How Often to Replace Your Furnace Filter (and Why it's Important)
The air in your home will stay free of dust and other contaminants if you regularly change the furnace filter. Your filter will clog up and lose its ability to capture new particles if you don't replace it. Your family will be forced to breathe in more dust and allergens daily because a whole filter won't stop additional dirt and debris from moving around your house. Furthermore, a whole furnace filter forces the motor in your furnace or HVAC system to work harder, reducing efficiency
One crucial task frequently neglected, to the detriment of your comfort and the efficiency of the heating and cooling systems in your home, is changing the furnace filters. You risk compromising your comfort, energy costs, and HVAC system if you have a dirty filter.
Discover why furnace filters are critical, how frequently you should change your furnace filters, and the problems that can occur if you don't.
What Purpose Serves a Furnace Filter?
Your furnace filter captures airborne impurities to purify your air. Although it does that, contrary to what most people think, that isn't exactly its job.
A furnace filter's primary purpose is to capture airborne contaminants, not to improve the air quality, but to keep them out of your heating and cooling system. However, the filter removes contaminants for the system's benefit, improving air quality.
When to change your air filter:
There is clear dirt on the filter. Without a doubt, the filter needs to be replaced if you can't see the material that makes up the filter.
The air conditioning and heating system are operating more frequently than usual.
Your house is dustier than usual.
You detect strange odors or a burning odor close to your HVAC system.
How Often Should I Change My Furnace Filters? Standard Replacement Frequency of Furnace Filters & Factors
The frequency of changing furnace filters varies from house to house. The kind of furnace filter installed significantly affects how frequently this task needs to be done. You can choose various filter types to affect changing frequency if you look down the filter replacement aisle at your preferred hardware store.
Just as there is a wide variety of filters, there is also a pretty wide variety of how frequently they need to be replaced. Furnace filters need to be changed anywhere from once a month to once a year. Fortunately, replacing furnace filters doesn't require guesswork. The recommended replacement interval is stated by the filter's manufacturer in the product information supplied when you purchase a new filter.
Size matters, so keep that in mind when determining how frequently you should change your furnace filters. A 5-inch filter needs to be changed less frequently than a 1-inch filter because thicker filters have more media available to capture contaminants. The minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV, which stands for filter efficiency, also has an effect.
How frequently you should change your furnace filter cannot be answered individually (aka air filter). Here are some recommendations to help you understand what to anticipate regarding frequency.
Every home uses its HVAC system for a different length of time, and every home has a different concentration of allergens, dust, dirt, and pet dander in the air. These factors have the most significant impact on a filter's lifespan.
1-2 inch filters should be replaced every three months, 4-inch filters every six months, and 5-inch filters every year.
Replace 1- to 2-inch filters every one to three months.
Replace 3- to 4-inch filters every six to nine months.
Replace 5- to 6-inch filters every nine to twelve months.
Additional Factors that Impact How Often to Change Furnace Filters
As we previously mentioned, size and efficiency are two characteristics that influence how frequently furnace filters need to be changed. Additionally, various household-specific aspects unique to the Cincinnati area have a bigger impact on how frequently you need a new filter.
Occupancy of homes
A house's population influences a furnace filter's valuable service life. Large households change furnace filters more frequently than homes with just one or two occupants. More people living in your home means more contaminants for the filter to catch because people bring many contaminants into the home environment.
Family Members with Fur
Another significant source of contaminants entering the indoor air supply is pets. Pets shed fur and dander, which the HVAC system picks up and disperses throughout the house. It would help if you changed your furnace filters more frequently because a filter's useful service life is reduced by about 30 days for each furry family member in your home.
Warmth Fan
How frequently you need to replace your filter will depend on how often your heater fan runs. If your heater fan runs continuously, you should replace the filter every month; if it runs occasionally, it should be changed every two months; if it runs never, it can be changed every three months.
Another element that can reduce the lifespan of your furnace filter is excessive dust. One and two-inch filters should be replaced every month, four-inch filters every two months, and five-inch filters every three months if your home has a lot of dust.
Frequency of Open Windows and Doors
When windows and doors are left open, dust and other pollutants from the outside air can enter your house and coat your air filters with an additional layer of dirt. One and two-inch filters should be changed monthly, four-inch filters every two months, and five-inch filters every three months if your windows and doors are frequently left open.
Animals If you have furry pets in your home, the lifespan of your furnace filter will be shortened. You should replace your filter every two months for a one or two-inch filter, every four months for a four-inch filter, and every six months for a five-inch filter if you have one animal living at home.
Your filter will last less if more animals are in your house. A one- or two-inch filter should be replaced every month, a four-inch filter every two months, and a five-inch filter every three months if you have multiple animals.
To lessen the amount of hair and dander that enters your home, it's a good idea to take your pet outside for a thorough brushing regularly if they shed a lot.
Ambient Air Quality
Your furnace filter won't last as long as in a house with good indoor air quality if there are air quality problems. In homes without this equipment, the furnace filter is the only line of defense against airborne contaminants, so the filter fills up more quickly. Indoor air quality equipment like air purifiers and air cleaners reduces contaminant volume, so there are fewer particles for your furnace filter to capture.
Smokers
Smokers will affect your filter as well if they live in your house. Your filter life will be shorter the more smokers you have. You can get away with replacing a one or two-inch filter every two months, a four-inch filter every four months, and a five-inch filter every six months if there is only one smoker in the house. You will need to adjust those numbers if there are multiple smokers in the house to once a month for one to two-inch filters, twice a year for four-inch filters, and three times a year for five-inch filters.
Allergies
Filters for your furnace should be changed more frequently if any family members have allergies or asthma. Doing this can help ensure that contaminants that cause symptoms are removed from the air inside your home.
Allergies
Your family members who suffer from allergies will benefit from more frequent air filter changes. Although more expensive, a higher-quality filter may be more effective at lowering allergens.
The frequency of furnace filter replacement can be determined by being aware of the elements that affect the air quality in your home. The air you and your family breathe will be as clean as possible if you keep new filters in your furnace, which will help it run smoothly and efficiently.
Use of Heating and Cooling
Filters have a shorter useful life when your home's heating and cooling system is used frequently because contaminants are available to collect on the filter and clog it. Homeowners typically change their furnace filters more frequently in the summer and winter than in the fall and spring.
Mishaps Caused by Dirty Furnace Filters
1. An ineffective system is caused by a clogged filter.
To ensure that your furnace operates as efficiently as possible, you should change the filter. Your furnace and air conditioner must work harder to circulate air through your home when the air filter is clogged with dust, dirt, and grime.
Your energy costs will rise. As a result, adding to your carbon footprint and strains your finances. The air filter can be changed quickly and effectively.
Furnaces and air handlers are heating and cooling equipment with numerous delicate parts. Without filtration, airborne dust, dirt, and other debris settle on the unit's parts and enter its various chambers. As contaminants build up, the equipment performs worse and even sustains component damage.
Air does not circulate through the HVAC system effectively when filters are clogged, but the system is still running. The clogged filter makes heating and cooling systems work harder to move air. The additional work strains the system's parts, using more energy and harming machinery.
A dirty filter restricts airflow, which raises the temperature inside the HVAC system and causes overheating. When this happens, it is known as short cycling, and the most typical cause is dirty filters. After it cools down, it starts up again, but the issue still exists. Short-cycling results in excessive energy consumption, higher utility costs, decreased indoor comfort, and damage to HVAC systems that necessitates repair and early total system failures.
As contaminants pass through the HVAC system due to a dirty filter, they gather in the parts that drain condensate, and clogs develop. Clogs prevent condensate from draining from the house, and it may spill over and cause water damage to the HVAC system and the surrounding areas. Additionally, excessive condensation raises the indoor humidity level, disrupting comfort.
2. Bad Air Filters Are Bad for Your Health
If your air filter is dirty, your home can continue to be filled with dust, dander, and even mold. This implies that your family will breathe these things in, which may exacerbate respiratory issues like asthma, allergies, etc.
Living spaces do not get enough heating and cooling because airflow is restricted when furnace filters are not changed on time. Homeowners frequently experience hot and cold spots as it becomes difficult to maintain comfort levels.
When the filter is completely covered in contaminants, there is no longer any surface area to catch fresh contaminants as they enter the system. Therefore, regardless of how often you clean, those contaminants remain in the air supply and return to your house, where they cause allergy symptoms, respiratory problems, physical irritants, and dirtier surfaces.
To ensure that everyone in your family can breathe easily, keep your air filter clean.
3. Filters that are clogged Reduce the lifespan of your system
More than just higher energy bills result when your system has to work harder to heat and cool your home. Additionally, it may lead to system burnout and overheating.
The stress on the blower and the HVAC system may cause an early system failure. A clogged air filter is the most common cause of people calling us with an entirely broken system.
When a simple air filter change solves the issue, you don't want to pay for replacement in Raleigh before it's necessary. The cost of not changing your air filter is too high.
4. Unclean Air Filters Your maintenance expenses will rise
A clogged air filter can cause expensive maintenance even though a system failure isn't always the result. Routine air filter replacement can prevent a blower from breaking down or ductwork that needs to be cleaned frequently because of the dust circulated throughout your home.
Consider including air filter replacement in your regular schedule since you'd prefer to spend your money elsewhere rather than on replacing and repairing components for your heating and cooling system.
5. Your home stays cleaner with a clean air filter
Because dust won't continue circulating through your home's HVAC system, a clean air filter will reduce the dust in your residence. Less dust will keep your home cleaner and free up more time for the activities you enjoy.
How Frequently Should Your Air Filter Be Changed?
With all these advantages, you'll likely change the filter more frequently than necessary. The answer depends on your filter's usage and the kind you use, but a good general rule of thumb is to change it every two months.
Never Overlook a Furnace Filter Replacement
The importance of changing furnace filters for your household and your HVAC system cannot be overstated. When your HVAC system is hidden and out of sight, it's too easy to forget to change the filters, but this crucial task must be prioritized.
It makes sense to examine your filter each month to determine its condition. It can be difficult to determine when your system needs new furnace filters if you never check for yourself. Once a month, look at the filter and replace it when the surface media is covered entirely in impurities.
Given how crucial it is to change your furnace filters, here are a few tips to help you remember to do this critical home maintenance task.
On your wall calendar or in your day planner, schedule monthly filter changes and checks at the proper intervals.
Plan reminders with alarms to alert you if you prefer using the calendar app on your smartphone.
Include checking and replacing furnace filters in your monthly list of essential tasks. When you pay your monthly utility bill, check the filter because it can affect how much energy the system uses. File that bill away after you check or replace your filter.