About three years after we moved into our place, the heater/air conditioner in our bedroom stopped working. When I called the building engineer, he asked, “Have you cleaned the filter?”
Since we’d never before owned a combo heater/air conditioner wall unit, we had no idea that they had filters, or that they needed cleaning. Because the unit hadn’t been replaced by the developer during the condo conversion, there was no user manual. After carefully questioning the engineer, we were able to locate the filter, which involved unscrewing rusty faceplate screws. The filter itself was wire screen with a wool pad lining that, despite it’s thickness—a good quarter inch or more—was somewhat delicate. While peeling it from the screen, my husband tore it a little. This made me very cross.
“We’re screwed now!” I said. “The unit is so old, they probably don’t even make the filter pads any more.”
Back on the phone to the engineer, I asked if perhaps the building had any extra pads we could buy. I told him I didn’t think ours could take a run through the wash machine. On the other end of the line, the engineer was silent.
Holding the filter up to the light while we waited for the engineer’s response, we realized that the thick pad wasn’t made of wool at all but hair, the exact color of Mau-Mau Kitty, our cat.
Since that time, we’ve replaced the heater/air conditioner units in the bedroom and in our studies. The new units came with owner manuals and the filters are easy to reach and remove, but that didn’t stop me from procrastinating about cleaning them. A few months ago, I cleaned the one in our bedroom which was covered in fur. The anticipated Sty Factor for cleaning the one in my study kept it on my Put-Off List for a good couple months. On Sunday, I decided to start in on my Lists, and decided to take care of it (#13 on tPOL).It was a little yucky, but not that much. It only took 7 minutes to clean, and I got to cross it off my list.
- How long was the item on the List?
About a year or two. - Why hadn’t I done it before?
The Anticipated Sty factor: I wasn't looking forward to it. - Was it as bad as I thought it would be?
No; there was some lint, but not a disgusting amount, actually. - What is the benefit of having done this item?
Just having the peace of mind that the air we are breathing is as clean as it can be.