Replace your air filter in your heating system

Filter, shmilter. Why do we have to change those pesky things so regularly? Well, the filter in your HVAC system has two main functions-first, it improves your home's indoor air quality. (By the way, the EPA estimates that the air inside your home can be 2 to 5 times WORSE than the air outside!) And second, it can keep your entire HVAC system clean. Dirt can clog your furnace's secondary heat exchanger or your a/c unit's evaporator coil. Either way, air flow gets restricted, and can cause overheating and premature failure of parts and even the entire system.

--Kudzu

Should you clean your air ducts?

You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:

* There is substantial visible mold growth inside sheet metal ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system.
* Ask the service provider to show you any mold. Whether a substance is mold can only be determined by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for confirmation
* You have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy. It cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced. Mold will return if the conditions causing its growth are not corrected.
* Ducts are infested with vermin such as rodents or insects.
* Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris.

By Kudzu