Changing Your Air Filter: You Know You Should, but Why?

There’s no good reason not to perform regular maintenance on your HVAC system. Many tasks, such as replacing your air filter, are cheap and easy but have big potential benefits. A clean air filter – as long as it’s rated for higher efficiency – helps clean indoor air and keep your heating and cooling equipment working the way it’s intended.

All About Replacing

The given maximum lifetime for most replaceable residential air filters is three months. However, you should be inspecting it monthly so you can replace it before it gets excessively dirty. In some homes, you may even have to replace it monthly to be safe. The frequency will depend on the number of people and pets in your home, as well as factors such as whether you live on a dirt or gravel road or have construction happening nearby.

Replacing a filter is easy in most cases. You just slide in a new one in place of the old one, with the arrows pointing toward the furnace or air handler. Your owner’s manual should provide guidance, if needed. Choose a filter that’s compatible with your furnace or A/C by referring back to the manual, or you could end up with a filter that won’t work correctly.

Why a Clean Filter Is Important

Unless you have a dedicated air cleaning system, your air filter is your main way to remove airborne particulates, thus both protecting indoor air quality and system components. Your air filter helps maintain functionality of your HVAC system. It catches particles that could damage your system before they enter. Additionally, if a filter is dirty, there’s less room for air to get through, which makes your system work harder. This leads to higher energy bills, more wear and tear on your furnace and a potential premature failure.

Maintaining your whole HVAC system is a big part of smart home ownership. For professional HVAC assistance in the Greater Cleveland area, contact Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

For those Do it Yourselfers who would rather take control of your own indoor comfort, you can shop our online store for replacement parts, products and accessories!

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