How Did Your Day Go?

I can’t believe the amount of stuff that I don’t know! In fact, the more that I learn, the more ignorant I become. Pretty soon I will be messing myself and drooling on a bib and trying to eat my socks.

I changed the filter on the furnace the other day and after I was done I took the time to sit back and watch my handy work in action. Well, I guess that action isn’t really the best way to describe a furnace filter; it was more like I was watching my handy work “inaction”. Just as I was about to leave the furnace room, the furnace came on and the filter moved the wrong way! It should move the direction of the airflow which is cold air return to fan to furnace. What? Have I been installing the filters incorrectly for over twenty five years? The arrow on the filter should be going the direction of the airflow! I turned the filter around after the furnace had powered down. When self doubt creeps in, you are in trouble.

I had best do some research on this. I have quite a few how to books and of course I have the internet, so you would think that it wouldn’t be a problem to get an answer to this pretty quick. Surprisingly, all of the books and so far all of the internet sources assume a certain level of competence, which I obviously lack. They all say cold to hot which is like saying that the butter goes on top of the bread. So, which is the top and which is the bottom? Just because the slice is facing up, it could very well be that someone took it out of the package and put it top side down. When bread falls it always seems to land butter side down which would indicate to me, that, is actually the bottom and the unbuttered side is the top. How do you know? The slice of bread isn’t labelled. If it had an arrow on the side like a furnace filter it would be easy. Okay, that was a bad example.

I went to Lowes today to buy some filters and perhaps get some advice from the packaging. I couldn’t believe the number of different kinds of filters there are. The price ranges from $5.89/four all the way up to $ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?$ I don’t think I paid that much for the furnace. Wow! Back in the real world, I was torn between the $5.89/four and $15 for one. The $15 dollar filter supposedly lasts for three months and the cheaper one should be changed monthly. There is really no way to tell which is the better one by looking at the package, and I know that if I ask the guy, he will say the more expensive one is better. You get what you pay for I suppose. I took the four pack home. I am covered for the winter and hopefully by then I will find out which is the better filter to have.

I still have the problem of which way to install the filter. I decided to stand beside the furnace and when it went on I put my hand on the ducts to see which one got hot. That would be the direction of the airflow…I think. That is the way I have always put it and that is the way it is now. Oh, I just had an idea…hang on, I will be right back.

That didn’t pan out at all. You would think that an instruction manual would…instruct. It talked about airflow and downdraft filters, but the picture doesn’t look anything like my furnace. I think the manual is from the previous furnace.

This furnace is a KING furnace. I have to agree with that, but from now on I am going to call it the FUC-KING furnace.

How did your day go?