3 Tips for Finding Your Furnace Air Filter

Having a home may present a list of challenges. While most challenges disguise themselves as good opportunities, others may add to your frustration. If you aren’t aware of basic HVAC guidelines, your unit can suffer, resulting in worry and stress.

In this article, you’ll discover three tips for finding your furnace air filter.

Consider Your HVAC System’s Configuration

Most first-time home buyers can have trouble locating furnace air filters. Because most residential HVAC units operate under split systems, you’ll identify units in separate areas. For instance, you’ll usually find air conditioning condensers or heat pump condensers outside, often behind your residence.

Alternatively, you’ll find your furnace or air handler inside the home in a laundry area or basement. The exact location of an air filter will vary depending on the unit’s airflow configuration. Here are three configurations to know:

Upflow Configuration

Upflow configurations move heated or cooled air upwards in the home. You can find air filters at the return duct right outside or inside the furnace. You’ll need to remove an access panel or look inside the wall at the return grill.

Downflow Configuration

As the name suggests, downflow configuration systems move air downward, with the unit installed on the middle floor of the property. In this case, you can spot an air filter in the same areas as the upflow configuration.

Horizontal Configuration

The same locations apply when locating an air filter in a horizontal configuration. However, the part placement differs from the two designs mentioned above. The furnace will lie on its side in a horizontal unit while circulating cool and warm air through separate ends.

Exhaust All Location Possibilities

Believe it or not, you may not find the furnace’s air in a duct or air handler. Before succumbing to defeat, you may want to consider exhausting all location possibilities. A furnace’s air filter may be in front of the fan, which is a standard place that blocks debris from entering the HVAC unit.

Expand Your Search

If you’re looking into ducts, openings, and air handlers but can’t locate your furnace’s air filter, you might want to expand your search. Consider inspecting other extremities of the home like an attic, basement, or back of a linen closet. An opening may exist in one of these places.

While switching out the component is relatively painless, finding filters may feel like a wild goose chase. These tips for finding your furnace air filter can speed up your maintenance.

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