Black Furnace Filter? Mold, Soot & Carbon Monoxide—Fix Fast

Black Furnace Filter? Mold, Soot & Carbon Monoxide—Fix Fast: An HVAC professional in a navy and white uniform examines a heavily soiled, black furnace filter emitting dark soot particles, while holding an active carbon monoxide detector displaying glowing orange warning alerts in a bright utility room.

A jet-black furnace filter pulled weeks before its replacement date has four possible explanations, and two of them mean the system should be off before anything else happens. We’ve tracked this diagnostic in hundreds of residential inspections. Read color, texture, smell, and the speed of blackening together: those four signals tell you whether you need … Read more