10 Furnace Cleaning and Maintenance Pro Tips

[@harreetteB477]

I think your videos are invaluable! Your presentations are excellent, very articulate, informative, efficient and exactly what we need! Thank you!

[@gradysantiago8533]

You all prolly dont care but does someone know a method to get back into an instagram account?? I somehow forgot my account password. I love any tricks you can offer me.

[@DV6000victim]

Good video for anyone who knows absolutely nothing about HVAC systems.

[@MarkGNelson]

I live in Minnesota and your videos are more helpful than any on the web! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@native167]

Currently attending Uei for HVACR and your videos are very helpful and resourceful.

[@GetReady4LiftOff]

U really want to help ppl thoroughly explaining ea step. Ur the best and God blesd this man financially and health.

[@juliuscarta2153]

Very nice and clear presentation .......highly recommended , thanks

[@Roosevelt-q8t]

I will watch the advertisement as a reward back to your hard working. Thanks a lot!

[@WordofAdviceTV]

I appreciate the thought, thank you! But watching it for 5 seconds is enough :) Just skip them, I get a small commission for you viewing the start of them anyway. Thanks for watching!

[@INTERNA9]

Thanx again Jay, I can’t stop watching your videos...you are awesome!

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Glad you find them useful! :) Thank you for watching!

[@phyllismiles3633]

Outstanding site...such great info every homeowner should review. Excellent presentations! Thank you so much!

[@beigefox6579]

This is like the most informative presentation I ever watched on KZbin. I learned so much watching that I feel like I should have a certificate and be able to tackle any furnace at this moment 👍

[@greggcavagnaro5579]

hello jay, big help with my used tempstar install, inducer motor no go .once i pulled the 3 dead birds out, nice and toasty now!! Thanks for these videos, awesome!!!

[@Tkos18]

Thank you very much! I just fixed my furnace with the number one repair call!

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Awesome! Stay warm :)

[@glasser2819]

thanks for your clear presentation style. You make a non-trivial system sound simple 👍🏻 TIP: Seal ALL your DUCTWORK SEAMS to seriously save Heating & Cooling bills.

[@Smellsoscentsational]

Very informative, this video has a ton of information, thanks you.

[@logwind]

Had my furnace serviced today and this is excellent advice. Thanks.

[@lazmotron]

I have a gas furnace/steam boiler/radiator system, not ducted air. My furnace uses very little electricity to start and run. So I have connected a power generator to my breaker box. Among other things that It can power during a black out, it can power my furnace, if the electricity goes out in the winter. In an electrical blackout water and gas are not affected. So with very little wattage my generator can power my gas furnace/steam boiler and my hot water heater, b/c it is also gas and spare electrical power for other household necessities. You have a Great Channel!

[@michaellandolina7676]

You have great videos and very informative. My hat is off to you. On your personal furnace, just a note: never put gas shut off near the electrical shut off switch! That is not a good situation.

[@seshachary5580]

VERY EDUCATIVE. THANK YOU

[@joshuawert1342]

Very informative and detailed. Thank you sir.

[@nizouTelecom]

Nice video. It's very helpful. Thank you

[@seshachary5580]

VERY EDUCATIVE. THANK YOU REGARDS

[@hchang123]

Excellent video. Thanks.

[@luluteynatey5110]

This is a very good video! Thanks !!

[@roobear5357]

Stumbled across your channel recently... Interesting topics and very well presented...

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Thank you!

[@jonathansmoots2183]

Great info! Love the Minnesota accent.

[@kendallbrown7370]

Thank you for showing me how to clean the flame sensor.

[@paulettedonnatien2748]

Thank you for the very informed video.

[@acaciagardner4695]

this is so helpful, thank you!! the second i heard you talk though, i wondered if you were from the midwest, i'm so glad you mentioned MN! i miss home haha

[@SevenFaith129]

Thank you so much for this video. Recently purchased our first house and couldn't figure out why we were getting a horrible smell from the return vents... Turns out the dehumidifier filter was absolutely filthy, smelling terrible! Had no idea we even had a filter there. Problem solved now! Thank you

[@willemdebatavier7485]

Great video!You sure know your stuff.Thanks for the instruction.

[@t.edwards9470]

Excellent! Just what I needed.

[@Person-jy4sc]

Excellent video

[@Ken-zl4ic]

Your videos just helped me big time this week alone. I had to clean the glow stick and flame sensor. Just replaced the glow stick due to a crack in it. Now my furance would not light (no gas cycle), so I did a quick vac cleaning for dust while powered of and now I have heat.

[@jennyzhang3977]

Thank you so much, wonderful , it's very clear, and useful!!!!

[@Caroline-rt7qx]

As a woman this video was helpful. I had a service technician here yesterday who only gave a visual inspection. I asked him about the dust on the bottom of my furnace and asked if he would clean it. He only wiped the bottom because I asked him to. He never looked at the sensor that is shown on this video. I asked him about the filter and he said there wasn't a filter. He may be right that there is no filter because I checked and didn't see a place for it. But I am not the one who is trained in this area. That visual inspection cost me $270. I will be following up with the company on this Monday.

[@rickovideo]

Find another company...that is poor business practice!

[@kimberlindy]

I don't know where in the country you are, but in my area in a major metro they now charge about $115-$150 to clean and inspect.

[@seeya205]

It depends on what you asked for! Did you ask for an inspection or a cleaning? I never heard of a furnace not having a filter. If it doesn't, they can install one in the ducting before the furnace.

[@aarongray503]

Yes! A new video. Thanks Jay!

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Hey Aaron! Thanks for watching! The next one on the list should be interesting. (I hope it will be anyway) I bought a variety of furnace filters and will be checking how restrictive they are.

[@aarongray503]

@@WordofAdviceTV that's a great idea! Can not wait to see what you find out. Which I'm sure we already know haha.

[@aarongray503]

My furnace is similar to yours being that it is a gas up flow furnace. The only difference is mine is a intertherem single stage draft that is positioned in the hallway with two return vents below it that grab the air from the hallway. It's pretty old but not sure of the exact year. Also my filter is below the blower instead.

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Yeah, those premium filters should be pretty restrictive. We'll see. And your furnace sounds familiar :) Those Intertherms are usually set up a bit differently.

[@alexanderpelaez8617]

Thank so much for this video and God bless you

[@WordofAdviceTV]

You're welcome! Thank you for watching and commenting! Stay warm!

[@scorpionbradford8518]

You should be showing how to disable and clean the burner box.

[@rekharana1006]

Great 👍 video 👏👏 Thank you so much for this very useful tips 👍👍👍

[@alidemir2020]

Hi Jay, I have watched most of your videos. All of them are very educational. You explain everything very clearly. I have checked your videos but could not find any video about Rooftop, could you prepare a video about rooftop? By the way, your cameraman is quite successful, I also want to thank her/him.

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Hi Ali, thank you for watching my videos! Glad to hear you are finding them helpful. Unfortunately I do not work on rooftop units so I would not be a good person to make a video on that topic. But I agree about the camera person! (my wife) without her, the videos would be a lot worse heh

[@garyalbitre701]

THANKS FOR THE HELP.

[@thakadiyilkoshy9428]

Very good

[@thefonz8101]

Thank you

[@minh5512]

Would you please make a video about installing the humidifier like yours. Thanks

[@kamakazi211]

This video was awesome! Answered alot of questions I had about my furnace! Thanks for the very informative content! (Also cool to hear you are from MN! Same! Lol)

[@WordofAdviceTV]

You're welcome! Glad to hear the video answered a lot of questions! :) Ah, and greetings to my fellow Minnesotan! Winter is coming man..

[@DIYDebtFreeLife]

Yes! So helpful. I have a Rheem furnace 80% efficiency, original with the house built in 1997. I have maintained well (blower, coil, ducts were maintained) and the heat exchanger seems fine.. based on flame pattern and no crack visible during duct cleaning. I regularly replace the filter as well. I also clean the outside condenser as needed. I was wondering though if it is still safe or should I consider replacing soon? Thank you.

[@seeya205]

If it's running fine, don't bother! Those older furnaces are built better than the new ones today. Have it professionally cleaned and inspected to make sure it's running as efficient as possible. Just have a couple grand saved for when it does go but I wouldn't replace it until it's too expensive to fix or they can't get the parts.

[@tatianagallo6930]

How often should we call to clean the ducts and the coil?

[@robp497]

God's sent to a homeowner!! Thank you

[@peacefrog0521]

Thanks - do you have a video focusing on how to remove and clean the vent pipe? I’m pretty sure mine is at least partially blocked; I tapped (okay, banged) on it a few times and heard some stuff inside, and my furnace ran much better afterwards, I think it unblocked just enough to satisfy the pressure switch. I have an 80% with a similar setup to yours; the vent pipe is attached directly to the inducer blower. So I could bumble my way through removing it but I would like to watch someone else do it first to get some tips.

[@stevengao8345]

thanks for this video, I have a dehumidifier next to my central ac, but it is never plug in or turn on, will it cost a big problem in the future ? thanks

[@roogarooleese7663]

The plastic (PVC) for your exhaust and intake can and do go through the roof as well as through the side of you house. Depending on where your furnace is installed in the home.

[@seeya205]

My intake is sucking air from inside. Should I run it to the outside?

[@seeya205]

@Yorkiepoocharlie It's in the basement. Yes, intake is PVC.

[@seeya205]

@Yorkiepoocharlie Thanks

[@billdynes6423]

great videos

[@torreslover456]

You are great and very helpful! I seriously owe you one. Do you have a patreon or a way to donate? Also why is copper against the code in other states? Thanks

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Thank you! :) Glad I could help. I don't do patreon since it pretty much only has a monthly subscription and I don't wanna do that to people. I just have a one-time paypal donation link in the description. As for the copper pipe that is used for natural gas, I believe they are pushing for it to be code everywhere. (no copper for natural gas) The reason for that is that natural gas corrodes the inside of the copper pipe causing it to flake off. Those flakes then plug up gas valves and regulators that are down the line. No one really knows how long it really takes for gas to corrode the pipe though...

[@andrewthacker114]

Good tips.

[@MrSankesh]

Which Air Filter or MVR filter do you recommend? The Amazon link in video description for air filter does not work.

[@flipdsul78]

Thank you for this video! Very informative and concise. I have a question about cleaning the hvac A shaped coil inside the plenum. Since it's an upward air flow, I would think the inside of the A shape is where all the dirt accumulates. But from what I see with mine is that there's a metal enclosure preventing me access to the inside of the A shape. Would using a HVAV aerosol cleaner on the outside of the A shape be enough to clean the coils?

[@WordofAdviceTV]

It would do some cleaning but most of the dirt will not get removed from the underside of it. Do you have room so that you can actually slightly slide the coil out and then lift it up a couple inches so you can get under it?

[@flipdsul78]

@@WordofAdviceTV thanks for the idea!

[@dl9440]

Find video VERY informative. However I do have a quick question What would you do if the new filter of RIGHT size cannot really fit in, do we cut a little on the side of the filter FRAME ??

[@Jerryp1]

Good video. Is there any oiling for motors needed? I run my fan full time for circulation, any maintenance for that?

[@timochoa1]

Great video! Much more informative than the others I've watched. Question: I have a humidifier a little similar to yours (as far as the filter appears) and the filter was very soft and wore out. I measured out the filter dimensions and can not seem to find a replacement online for this filter brand...do you have any suggestions? can I just buy a bigger one and cut it down?

[@AntonioJacob-p5k]

I was think you we're from Canada, but Minnesota is close

[@dand3975]

Cleaning out the moisture trap that drains condensation from the furnace should be done every heating and air conditioning season.

[@ElectricAutoharp]

absolutely. Mine got clogged with pine needles, and water backed up INTO my inducer motor. NOT GOOD!! I removed the rubber drains from the inducer motor and got a ton of water out. It also slightly damaged my inducer motor, making it rusty and it squealed. I carefully took the motor apart, and cleaned and oiled it. Now it works perfect. Of course, I watched many of your videos in the process. Invaluable!!! Thanks from Calgary, Alberta, Canada (eh).

[@davemall1]

I have a high efficiency furnace that has been off most of the winter. The vacuum line to the pressure switch regularly gets water in it. I suspect that frozen condensation has broke something...the trap seeps a little bit of water from a small crack, so I know that needs to be replaced, but I don't know if that is causing the water in the vacuum line. Is there another part that can cause this problem that I should look at?

[@special_k-hvac]

A crack in the condensate trap shouldn't cause anything other than low back pressures and that is even dependent on the location being before or after the internal trap. Usually moisture in pressure switch is due to blockage in drain lines, a weakened draft inducer motor, too long venting or tubing to pressure switch being too low and gravity lends itself to fill up instead of draining. Depending on location of furnace a high efficiency might not be the best thing to have installed.

[@special_k-hvac]

Forgot to add that the furnace may also not be level or pitched in the correct direction. Depending on model of furnace the manufacturer might change the orientation of how the furnace is to be pitched

[@davemall1]

@@special_k-hvac The trap was plugged previously, but I cleaned it out and put some silicone on the crack for a temporary patch. I will check to see if it's plugged again. The inducer motor did make a slight noise when it was cold outside, but it stopped when the weather warmed up. The furnace appears to be level.

[@planetfabulous5833]

What furnace filter do you recommend? Do the cheaper ones allow more air to pass through to the blower?

[@seeya205]

He has a video on that!

[@ljsmooth69]

Just for reference purposes my power switch for my furnace is actually up on the rafters it depends on what type of landlord you have and where they put it. 👍🇺🇸

[@Ramada-fi1by]

GREAT.

[@EsequielRodriguez-n8q]

Should the evaporator coil be clean before using your furnace?

[@AbsurdTV1]

Cool thanks

[@aliabdulrazaq512]

Thanks so much.

[@WordofAdviceTV]

You're welcome!

[@systematic101]

regarding the cleaning out the burner box. Be careful if you have a hot surface igniter. They can break pretty easily. It's the dark element on the other side of the burners from the metal rod (flame senor). A leak can also come from the condensation pump failing if you have one. Usually is a box at the bottom on the side of the furnace. All the tubes will lead into it and then 1 tube leading out to a drain. I'm actually surprised the flame sensor was #1. I would have thought the run capacitor on the inducer. I've never had an issue with my flame sensor in 7 years but have had 3 capacitors fail. 2 of them were new in those 7 years.

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Thank you for the additional pointers! Much appreciated! And yeah, I don't know if the geographical location matters or not.. But in my neck of the woods, the flame sensor is the biggest villain :)

[@systematic101]

@@WordofAdviceTV I suppose it may depend on how clear the air is. My house has HEPA air filters since my allergies will rob me of sleep without them.

[@mahesseugene6213]

Mine is different with rwo wheel on a shift and the fat pipe leads in to a pan and th wheel spin over that.

[@MPGeterdone]

Do you recommend duct cleaning with new construction since their may be dirt in the ducts from building the home?

[@DIYDebtFreeLife]

The last time I got my ducts cleaned, the cleaning crew said they often clean new built homes. Logically, it makes sense to clean it although I am not an HVAC person :)

[@robertowens2133]

Quick question, if your unit is on, and you go outside and press on the contactor and your unit comes on, is that’s your capacitor or something else

[@WordofAdviceTV]

If the unit comes on, then it is not the capacitor. Check out my video: "AC Contactor not Pulling in - 10 Reasons Why" and hopefully it will help you track down the problem.

[@daveanzara3852]

awesome thanks

[@LupeGarces-t1f]

Is there a list of your videos?

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Yes, if you look in the video description there is a playlist you can look through.

[@ewcamaewcama]

I have seen a hvac guy blow using his mouth into some furnace tubes?? He has it removes water?? Can you comment, thanks

[@Gonzalezjimmy265]

Quick question. I pretty much do maintenance calls all day and noticed sometimes when I clean the p trap wash it put it back in and turn the unit back on the unit cuts out due to a pressure switch opening. Why is this?

[@WordofAdviceTV]

I wonder if it has something to do with there not being any water in the P trap. Until some water accumulates, it may keep tripping. That's only thing I can think of anyway..

[@Gonzalezjimmy265]

Word of Advice TV Thats what I was thinking it even does it after I leave a lil water in the trap also, but after it trips and cycles back on its fine. At first I was getting scared and thought water was getting into the inducer lol. Thanks!

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Yeah, that's happened to me before too! I remember thinking, "ah common.. now what?" but just like you said, after it cycles it runs fine every time. I've never had a callback for that reason at least.

[@seeya205]

My furnace has plastic intake and exhaust pipes, but the intake is just sucking air from the furnace room. Should it be going outside?

[@planetfabulous5833]

He's good!

[@carguy4sp]

What about electric package units ?

[@GetReady4LiftOff]

Save $200 service call if know how to close furnace door chang filter, clean ignition + ...

[@kermitefrog64]

The Rheem filters with the 4 FPR rating gets about 4 weeks at the most. It is rating for 90 days but no way is that going to happen. So, how do you get your ducts clean?

[@kermitefrog64]

Our return duct is the only area that we have a filter because the Rheem HVAC unit is outside.

[@fulgencioramirez9475]

How you check trane with tje code cof

[@fulgencioramirez9475]

How program trane tablet ?

[@thebigfudge1016]

Why the heck is that gas line ran in soft copper piping?

[@HaroldGagnon]

My furnace has a big green light blinks 7 times and the code says lockout how can i fix it

[@WordofAdviceTV]

A lockout means that the furnace ran into an error 3 times in a row in one heating cycle. Some safety switch must be tripping. The lockout lasts for 5 hours and then automatically resets. To manually reset it, simply turn the power on and off to it. A simple thing to check is the furnace filter. Then you could watch this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4KnkICbma6eoqs and see where your furnace goes wrong in it's start up sequence.

[@jmsfabrication7821]

In our laundry room (where the furnace is), there is no floor drain, so the furnace company added a little reservoir with a pump, that pumps the ac condensation water through a plastic hose to the sink on the other side of the room.

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Ah a condensate drain pump. Gotta make sure to clean them out once every couple of years or a little flood happens :)

[@jmsfabrication7821]

@@WordofAdviceTV Oh, I didnt know that. Thanks.

[@ElectricAutoharp]

@@WordofAdviceTV even if they don't flood, they get grotty inside. yuk. I clean mine yearly.

[@abujabi]

Hey are you cousins with the guy who runs the NickTheSmoker channel? You guys look and talk similarly

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Wow! That guy does look and talk like me! I have no idea who he is but it's amazing how much I resemble him 😲

[@amberj673]

that copper gas line meets code??

[@mahesseugene6213]

It is mounted over head and the filter first you see.

[@TheLuckyman7726]

Those gas connections do leak a small small amount

[@brewtalityk]

5:45 why are you in your furnace quite a bit...?

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Because almost all my furnace videos were filmed with the furnace in this video. Which means I took it apart often.

[@znrctrnn]

PVC can certainly go out the roof.

[@jorgepalma551]

The only thing this video made me want to do is install an all electric hvac system with an electric water heater.

[@johnwilliamson5191]

relative humidity should be no more than 50-- 55%

[@Timothyrucker12]

I have a high efficiency furnace

[@williardbillmore5713]

PVC vents on a 90%+ furnace certainly can, and do, go out through the roof. You should have said, They *can vent* through the wall. If someone replaces an old furnace that had a roof jack through the roof right above it, Why would they re-route the flue to go all over the house just so they can vent it through an outside wall???? The shortest distance at an upward angle is the best for an exhaust flue. Most people who have upgraded to a 90%+ furnace will convert the old roof jack and vent through the roof. You make it sound like all 90%+ furnaces must vent through a wall and that is simply not true.

[@theimaginarygallery5935]

Touching the pipe will burn your hand off!

[@reaksmeymaranda2341]

You’re awesome.SUBSCRIBE!

[@WordofAdviceTV]

Thank you! I appreciate that! 🙂

[@patsimoneau9894]

My furnace was put together 2004 new now it does just what you’re saying in this video shutting on and off every so often I have oil this does not look like my furnace that you’re showing me in your video

[@josephkent3238]

If your hand goes through it ...thats really bad....lol

[@TheDeadheadable]

Copper only for propane