You can’t have a furnace without a furnace filter. It’s like a shield that protects your furnace from dust and hair to keep it functioning.
But exactly how often should you change a furnace filter?
You Should Change Your Filter Every 90 Days
Your furnace filter needs to be changed every 3 months. This will ensure your filter AND your furnace continue to work at their best.
The filter’s job is to collect dust and debris particles as air passes through your furnace. But when your furnace becomes overly clogged, it restricts airflow. This can cause problems within your furnace that could lead to expensive breakdowns.
Your Filter Should Be Checked Every 30 Days
While most furnace filters only need to be changed every 3 months, you should always check once a month.
By checking once a month, you’ll be able to determine if your filter is clear enough to continue to filter the dust and particles from your air – and prevent those expensive breakdowns.
You’ll know your furnace filter needs to be changed if it’s a greyish colour. It will also look dusty and have build up from all the airborne particles it’s been collecting.
Your Home Environment Can Impact When to Change Your Furnace Filter
Most furnace filters can go the full 3 months without needing to be cleaned or changed.
But your home’s environment can have an impact on how often your filter should be changed.
1. Pets
Furry animal snuggles are all well and good, but all that extra hair has to go somewhere. When it’s not vacuumed up, it gets filtered through your furnace. Pet hair will clog your filter at a faster rate than homes without pets, so it’s important to stick to that once-a-month check.
2. Allergies or Asthma
Homeowners with allergies or asthma will be more sensitive to excess dust. A clogged filter won’t filter dust and debris properly, and could affect your breathing. Along with regular dusting and vacuuming, fresh filters will help keep your home’s air fresh and clear.
3. Consistent Usage
Your furnace filter is used by both your furnace and air conditioner. The more you use these two systems, the more dust and debris your furnace filter will collect.
This may mean you have to change your filter more frequently.
How to Change or Clean Your Furnace Filter
Before beginning, turn off your furnace – safety first! Then remove the filter from inside the return air vent. Make sure to note which way the filter goes in.
Now you have to determine what kind of furnace filter you have. If there’s a plastic frame around your filter, it’s reusable and can be cleaned.
First use a vacuum to gently suck up the dirt and debris your filter has collected. Then use water to gently wipe down the filter for any remaining dirt. Remember to let it dry completely before inserting it back into the furnace.
On the other hand, replacing a disposable filter is a quick process. All you have to do is swap out your old filter for a new one, which you can buy at most hardware stores. Just make sure it’s the same size!
You Handle the Filter – We’ll Handle Everything Else
Changing your furnace filter is an important part of keeping your furnace in tip top shape. Let us handle the rest by giving your furnace its annual tune up.
Not only will an annual tune up give you the peace of mind that your furnace will perform all winter, but it will also increase the efficiency – that means more heat for less money.
