New Home Tips: Changing Furnace Filter in Your New Home
Candles & Your Furnace Filter
In my previous articles I have recommended that homeowners check the filter in their furnace regularly and change them if necessary. I recently checked my own furnace filter and to my amazement I discovered that it was as black as charcoal. It surprised me because usually when it’s dirty there is a light covering of dust on it.
I wanted answers to this situation, so I talked to my heating contractor, Home Warranty Representatives and fellow builders. The Ontario Home Warranty rep. asked if I burned candles in my home. My wife is a candle burning fanatic and around Christmas time we would have as many as 15 candles burning in the living and dining room. It started to make sense to me because I checked my filter the first week of January, right after the holiday festivities. Since that time we have burned far fewer candles and the filter has not been black.
On further examination of my home, I have noticed a faint grey film around the white cabinet frames in my kitchen. This, I assume, is also a result of my candle burning. When I mentioned this to my wife she said I had better get used to having a black filter, etc., because she is not giving up her candles. This is my dilemma, but I am sure also one that is shared by other homeowners. Candles, cleaners, cigarette smoke and grease from cooking, can circulate in the tightly built new home of today and be deposited on furnace filters, cabinets and even carpets. Care needs to be taken in the use of the aforementioned items to help control or eliminate potential or existing problems.