Change the filter before it looks like felt

Most of the no-cool calls we run in Palm Coast start with the same gray rectangle. The filter has been in there since somebody moved in, or since Thanksgiving, and the system is gasping through dust.

If you can hold it up to a window and you cannot see light, it is late. A 1-inch filter in a sandy house often wants changing every 30 to 45 days. A thicker media cabinet can go longer. Read the arrow. Push it in the direction of the air, toward the unit.

Turn the system off before you yank a packed filter. If it tears, pieces go downstream. Bring the old one to the hardware store so you match size. The numbers are printed on the cardboard frame.

This is not a sales pitch for a maintenance plan. It is the cheapest hour you will spend on the house this month.