Monday, May 14, 2007

Don't trust the professionals either!

After owning this house for a year, we've decided that we should probably consider changing the furnace filter. You know, with the AC running through the vents also, the poor filter hardly gets a break.

How hard could it be to purchase a new filter and replace the old nearly-black one?

Well, duh. This is my life.

So, on Friday, Paul takes out the old filter to inspect the casing to see what size we need. Of course, its not labeled with actual measurements. After breaking out the tape measure, we get that part of this project out of the way.

Next, I call a service company with the measurements and get a quote. $20 bucks, no big deal. But, its 30 minutes out of my way, so ... I decide to call Home Depot. They have the exact same size. Again, $20.

After running to Home Depot, I come home with this filter. I'm happy this project is nearly done. Paul puts the filter in the thingee and its too small. TOO SMALL, I tell you!

So, then, I call the service company again, asking them if they are certain they have the right size. Of course, they are positive. You know, they have all those fancy books and computers and direct connections to the manufacturer...

Off I go, again, 30 minutes away to purchase this filter. I write the check, hop back in my car without really looking at the thing, cuz they're supposed to be smart about this crap.

Right.

Its the exact same size as the one from Home Depot. Which, for any of those not paying attention, is TOO SMALL. Once again, TOO SMALL!

Okay. Are we all caught up here?

Of course. So, now I have to wait until today to call back the service company and try to explain to them this chaos which is called my furnace filter.

Finally, after being transferred, put on hold, laughed at in the background (okay, I made that one up), they think they've found the proper filter. I ask them to give me the exact measurements. The girl on the phone has to find a service guy with a tape measure, and then spouts off the correct dimensions.

Why couldn't they do this Friday? I don't know either!

The kicker though?! This odd ball, pain in my neck, piece of crap filter will cost me $60! Who has ever heard of a $60 filter! For ONE. Only one!!! I ask the chick if this is some kind of miracle filter that only needs to be changed once every five years...

Of course, she laughed. I don't blame her. But, I had to try.

Anyway - we've rigged the $20 Home Depot filter, lodging in there with wedges to keep it from flapping around. I ain't paying $60 if I don't have to! Here's hoping it'll work...

So, if you have a Carrier furnace, and need a 15 3/4 X 24 3/4 X 4 1/4 filter, start saving now. Seriously who wants to buy a $60 filter?

3 comments:

Bluepaintred said...

woah. sixty bucks!

wow.

im afraid to admit we pay under twenty bucks for a pack of three and I thought that was horrendusly expensive.

And this reminds me it is time, once again to chang eour filter.

ours has to be changed every three to six mionths but due to Blue Boys asthma we change it every three.

Elizabeth said...

NO ONE WANTS TO PAY $60 FOR A FILTER. I tell you what else I don't want to pay $60 for is gas! Yeah and if things keep going the way they have been then that is what it is going to cost me to fill up mt FREAKING gas tank!
NOT COOL I TELL YOU!

Trisha (Ashlyn's Adoring Mommy) said...

Oh, stop whining...at least you HAVE air conditioning. Yep, that's right...we have none. Now today, who cares right? But dang, yesterday it was like walking into an oven set to cook meat. Seriously. Somehow the rain as taken away the ability for the a/c unit to work. So it comes on outside but we get nothing on the inside. I know, I know, people lived this way forever before there WAS A/C...but not me. I'm a wimp...I need AC and I need it now. Okay...not now now...I'm at work and it's cold here...but I need it soon. Yeah, soon.