How To Change Home Air Filter

You lot might believe that air filters serve ane basic purpose: to make clean the air that circulates throughout your home. Notwithstanding, that's not technically true. The original purpose of domicile air filters was to forbid the HVAC organization from harm. Improved indoor air quality is simply a byproduct! Air filters aid clean the air indoors by trapping harmful pollutants such as dust, pollen and dander. For healthy air quality, it's important to know when to change abode air filters.

How Oft Should Yous Modify Home Air Filters?

The frequency with which you lot should change your home air filter depends on the type of filter, its thickness, the MERV rating and some special conditions. Let's break down each factor.

Thickness

The standard basic air filter is a 1-inch thick disposable filter. This type of filter needs to exist replaced every 30-ninety days. Other habitation air filters range from roughly two-5 inches in thickness. It is generally recommended to replace such filters every four to six months as a baseline. However, thickness lone is not enough to make up one's mind how ofttimes to modify the filter!

Filter Type

Pleated: A pleated air filter helps reduce the circulation of dust and other air pollutants due to greater surface area thank you to its accordion design. Pleated filters can be fabricated of various fabrics or materials. Their efficacy depends on the material blazon.
Fiberglass: A fiberglass filter is fairly common and dispensable. They are loosely wound and are non the best IAQ-focused filter pick.
Washable: Washable filters are reusable, making them an environmentally friendly choice. However, they must be well-maintained in order to foreclose mildew and mold growth, thus they require frequent maintenance.
HEPA: High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are extremely effective with regard to filtration, but they significantly reduce airflow for the average home HVAC system.
Activated Carbon: An activated carbon filter effectively reduces VOCs and odors, merely struggles to remove particulates such every bit dust, pollen and mold.
Media: Media filters, and fifty-fifty better, high-efficiency media filters offer superb air filtration without reducing airflow. It is the happy medium of air filters.

Special Factors

Special conditions to consider include whether there are allergy and asthma sufferers in the abode or pets. The following chart provides a breakup of how often to routinely check (at a minimum) your habitation air filter for buildup, based on diverse factors. And again, considering the wide range of air filters and dissimilar efficacy levels, view the ranges as an boilerplate!

Factor	Replacement Range
Someone in the home suffers from allergies or asthma	thirty to 45 days
Ordinary Home, No Pets	~ ninety days
Ordinary Home, One Pet	~ 60 days
Ordinary Home, Multiple Pets	20 to 40 days
Single-Occupant Home, No Pets	~ 180 days

All estimates are tricky to do as a generalization. They are based on the boilerplate family dwelling house with an boilerplate occupancy level. Filter rating is besides a very important factor.

MERV Rating

Overall, filters with lower MERV ratings should be checked and replaced more than ofttimes than higher-rated filters. An air filter with a MERV 1-4 rating is significantly less efficient at filtering out pollutants. Check this MERV range often and change the filter whenever pollutant buildup is clear.

The middle-efficiency range of MERV five-x probable requires filter changes somewhere around two or three months. However, this mid-range really varies depending on other factors and filter textile.

Air filters with a MERV xi rating or higher rating tin usually get betwixt 3 and 6 months before replacing. Specifically, for high MERV ratings and greater thickness, these filters easily require just ii filter changes per year.

How often should home air filters be replaced? Considering all the factors IAQ comic — Finding the best schedule to replace your home air filter means considering all the factors!

If you're still unsure, more than likely, the dwelling air filter you choose volition have specific recommendations on the packaging.

The lesser line: prioritizing your and your family's wellness and good for you indoor air means a make clean air filter should be the priority. With this in heed, to ensure the cleanest air filter, you must have into business relationship all of the factors listed above to decide the best filter timeline for your infinite.

What Happens if Yous Don't Change Your Air Filter?

Neglecting home air filter maintenance tin effect in a plethora of home and wellness issues.

Reduced Airflow: A dirty air filter is clogged with dust and droppings, which besides reduces airflow. Ultimately, your HVAC unit will have to work harder to compensate, potentially leading to system failure or plush repairs.

System Failure: An HVAC unit that is working hard to circumvent clogged air filters is subject to overheating and other issues. Once a unit of measurement overheats, it is likely to break resulting in expensive repairs.

Increased Allergens: Those who endure from allergies may discover increased fatigue, headaches and common cold-like symptoms. This is due to the fact that major allergens aren't being filtered out as effectively. Without a clean air filter, when the air is blowing, these particles circulate throughout your abode.

Electricity Bill Increase: Reduced airflow from a dirty filter greatly stresses your Air conditioning unit and HVAC system. All of which increases your electricity or gas beak.

Overheating AC Unit: If you discover an increase in the bodily temperature of your outdoor condenser unit of measurement, it may exist indicative of a muddied air filter. This is determined by touching the dorsum of the outdoor unit of measurement.

Grit: If you detect more grit settling on surfaces almost the vents in your home, it could be another sign that the air filter is dirty. Check surfaces further away from the vents, if they are not equally dusty, and then the air filter is the problem. Also, as a exam, hang a white sheet within several inches of the vent and see if the sail turns gray, which again shows information technology's time to change the abode air filter.

Which Air Filter Is Best for You lot?

Irresolute home air filters is quick and like shooting fish in a barrel! If you're looking for the perfect domicile air filter, one that provides your infinite with cleaner, filtered air and healthy indoor airflow, look no further than a MERV 13 pleated media filter. We advise this choice because it truly combines the best features of every category.

You'll likely merely take to replace a MERV 13 filter every six months! (Depending on those special conditions, of course.) By nature these filters are low maintenance, saving yous both time and money. They're too high-efficiency, meaning improved overall air quality and a healthier indoor infinite!