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Air Filter does not seat properly

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Burnsrb

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So my daughter bought an old home recently and when I visited one of the first things I did was check her air filter. To my surprise the air filter just sits in front of the blower with nothing keeping it in place...it just sits there! I see no mounting filter slot or rack. Of course this will allow cat hair and dust to bypass the filter by going around it and clog the evaporator coil.

She does have a one year home warranty and I am wondering if a claim is justified. The home inspector said nothing except that the filter needed changing. I attached a picture that best shows her basement setup except her filter just sits there and gets sucked up to the blower motor. NOTHING to hold the filter in place! Also below is some general language from a home warranty AI answer. She lives out of state, I wish I would have taken a picture.

"When your air handler’s filter doesn’t seat properly—letting dirt and pet hair bypass the filter— you risk reduced efficiency and premature wear on coils and blower components. Because most home warranties cover HVAC system parts, you can generally file a claim to repair the filter housing or filter‐rack assembly. Here’s how to evaluate and act on your situation."

Has anyone ever seen a setup like this? Also, is a home warranty claim possible to get this corrected and evaporator coil cleaned? Thanks in advance
 

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#3 ·
That was fairly common on old furnaces. Some had a slide in rack in the blower compartment that would get broken off, others would have some type of spring loaded wire that would go across the filter at an angle to hold it against the side of the furnace. Over time the filter would bend around the wire or the wire would break. It never was a good design but it was cheap, go figure.
 
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#4 ·
Is this warranty that of a new home or from a home warranty company? If it is a new home, complain, complain, complain to the installing company. If it is a home warranty, tell them you want your money back.
In either case, she’s probably better off just hiring a good (skilled, ethical) company to assess the entire system, especially measuring static pressure, and have them install and external media filter.
 
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#5 ·
Burnsrb said:
So my daughter bought an old home recently and when I visited one of the first things I did was check her air filter. To my surprise the air filter just sits in front of the blower with nothing keeping it in place...it just sits there! I see no mounting filter slot or rack.
Click to expand...
Your Daughter MUST find a contractor she can trust. Easier said than done but find one and hold on to them.
Calling blindly when it’s cold or hot never works out well!
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
BNME8EZ said:
That was fairly common on old furnaces. Some had a slide in rack in the blower compartment that would get broken off, others would have some type of spring loaded wire that would go across the filter at an angle to hold it against the side of the furnace. Over time the filter would bend around the wire or the wire would break. It never was a good design but it was cheap, go figure.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
kdean1 said:
Is this warranty that of a new home or from a home warranty company? If it is a new home, complain, complain, complain to the installing company. If it is a home warranty, tell the, you want your money back.
In either case, she’s probably better off just hiring a good (skilled, ethical) company to assess the entire system, especially measuring static pressure, and have them install and external media filter.
Click to expand...
It is an old house and it came with a one year home warranty, so included with the purchase of the house.
 
#12 ·
Some furnaces came with a wire in a big “U” shape to hold the filter. It never made a tight seal.
An external case is a far superior arrangement.
BUT, static pressure MUST be measured and considered when choosing a filter and its MERV rating.
 
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Discussion starter · #13 ·
BNME8EZ said:
That was fairly common on old furnaces. Some had a slide in rack in the blower compartment that would get broken off, others would have some type of spring loaded wire that would go across the filter at an angle to hold it against the side of the furnace. Over time the filter would bend around the wire or the wire would break. It never was a good design but it was cheap, go figure.
Click to expand...
BNME8EZ said:
That was fairly common on old furnaces. Some had a slide in rack in the blower compartment that would get broken off, others would have some type of spring loaded wire that would go across the filter at an angle to hold it against the side of the furnace. Over time the filter would bend around the wire or the wire would break. It never was a good design but it was cheap, go figure.
Click to expand...
Is this what you are referring
BNME8EZ said:
That was fairly common on old furnaces. Some had a slide in rack in the blower compartment that would get broken off, others would have some type of spring loaded wire that would go across the filter at an angle to hold it against the side of the furnace. Over time the filter would bend around the wire or the wire would break. It never was a good design but it was cheap, go figure.
Click to expand...
This is what it looks like. Do you think at some point there was something holding the filter in place?
 

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#14 ·
That is what I was referring to but I don’t think that furnace was designed for that filter application.

Trane used to have one with a clip attached in the back to hold the filter, then it had a removable clip in the front to hold the filter but allowed access to change it. Still it was not a good design.
 
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