Furnace filters are a critical component of your heating and cooling system.

Make sure they are changed regularly. We discuss the myriad of choices in furnace filters in this podcast.

The Handyguys group filters into three different categories, good, better and best. Whats best for one person may not be the best for another. The standard filters are good for most people. They permit the furnace to operate as it was designed. When selecting a filter you would typically replace with one equal in size and type to the filter already install on your furnace. This may be a a non-pleated fiber type filter. This type is also the least expensive, costing about $1.50 or $2.00 at the local True Value hardware store.

If you desire a replacement filter that has a higher MERV or MPR rating (see below for definitions) there are several choices at True Value. Go into the store with your measurements and pick one out. A higher rated filter will catch and filter more particulates from the air.

The high end filters will have electrostatic capabilities and can actually filter microscopic bacterias, smoke or other fine particulates from the air.

The industry provides ratings for filters.

MERV, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, is a number from 1 to 16 that is relative to an air filter’s efficiency. The higher the MERV, the more efficient the air filter is at removing particles. At the lower end of the efficiency spectrum a fiberglass panel filter may have a MERV of 4 or 5. At the higher end, a MERV 14 filter is available.

MPR is a term used by 3M and stands for Microparticle Performance Rating. It is actually part of the MERV rating, and measures how efficient an air filter is at capturing particles between 0.3 and 1 micron in size, which make up 99% of the air’s particulate matter. Smoke, bacteria, and smog particles fall within this size range, so if filtering these out of the air is important to you, MPR is a good standard to examine. MPR is used to compare furnace filters to one another, and cannot accurately predict how a furnace filter will actually perform in your particular home environment. The higher the MPR, the more efficient the filter is at capturing these small particles.

Lastly – Don’t forget about our contest. We are giving away this awesome toolkit. Check out the details on how you can win by listening to Episode 87 of The Handyguys Podcast.

Win this tool kit!

Disclosure

Related shows:

1. Fall Home Improvement Checklist
2. Using Leaf Blowers Vs Rakes And Repairing Leaky Showers
3. DIY Drama, Old Tractors And New Counters

The Handyguys discuss how to prepare your home when it is not in use!

Brian and Paul first answer a question they received from Greg:

Our home is about a year and a half old, and we have a problem with a smoke detector.  This particular detector is in the center of the downstairs area of the house, and directly above it is a carpeted hallway. All of the detectors in the house are fed by 120vAC with 9V battery backup.  They are also networked, for lack of a better term – when one alarms, they all alarm.
The problem detector seems to have a false alarm whenever someone vacuums the carpet directly above it, when one of the cats is rolling around on the carpet above it, or when someone is dragging their feet on the carpet above. I’ve never heard of anything like this before with a smoke detector, but it seems to me that static electricity is causing some kind of interference.  Is there any way I can insulate or shield the detector without ripping apart a ceiling or floor? I’ve performed tests on the detector every 4-6 months, and it always functions properly then.

This is a very interesting question.  Could the problem be caused by static electricity?  If so, how is that occurring?  The Handyguys discuss this and offer some troubleshooting techniques. Also, if you need a new Smoke Detector there are some great deals in our Amazon store.

Have a worry free vacation by making sure you home will be as you left it.

What to do when you leave your house for Vacation?

Many of us enjoy a good vacation away from home at least once each year.  If we are fortunate, we have a trusted friend keep an eye on our property.  Even better, we have a house sitter live in the home to keep it operational.  But for the rest of us, we have to leave the house vacant and hope that the pipes do not burst.  And while we are gone, we don’t want to have to pay to heat or cool the place… or do we?

The Handyguys discuss important matters to consider when you leave for vacation. The season and climate of your home effects how your prepare your house when you leave. In addition, different types of HVAC systems have different requirements when left untended.

What if you are taking an extended vacation or leaving for a month or more? Listen to The Handyguys, follow their advice and have a happy, worry free less worry, vacation.

Feel free to send us a postcard or tell us where you are going on vacation this year in the comments.

Related shows:

1. Is Your House A Money Pit?
2. Furnace Filters
3. Energy Audits

The Handyguys answer a listener question about PEX and then discuss home energy audits

If you like our show please consider visiting for us in the Bloggers Choice Award, podcast category. The link is on the right hand side of our home page.

“Hi guys, I appreciate what you are doing. I am also a computer guy in my day job.  Trying to be handy has been a challenge and what you are doing helps me. Now to the questions for your podcast.What do you think of plumbing with PEX? As a follow-up to this question, why wouldn’t you always use PEX?  Why “sweat it”? ”

PEX stands for cross-linked polyethylene. This water supply piping is the newest generation of a flexible ‘plastic’ piping. The Handyguys discuss its pros and cons.

“I would suggest being more efficient first when considering saving money heating your home. To be more specific, get a Home Energy Assessment. This is a detailed analysis of your home with recommendations on where to improve items such as insulation, heating, etc… The recommendations will have the cost along with the payback period. This allows you to know what to change. You could easily do a whole show on the topic. Have fun!”

This lead to a lot of discussion as to what a Home Energy Assessment was, where to get one and how much does it cost. You can sometime get rebates on taxes, get it done at a discount by your energy provider, etc. There are different types of energy audits.

One way to do an energy audit is to do it yourself. You can find a website that will help you do a basic audit at http://hes.lbl.gov/You can search for companies that do full energy audits at http://www.natresnet.org/ Listen to the podcast for more details. Good luck with your audit.

If you are a vendor and do full audits with thermal imaging and blower tests and would like The Handyguys to follow an audit from beginning to end during our show, let us know via the contact tab on the site.

Next week we will have more discussion on space heaters and whether they can really save you money.

Stay warm this winter and thanks for listening!

Related shows:

1. Energy Star Fraud And Basement Egress Requirements
2. LED Christmas Lights for Energy Savings
3. Can You Save 50% In Your Energy Bill With A Space Heater?

The Handyguys give an overview of how to plan for your finished basement.

Part 3 in the Basement Finishing Series

Now that your basement is ready to finish, you need to develop a plan to execute that construction job down under. The Handyguys know some creative visionaries can see the complete construction plan in their head and just start driving nails until they have a beautiful basement. However, for the rest of us, we need to write out some basic plans, study the building codes, and determine whether we have enough money to complete the work. That’s right, you are going to need a handful of hard earned cash to get your basement finished well.

But where do you start? First, you should determine if you can afford to finish your basement. The Handyguys tell you how much it will cost per square foot to get the job done. Make sure you can afford the job before you begin making your plans.

Once you have determined that your wallet is up to the task, get out the graph paper or install a design program such as Google Sketch Up to draw out your new basement. The Geeky side of the Handyguys suggests using the computer, but it certainly is not required. The building inspector just needs a drawing that shows your dimension, windows sizes, outlets and other items that the Handyguys discuss on this episode.

What about code issues? What do you need to consider to get those plans right? There is more to consider then just electrical loads, outlet placement, etc. You need to do load calculations on your HVAC system to make sure that it can handle the load of your additional living space. If your central heat cannot take the load, you will want to consider other sources of heat (generally you do not need to cool the basement space as the earth does a sufficient job).

The links below may be helpful for fulfilling your local codes. However, you must determine the codes that are established in your local jurisdiction! That is the only way to be compliant.

Check out the podcast for more information and view these helpful links:

General code checklist

Heat Loss and Gain Worksheet

Related shows:

1. DIY Basement Finishing – Is My Basement Ready
2. Part 2: An Interview With Roger German (The Basement Guy!)
3. Material Choices When Finishing A Basement

The Handyguys help you determine whether your unfinished basement is suitable for finishing in their home improvement podcast.

Part 2 in the basement finishing series.

Are you tired of that dirty old basement which is filled with all of the junk that you don’t need? Have you been waiting to use that pneumatic nailer you recently purchased? Then it is time to begin finishing your basement. But before you shoot your first nail, you have to determine if your basement is a good candidate to be converted to living space. You don’t want to spend a lot of time and money finishing your basement if water, mold and moisture are going to ruin your hard work.

The Handyguys take a look at some of the hurdles you must face before even thinking of finishing your basement. They provide some tips for the do-it-yourself minded individuals who would love to see a nice play room, entertainment room or billiards room in your basement.

Do you have enough electrical power to handle the new space you want to finish? If not, you may need to upgrade your service. Consider talking to an electrical professional to evaluate your current electrical service and panel.

In addition, you must have adequate heating and a/c for the new space.

The common problem you must correct before beginning finishing work is to mitigate against any kind of water or moisture penetration. You don’t want that new Berber carpet to become moldy or soaked from a freak rainstorm. You should have a good water mitigation plan in place handle the threats that nature brings. If you have severe water problems, you may want to talk to a few local water mitigation contractors to see what products they offer to prevent water penetration. If you decide to have a drainage system installed, be sure to wait a couple of years to confirm that it stand up to all kinds of weather. You don’t want to discover that your new system fails during that huge thunderstorm when the power goes out.

Another common problem is Radon. This natural gas is not something you want trapped in your home. There are reasonably priced systems available to prevent radon gas from seeping into your home but you want to deal with this issue before you begin finishing the basement. It will make your life a lot easier.

In addition to problems from the outside, there are potential problems already in your basement.

Is your stairwell adequate?

Is your ceiling height high enough for finished space? Are utilities and ductwork going to be in the way?

Check out this week’s podcast for more details.

Part one of the Basement Series can be read and listened to here.

Related shows:

1. Material Choices When Finishing A Basement
2. Finished Basement Planning And Dealing With Building Codes
3. DIY Basement Finishing, Yes Or No