, 2009 06:17 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Jack, I wish it was a "guarantee":)

Jul 29, 2009 11:54 AM
Vince Divarco
DUCTZ of Greater Tucson and Oro Valley - Tucson, AZ
DUCTZ Air Duct Cleaning of Tucson & Green Valley

Charles,

We are finding more and more homes that look like this - typically, the filters are out of sight/out of mind and are not a priority when the homeowner is facing foreclosure.  More and more of our local home inspectors are bringing this up in their reports.

Great post.

Vince

Aug 02, 2009 05:41 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Thanks vince

Aug 03, 2009 03:11 PM