Furnace Air Filter
Which Furnace Air Filter do I Need?
Any time you run your heater or your central air conditioning, the air you breathe is being circulated through the furnace and its air filter. The furnace air filter removes things like dust and allergens from the air before pumping it back into the house. When the filter gets full, it can no longer effectively clean the air, and you will notice a decline in the air quality in your home. Replacing the air filter every 1 - 3 months will maintain a higher air quality as well as keep down the electric bill.
How often you need to replace your furnace air filter will be determined by a number of factors. If you run your air conditioning or heater daily, then more air is passing through the filter than if run it only on very hot or very cold days. The time of year will also have an effect on how frequently the air filter needs to be changed. In the Spring and Fall is when pollen counts tend to spike, which means there is more stuff in the air that the filter needs to remove. This means that the filter will become clogged more quickly than during other times of the year. The filters you use will also impact how often you need to change the filter. Some filters are labeled as lasting for 3 months. Even so, they should be checked every month to make sure.
There are several different types of filters. Your owner's manual may have recommendations on which kind of furnace air filter to buy. Most filters are disposable, they are simply thrown in the trash when they become too full to clean the air. There are reusable filters becoming more widely available. Reusable filters reduce landfill waste and can save the consumer money over time as new filters do not need to be purchased each month. The draw back is that the reusable filter needs to be cleaned about as often as a disposable filter needs to be changed. Cleaning a reusable filter usually means just rinsing it off with a hose. For people with allergies, cleaning the filter can be problematic as all some of the allergens that were trapped in the filter may be released back into the air.
The more clogged a filter becomes, the harder the heater or air conditioner has to work to circulate the air. This can lead to higher electric bills. Regular replacement of your furnace air filter is an easy, and low cost way of keeping your electric bills under control. The improvement in air quality in our home is another desirable result of regular filter maintenance. Whether you want to use disposable or reusable will come down to your personal preference and furnace requirements.