Filter this!

So a few weeks after we had the vents cleaned (seriously - you have to check out the before pics here) we started hearing this sound.  Like a whistle going off...  Was it the tea pot?  E's office computers?  What the heck was that noise?

IT was the furnace.  Our poor new furnace was gasping for air.  We had had the vents cleaned but it never occurred to use that maybe there would be some residual furry bits that had gotten loose but not sucked out.  And here they were.  All stuck to our filter.

 This filter was not just any old filter - it was our brand new expensive (for us) washable and reusable filter.  I can not remember exactly how much E paid for it at Costco but here is the same version Amazon style - WEB WECO Eco Adjustable Filter .  It is such a great idea in theory but when we saw what was stuck to ours we decided to start fresh...oh, and the other reason behind that was that E broke the frame while removing it in a desperate attempt to save our gasping furnace.  I am not sure how to do chest compressions to a furnace had it's heart stopped but thankfully, due to my hero E and his fast moving hands ripping out that filter, we didn't have to find out.  I will say - if you decide to go the reusable route it would be best to have 2 filters so you can replace one while the other one is getting washed.  We didn't have that luxury so I went out to buy some new cheap-o ones until we could replace the Cadillac of all filters!  PS -  If you decided to leave the house to buy new filters do yourself, and your furnace, a BIG favor and turn it off!  You do not want it working filter-less ESPECIALLY if you had the type of residue we did from our vent cleaning.  

After replacing the filter I decided to check back in on it a week later.  I wanted to see how clean it would be or if there was anymore residue.  I could only assume with how bad the reusable one was (like, seriously caked in fur) that there had to be more...I was right.  Here is a side by side of the 1 week old filter compared to the next replacement filter I was about to put in:

 Pretty gruesome.  After this I changed the filter every other week 2 more times.  The used filters became less and less dusty/dirty and I became more and more satisfied!  This is important stuff people...you may be walking around and not even know your vents look like this:

I'm sorry!  I had to do it - you HAD to know how disgustingly gross these vents were prior to cleaning.  Truly, if you live in a home with a central heating system and haven't cleaned your vents in a few years I urge you to take a few vent covers off and check it out.  To be clear - this isn't the norm when it comes to dirty vents.  I am not proud to say ours were especially dirty...and to be fair to us, this is not OUR dirt and junk - we bought the place like this but we were foolish enough to live here for almost a full year with it like this completely unbeknown to us.  Don't be foolish!

Oh - and if you are a rookie and have never replaced a filter before it is SUPER simple - just look for the arrow on the filters edge and place it in the direction of the air flow...

Presto Chang-o!  Moral of the story here - check you filters, clean your vents, and brush you teeth.  OK - the last one I just threw in for good measure.  But seriously, folks.  A heating/AC system is extremely expensive to replace - save yourself a few thousand dollars in repair fees and replacement fees by taking care of the unit that you have.  Put a reminder on your calendar to change your filters.  While you are at it - test your smoke detectors too!


Linking up with Centsational Girl!!  Please stop in here for other fab Spring Cleaning ideas!!

Who else had their vents cleaned?  Have any information to share or advice for everyone?  Please feel free to leave a comment to share!  

Bianca Sears vent cleaning, how to change a filter, WEB WECO Eco Adjustable Filter, reusable air f

Time to Vent...

OK - not a ranting raging vent but to cover up the holes where our returns once were!  Since we survived Cleaning of the Vents 2011 (Check it out here but only if you are not squeamish or eating!) I never quite got around to putting the covers back on.  When I sanded and primed the old doors I took a little time to mask the problem by putting cardboard over the intakes (check it out here) but according to E that was not supposed to be a permanent solution...he is so picky about these things! :)

MY problem was 2 things - in my hastiness to get rid of the old disgusting vents I threw some out without getting replacements first.  This is not the first time I have done this whole being hasty thing and, as usual, it came back to bite me in the butt.  Once I got the new covers I realized they didn't fit.  Wah wah.  I got some more and those didn't fit either.  Oh bollocks.  Luckily for me I had saved 3 of the least disgusting vents but the other 3 were in scrapper paradise.  I knew immediately that I would have to cut the baseboards to get the new vents to fit but was unsure exactly what tool I should use.  And then I met him...

 

 The Dremel 6300-05 120-Volt Multi-Max Oscillating kit with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.  You know I am excited if I have to start quoting A Christmas Story.  Anywho - I snatched it up at Lowe's on sale (and with a free cutter drill bit through 2/21!) and got home to start my project.  

Now, many of you know I am careless and anxious and never read or follow directions.  All those reasons are why the next photos will show the cutting blade on backwards but for all intent purposes of this project it worked just fine and nobody was injured in the process.  That being said, if you choose to operate any power tool or heavy machinery do so first by reading the manual.  So here is my step by step guide to trimming down the baseboard and fitting those new vents in perfectly.  

1.  READ THE MANUAL!  This step would seriously help if you are a first timer with my new BFF, Dremel, however - if you guys have already hung out a few times, feel free to skip the getting to know you phase and jump right in!

2. Place the new cover over the vent so it is fit in the opening on one side and hanging over the opening on the other - ↑ picture is snug -  ↓ picture is hanging over.

3.  Mark a line on the baseboard where you need to cut inorder for vent cover to fit.

4.  Put on your safety glasses.  This is another thing I didnt do on my first go around but then I got smart and made sure to sport em' for the next go around.  It is important not only for the wood dust but also you may possibly hit some nail heads or nick the vent and nobody likes metal splinters in the eye.

5.  Assemble your Dremel with the 1 1/4 Wood flush cut blade....oh, and remember to put it on the correct way and tighten the bit really good. 

6.  Looking good!  Now go to town.  Since this is not a reciprocal blade you have to work your way down making straight cuts down the line.  Start at the top or bottom and go straight into your line then come out and move up and do it again all the way to the top.  If you are a newbie, like me, there is no need to cut all the way through!  If there is drywall behind your baseboard you don't want to cut that as well.  Just go slow and you can chip it out to see how much is left behind for the next try.

7.  Now wedge something in there and pop out the section you have cut.  I used my painter tool again ( I have no idea the technical term for this tool  but I use it A LOT - see here and here).  

 

8.  You may see there is some leftover wood back there if so, you can go at it once again.  If you leave some of the baseboard and don't get flush to the wall your vent cover will not fit properly and will lay crooked. 

9.  Sorry for the dark pic but, really, who cares because it is flush!  Give yourself a pat on the back, put your vent cover on, and call it a day...you can get to the rest of them tomorrow!  

Anyone else got some vents to cover or a Dremel worthy project to share??  Feel free to leave a comment down below - I would love to hear what you are up to!

Bianca

As always - I do not get paid from any companies to endorse their products.  These are just items that have worked for me and I am happy to share with you!  If I do ever get a freebie or kick down for endorsing a product you will be the first to know - You know I love all things free! 

How's the Air YOU are Breathing??

I am still painting trim so here is a little some some to keep you occupied and horrified till I can move on to something else...

When we did the whole painting the bedroom thing I came across a little surprise in our bedroom...as well as the guest room...then the living room...then the office.  Not a good surprise.  More of a furry, dusty, cigarette smoke tary, Grinchy surprise.  I am warning you - what you are about to see is extremely disgusting and not for the weak stomached therefor I am officially giving this post a XXX rating!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

That's right, Folks.  These are our vents.  Well - they were our vents before we had them professionally cleaned.  You see, we moved here in January of this year and got straight into fixing the visible problems of our house.  Cosmetic issues.  Now I come to find it was like putting lipstick on a pig....total waste when the pig is going to turn around and reveal something like this!!!  YUCK!!  I had to get to work and fast.  The first thing I did was take the shop vac and suck out as much as I could.  This is the after of what I was able to do:

Unfortunately, my hose nozzle could only go so far and as you know the vents run all through the house to many places not visible by the nakedy eye.  We had to call in the professionals who use a air nozzle to blow a heavy force stream of air on the gunky vents in conjunction with a suction hose about 10 inches wide to suck up everything from inside the vents.  When I asked the guys if this was the worst they had seen there reply was "the worst today".  There is worse than this??  For the record - these vents are our intake vents which means anything in our air gets sucked back through these then brought to the furnace to be recirculated again.

The people who lived here before we bought the house were smokers and had multiple dogs AND cats...hence the weird pet stains throughout the house.  Since they rented the house for the past 10 years my guess is they never bothered to have the vents cleaned.  That is soooo not good for the air we breath!  Just because you cant see it doesn't mean it is OK!  LESSON LEARNED!  While the gents were at it, I asked  if they ever found any thing good in the vents.  You wouldn't believe the treasure chest of items these vents can hold!  They said they have found money, old homework assignments, socks, gloves, dead animals (gross), and all sorts of other goodies.  Problem is - they don't know which house those things come from because they dump it all at the end of the shift.  My point is...Hold on to the goods people!  You don't want your house sucking them up!

Now that we have learned this lesson we will be cleaning them more regularly.  Read all about duct cleaning and your indoor air quality here.  It is important to be educated on the process before hiring a contractor.  TRUST ME ON THIS - even if they are not positive of the benefits of cleaning out your ducts it will be well worth your piece of mind and perhaps you will even find some lost homework.  Now the old "dog ate my homework" excuse is no longer needed.  Your vent ate it!

So long for now!
Bianca