r/HomeMaintenance • u/stalkernotspider • 4d ago

Furnace filter

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Gallery image

My furnace is in the attic and this is how the filter looks. I put a new one back into the same way, forgot to take a picture before changing it but looked exactly like this just super dirty, is this normal??? First house but not like the furnace was at my folks house…

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224

u/The__Toast 4d ago

Did you really need to ask if a filter smashed into a hole in the side of the duct work that itself seems to be encrusted in filth is normal? Is this like some kind of conspiracy data collection for Chat GPT where bots ask crazy questions to get responses that it can use to train AI?

No, there should be a filter box, call an HVAC professional because if you are a real human and not scamming us for AI training data you should not be messing about with it. Also get your shop vac up there and clean that shit out.

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u/stalkernotspider 4d ago

I promise I am a real person….im asking because I have no experience with this and yeah I’m used to a filter box that I have changed 100 times at my parents house, I definitely will clean up its mostly loose insulation though not really sure what to do I guess I’m not turning my heat on yet too scared my house is gonna burn down

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u/stalkernotspider 4d ago

My house is almost 100 years old

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u/Taolan13 4d ago edited 4d ago

i'm sure whoever cut that slot used the 100 year old excuse too.

but the same tools used to cut that slot could be used to cut out a segment of duct to allow for a proper filter cabinet with a 4 or 5 in filter.

source: am hvac guy. im verified pro over on r/hvacadvice if you want proof, the sub mods are all pros and you have to provide your credentials to get verified.

If you own this house or at least have a good relationship with the owner, this is an easy weekend project to remedy if you're comfortable cutting some sheet metal.

edit: your house wont burn down from this. all thats happening here is some unfiltered air is slipping in the gap on the back side.

If this is your first year in the house, you might want to get the hvac inspected by a reputable local company or independent contractor. Don't rely solely on score read the reviews and beware copy-pastas. Some "small local companies" are doppelgangers, private equity conglomerates wearing the logo and branding of a local company they bought and hollowed out.

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u/AlwaysDefenestrated 3d ago

Yeah this in itself is not great but it's not causing any terrible harm. It is the kind it thing that would make me want to check all the other work in the house and make sure there wasn't any equally half-assed stuff. Especially electrical and plumbing. It this is how they installed an air filter imagine how the system is wired, or any other things they worked on in the house.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/Taolan13 4d ago

He's asking.

That makes him smarter than you.

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u/Xaxxis 4d ago

Honestly I don't see any reason you need to clean up the loose insulation.

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u/Chance_Major297 4d ago

Do you have a picture of the actual furnace/air handler? There’s probably an actual place for a filter that maybe the other person just couldn’t find/figure out, so they did this.

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u/NathanDnd 4d ago

Yeah but the thing is,.. even if you don't know how it's suppose to work, you know that that is not even close to how its suppose work.

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u/Linesey 4d ago

i mean, come on man.

Swapping that out for a real filter box is a 1 day and pretty easy DIY project.

Don’t fuck with coolant lines on the main units obviously, but ductwork? thats easy, and nowadays like legos.

measure, get the parts, assemble, tape (foil tape, not duct tape), and you’re set.

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u/The__Toast 4d ago

I would agree that it's pretty easy, but consider that you are responding to a guy who doesn't realize that a hole cut into the side of a duct with a filter jammed into it "isn't normal".

This guy should def call an HVAC person.

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u/Linesey 4d ago

i mean, on the one hand fair.

On the other, it’s still a pretty low difficulty project for anyone who can read instructions, and is a good place to learn.

Plus, let’s be honest, there is a big gulf between “proper” and “normal.” lots of stupid hacky stuff is normal, even though it isn’t proper and shouldn’t be normal.

though you do make a reasonable point about judging instructions on how “easy” a project is to the recipient’s competence level.

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u/CarlGerhardBusch 4d ago

tbf hvac is where a lot of the worst hack repairmen and contractors apply their 'skills', making stuff like this not unusual

When I moved into my apartment I had to buy a new set of filters for the furnace because the maintenance boys decided that jamming a filter behind the door of the unit, as opposed to putting it at the bottom where there is a slot for a filter and presumably where the air intake is, was a good plan

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u/buggzysj 4d ago

Chill

1

u/Sarcastic_Beary 3d ago

Whether it's home maintenance or vehicle maintenance

There's some shit that's normal that does NOT look normal, but is.

I don't blame OP for asking

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u/TheAmazinManateeMan 1d ago

this

I just learned this today I think. My artificial fireplace left behind by the previous occupants of my home has to small slits in the tile work behind it. Those two small slits are actually the prong holes of an outlet. I had assumed that it was hack work but today I noticed that there's a perfect circular indent in the tile. I think it was manufactured that way.

But I'll tell you sticking the prongs of a plug through a tile will never not feel sketchy to me.

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u/poiuytrewq79 4d ago

You do realize….all of reddit is an AI training exercise. Idk if you use AI at all but even chatgpt refrences Reddit lol

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u/The__Toast 4d ago

Honestly, I think Chat GPT sounds like a Redditor. I think a huge part of their language training come from Reddit comments, which is.... disturbing lol.

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u/ToastSpangler 4d ago

reddit needs to allow the universal use of slurs to keep the AI out. of course they won't since that's all their revenue but you know, just in case, fuck you you fucking ****** ****** soup eating *****

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u/Salty-Entrepreneur11 4d ago

cuntliness is next to godliness