Buffalo, NY (WBEN) With smoke from the distant wildfires affecting WNY the last couple of days, HVAC owners are wondering if that smoke with damage their units. One expert says that won't be the case.
"The concern isn't so much damage to the components or the systems. It is, are we pulling any of that air from outside into the house and potentially contaminating the air in the house," says Brian Ritter of Zenner and Ritter. He says if you have a central air conditioner that blows cool air out of ductwork in the home, that's typically not going to pull any air from outside the house. "If you have a portable air conditioner or some window air conditioners, that can be pulling air in. And newer homes in Western New York, by code, have what's called an HRV or an ERV. This is an air exchange system that pulls air in from outside and exchanges it with air in the house. Those could be potentially pulling some air in from the outdoors and affecting the indoor air quality as well," explains Ritter.
When it comes to the air filter, Ritter says most people don't change them enough. "If you're using a one-inch filter that slides in and out of the ductwork, usually those should be changed every 30 to 90 days, depending on the type of filter you're buying. Some are a little bit more restrictive than others, and can fill up faster. If you have a system that maybe uses a better grade, wider filter, like a five-inch wide filter, usually those are good for about once every six months to change that out. Some people try and stretch it longer, but it can be damaging to the equipment," advises Ritter.
Ritter notes one thing that can happen is with the smoke in the air outside, you might get a little bit of a buildup on those outdoor condensing coils, which can affect the heat transfer on the system. "You just want to make sure that those are kept clean. Simply gently hosing it off can clean those coils off, not just of the smoke particulate, but of dust, dirt, cottonwood, whatever's blowing around through the air.," says Ritter.
He says the key is to be gentle with the cleaning.
Bigger concern says expert is smoke entering your home through your system
Bigger concern says expert is smoke entering your home through your system
