“They measured what our blower could take before they touched the filter. The deeper cabinet they fitted is a size I can buy at the hardware store, and the fan stayed quiet.”
Tessa W.Homeowner, Central Point
Heating, cooling and clean-air work in the Rogue Valley
Get your system ready for smoke season before the first hazy morning.
We fit the highest-rated filter your furnace or heat pump can handle, tighten the house around it, and tell you plainly which gadgets aren't worth buying.
Start where you are
- MERV 13 where your system supports it
- No ozone generators, ever
- A written recommendation before any work
The season, in order
Four visits' worth of work, none of it dramatic.
Most of smoke season is done by the time the sky turns. This is the order we do it in.
- 01Spring
Step 1: Check the system
We look at the blower, the filter cabinet and the returns, then write down the highest filter rating your system can take.
- 02Early summer
Step 2: Fit and seal
A filter that fits its slot, gaps closed at the cabinet door, and a thermostat set so the fan can run on a smoky day.
- 03Smoke days
Step 3: Run it the sealed way
Windows shut, fan on, outside air closed off. A one-page list of settings goes on your fridge.
- 04Fall
Step 4: Change and reset
A fresh filter, a note of the reading, and the furnace check booked before the first cold week.
What not to buy
What earns its place in the house, and what doesn't.
The EPA doesn't certify air cleaners, and it advises against ozone generators in a home. Here's how we sort the aisle.
| Skip it | Worth your money | |
|---|---|---|
| In your furnace or heat pump | Skip itA filter so dense the system starves for air | Worth your moneyThe highest-rated filter your blower can handle, changed on schedule |
| A room cleaner | Skip itAn ozone generator sold as an air cleaner | Worth your moneyA portable unit that makes no ozone, sized to the room it sits in |
| A light in the duct | Skip itA UV lamp, which doesn't remove smoke particles | Worth your moneyA filter, which traps particles |
| Ducts | Skip itDuct cleaning sold as smoke protection | Worth your moneyGaps at the cabinet and returns closed |
| Windows | Skip itOpen for relief on a hot, smoky afternoon | Worth your moneyShut, with cooling that doesn't need them open |
The filter
MERV 13, where your system supports it.
The EPA's advice for homes is a MERV 13 filter, or the highest rating your system can take. A higher rating traps more of the fine particles in smoke, and it also pushes back harder on the blower. So the first job is measuring what yours can take.
What we check first
Blower type and speed
Filter cabinet depth and gaps
Return size and how many
What the maker says about filter rating
How often it will need changing
Sealed-home tips
Seal the house around the filter.
A good filter only cleans the air that goes through it. These keep the rest of the air from going around.
Close the gap at the filter slot
If the cabinet door doesn't seal, air slips around the filter. A door gasket or foil tape closes most gaps.
Run the fan, not just the heat
Set the thermostat fan to On so the filter works when nothing is heating or cooling.
Shut the outside air
If you have a fresh-air damper or a vent that draws from outside, close it for the smoke days.
Keep windows and doors shut
A short trip in and out is fine. Leaving a window open all afternoon isn't.
Pick one room
A room with a portable cleaner sized for it gives you somewhere to rest while the rest of the house catches up.
Don't add to it
Candles, frying and sweeping with a leaky vacuum put particles back into the air you just cleaned.
What we do
Heating and cooling, with the air in mind.
A deeper cabinet or a better filter, matched to what your blower can pull.
Add cooling to a heat-pump or furnace home so the windows can stay shut.
A seasonal check that includes the blower, the cabinet and the filter.
Leaks at the cabinet and the returns let unfiltered air in. We close them.
A way to bring in outside air on clear days and shut it on smoky ones.
Neighbors
What changed in the house.
“I had a box in the closet that made ozone. Lamarr told me why that was the wrong thing to run in a house where people sleep, and took it off my hands. Then he showed me what to do with the thermostat fan.”
Darla F.Homeowner, Rogue River
“Our old house was hot with the windows shut. Ziyi sized a heat pump for the back rooms and wrote down what it would and wouldn't do about smoke. It didn't promise more than that.”
Camilo B.Homeowner, Talent
Sample reviews.
Service area
Medford and the Bear Creek and Rogue valleys
One crew, one valley. If your town isn't listed, call and ask before you write us off.
Jackson County
- Medford
- Central Point
- Talent
- Eagle Point
- White City
- Gold Hill
- Shady Cove
- Rogue River
- Butte Falls
We don't take jobs in Grants Pass, Klamath Falls or the Illinois Valley.
Before you call
Questions about smoke and your system
Will a MERV 13 filter fit my furnace?
Often, but not always. A thin one-inch filter at that rating can restrict airflow, so we measure first. Sometimes the answer is a deeper filter cabinet.
Does a filter get the smoke smell out?
Not on its own. A filter traps particles. Smoke also carries gases and odors, which ordinary filters don't remove.
Do I need an air purifier too?
Maybe, for one room. If you buy one, check that it makes no ozone. We'll tell you what we'd do in your house.
What does the filter check cost?
We give you the visit fee when you book and say whether it counts toward any work. How pricing works has the rest.
Do you work on heat pumps and ductless units?
Yes. A ductless unit has its own washable filter, which we show you how to clean.
Filter check
Book a filter check before the haze
Phone(541) 555-0102
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- SundayToday
- Closed