A Ranking of Terrible HVAC Advice We Found on the Internet

The internet is a wonderful place.

You can learn a new skill, find a dinner recipe, and get HVAC advice from basically anyone with a fanny pack or tool belt.

In the interest of public service, we reviewed some of the HVAC tips floating around the interweb and we ranked 'em.

In FIFTH PLACE, we have: "Just close all the vents in rooms you don't use"

Why are we STILL talking about this one?

In theory, it's pretty simple. If you close enough vents, all that air will be redirected to the rooms you actually use.

The teeny weenie little hiccup with #5 is that your HVAC system was literally built to move a certain amount of air. Restricting airflow just adds pressure in the ductwork.

This solves absolutely nothing.

Coming in strong at number FOUR: "Set the thermostat to 60° so the house cools faster"

A thermostat is a temperature TARGET, not a speed setting.

If your home is 80° and you set the thermostat to 60°, the system doesn't reach 60° any faster.

Whoever told you otherwise was confidently incorrect.

Moving on to number THREE on our list: "You don't have to change your air filter until it's dirty"

Air filters should be replaced on a schedule.

Every 1–3 months.

It's in like 95% of the blogs we write.

There's a reason for that.

Almost there. In our TOP TWO, we have: "Maintenance is a scam"

Of course.

Because every expensive repair throughout history has been made cheaper by ignoring it.

Please read that again.

Routine maintenance helps catch small issues BEFORE they become expensive.

But sure. Let's see what happens.

And drumroll please. In FIRST place: "If it's still running, it's fine"

The undefeated chaaamp.

Almost every HVAC issue starts long before your system stops working.

Weak airflow. Awkward noises. Uneven temperatures. Aggressively high utility bills.

Waiting until your system fails is a strategy.

But it's not a smart one.

And it’s certainly not a cheap one.

TL;DR

Look, we get it. The interweb isn’t all fake news. We’re just begging you to not treat everything you read or watch as gospel.

And hey, when in doubt, just get advice from people who work on HVAC systems all day, erryday.

Because we’ve seen it all before.