Ironside @getironside

@puponoodles Thermostat wars season has officially begun 😂 Tip for whoever's in charge: cranking it way up doesn't heat the house any faster, it just overshoots.

@DChronicleTales Love that you swapped the filters first and the reading didn't budge. That's the step that rules out the easy answer. Bright rivets in a 1989 cabinet is a chilling detail.

@meathead_prof Solid list. One add under warmth: a battery-powered CO alarm near where everyone sleeps. Backup heaters and generators are where outages tend to go wrong. And a spare furnace filter on the shelf takes up almost no room.

@FoldBrotherhood As an air filter company we fully endorse this 😄 Writing the size on the wall is the real pro move. And if the old one comes out gray in under a month, that's his cue to check it more often.

@moultano And it's the one heat source you can actually watch working. Seasonal tip while everyone's lighting them again: get the chimney inspected once a year, and close the damper when the fire's fully out so the furnace isn't heating the sky.

@Dave_LapsedEng @xvicepresident The "just grabbing a filter" trip is never just a filter. Small win: write the filter size on the side of the furnace in marker, so at least that part of the trip takes ten seconds.

@shepski79 Gas inserts are great. Still worth running the furnace for a few minutes before the first real cold snap. The burning-dust smell clears out, and if something's wrong you find out now instead of at 2 AM in January.

@missygirl1000 Aussie coat blow is no joke. An undercoat rake out on the porch a few times a week makes a real dent. And in shedding season, check your furnace filter monthly. It fills up with fur way faster than you'd think.

@uncvoss Worth checking before anyone swaps it: the serial number on the old tank. Most brands encode the build date in it, so you'll know if it's 10+ years old and actually due. Also ask if local code now needs an expansion tank, that's often what turns a simple swap into a bigger job.

@DelReid Whoever you call, ask them to clean the flame sensor while they're in there. On a furnace that age, a dirty sensor is a really common reason it lights and then shuts off a few seconds later. Swap the filter before they show up too.

Why furnace filters clog faster in winter: longer run cycles, a sealed house, and more time indoors. More air through the filter means a sooner change. What to do about it: getironside.substack.com/p/why-furnace-… #airfilter #hvac #homeimprovement #airquality #homeowner #hvactips #diy

How often should you change your air filter? The short answer by depth, plus when to go sooner. #airfilter #hvac #homeimprovement #airquality #homeowner #hvactips #diy #homemaintenance

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Best air filter for a home with pets: dander and hair load a filter fast. MERV 11 to 13, checked monthly, and a deeper filter if your slot allows it. The pet-house plan: getironside.substack.com/p/the-best-air…

AC or furnace not keeping up? Before you call anyone, pull the filter. A loaded filter chokes airflow and makes a fine system look broken. The 5-minute check: getironside.substack.com/p/system-not-k…

7 signs it's time to change your air filter: can't see light through it, dust on the vents, longer run times, a whistling return, and three more. The checklist: getironside.substack.com/p/7-signs-its-…

Heat coming on soon? Swap the filter first. If the AC ran all summer, it worked hard. Most 1-inch filters need changing at least 4 times a year, more with pets.

Washable vs disposable air filters: a washable filter you don't clean on time is a worse filter than a disposable you swap on schedule. The honest comparison: getironside.substack.com/p/washable-vs-…

Pleated vs fiberglass: fiberglass mostly protects the equipment. Pleated catches the dust, pollen and pet dander you actually notice. What you're really buying in each: getironside.substack.com/p/pleated-vs-f…

1 inch or 4 inch? Same job, very different amount of media. What changes, and why you can't just swap one for the other.

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Does a high MERV filter restrict airflow? It adds resistance, yes. Whether that matters depends on filter depth and your blower. How to tell, and the fix most people miss: getironside.substack.com/p/does-a-high-…