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DIY - Home Maintenance and Upgrade Projects

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Attic

DIY Guide:

Air Seal and Insulate Attic Access

Openings used for access to the attic such as access panels, doors into knee walls, or dropdown stairs should be air-sealed and insulated. 
Openings used for access to the attic such as access panels, doors into knee walls, or dropdown stairs should be air-sealed and insulated.
DIY Guide:

Air Seal Flue Shafts and Chimneys in Attic

Furnace and chimney flues often have large gaps around them that allow air leakage from the home into the attic . (Source: Family Handyman)
Use heat-resistant caulk and sheet metal to air seal flues and chimneys in the attic.
DIY Guide:

Look For and Install Attic Vent Baffles

Look at the attic to make sure there are baffles in place at soffit vents to keep wind from blowing insulation; if they are missing install them.
Look at the attic to make sure there are baffles in place at soffit vents to keep wind from blowing insulation; if they are missing install them.
DIY Guide:

Look for Missing Insulation Using Thermal Imaging

Looking at your home with an infrared (IR) camera can reveal missing insulation and air leakage.
Looking at your home with an infrared (IR) camera can reveal missing insulation and air leakage.

Heating & Cooling

DIY Guide:

Air Seal and Repair Ducts

Right – Ducts are pulled taut and correctly supported
Seal and repair your central heating system’s ducts to make sure heated or cooled air gets to all the rooms of your house as efficiently as possible.
DIY Guide:

Air Seal HVAC Air Handler Unit Cabinet

Sealing seams and holes in the air handler or furnace cabinet of central forced-air HVAC systems prevents the loss of conditioned air and improves the performance of your HVAC equipment.
Sealing seams and holes in the air handler or furnace cabinet of central forced-air HVAC systems prevents the loss of conditioned air and improves the performance of your HVAC equipment.
DIY Guide:

Clean Ductless Heat Pump Air Filters

Home Maintenance: Clean Ductless Heat Pump Air Filters
Clean the air filters in your ductless heat pumps every 3 months to ensure proper operation.
DIY Guide:

Determine if a Smart Thermostat is Right for You

Right - The advanced controls in a programmable thermostat can be used to improve the efficiency of the home’s HVAC system.
Determine if you can benefit from replacing your old thermostat with a new smart thermostat.
DIY Guide:

Install an Awning Over an Outdoor HVAC Condenser Unit

This HVAC awning is made of metal roofing that is attached directly to the lumber framing.
Awnings protect the outdoor compressor unit of your heat pump or air conditioner from snow, rain, and hail.
DIY Guide:

Look at Refrigerant Line Set Insulation for Air Conditioners or Heat Pumps and Replace if Needed

Look at the condition of the insulation on the refrigerant pipe from the house to the outdoor unit of the home’s air conditioning or heat pump system and replace or hire an HVAC contractor to replace if needed.
Look at the condition of the insulation on the refrigerant pipe from the house to the outdoor unit of the home’s air conditioning or heat pump system and replace or hire an HVAC contractor to replace if needed.
DIY Guide:

Look for Condensate Drain Line Insulation

Look at the condensate drain line of your air conditioner, heat pump, or condensing furnace or boiler to make sure it is insulated. 
Look at the condensate drain line of your air conditioner, heat pump, or condensing furnace or boiler to make sure it is insulated.
DIY Guide:

Look for Signs of a Gas Furnace Backdrafting

Look at a gas furnace for signs of backdrafting, if the furnace is an older model that does not have a sealed combustion chamber and sealed exhaust pipe.
Look at a gas furnace for signs of backdrafting, if the furnace is an older model that does not have a sealed combustion chamber and sealed exhaust pipe.
DIY Guide:

Replace Air Filter Located at Return Air Filter Grille

If filter is inaccessible, locate the air filter between the return air plenum and the air handler box.
DIY guide showing how to pick a replacement air filter and how to replace the filter in home’s HVAC system when the air filter is located in a return grille in a ceiling, floor, or wall.
DIY Guide:

Replace Air Filter Located in Furnace or Central Heat Pump Air Filter Slot

Size the filter box for the appropriate filter.
DIY guide showing how to replace the filter in a home’s HVAC system when the air filter is located in an air filter slot on the furnace.