When Should I Change My Air Conditioner’s Air Filter at Home?
Sometimes we’re asked what is the most important thing that the U.S. area homeowner’s can do to protect their air conditioning and heating system between their regular tune-ups? That’s an easy one; remember to change the heating and air conditioning air filter. Changing furnace and return air filters is critical to the effectiveness of your HVAC system, plus your home’s air quality. Research suggests that indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks? You probably don’t consider it as you sit and watch TV, but this is the air you breathe day and night. Changing the air filters is not difficult for most the U.S. homeowners, but there are typically two hurdles to actually getting it done:
- Determining just how often to change your furnace or air conditioner filter.
- Replacing them at the proper time.
When To Change Your Air Filters
Most filters have a printed “expiration” date on the wrapping. It may instruct “Lasts up to 3 months” or “Change filter every 90 days”. Pay attention at the store and you’ll notice that some are meant to only last a single month, while other manufacturers (like Honeywell) have created media air cleaners with filters meant to be changed once every 6-12 months. The norm seems to be once every few months for most higher quality filters, but we have a rule of thumb that we tell our customers to go by. If the filter is dirty, change it! A dirty air filter can contribute or cause damage to costly components, like your compressor, so it’s best to change it out more often than to let it go. If you want to follow the manufacturer’s recommended limit, we suggest marking the date on the filter when you swap it out, and adding a reminder for yourself in your phone or on a calendar. Keep in mind that your filter manufacturer might have a different recommendation from your HVAC system manufacturer.
Figuring out how often to change your air filters can depend on several factors:
- The type of air filter you are using
- The entire air quality of your the U.S. area home
- Pets – Cats, dogs, birds, etc.
- Number of people in the home
- General air pollution in the the U.S. area or construction taking place nearby
For the common 1″-3″ air filters, the manufacturer specs basically tell you to change them every 1 or 2 months, which is in fact a great rule of thumb. But general guidelines are not applicable to all. If you put up with light to moderate allergies, you might need to upgrade your air filter or change them even more regularly than OEM specifications. On the other hand, if you’re in a less populated area, own a infrequently occupied home (like a vacation home) or an area with little auto traffic, changing your air filter every 12-months may be quite sufficient. Why should you factor in your pets? They have a tendency to shed, which can clog your air filter in no time, just like a vacuum. Naturally, the air filter is just doing its job by trapping pet hair and dander, but exceptionally dirty filters can cause seriously reduced HVAC performance.
In summary:
- Infrequently occupied home or single occupant homes without pets or allergies: Change 6-12 months
- Typical suburban home without pets: Change every 90 days
- House with a pet: Change every 60 days
- Multiple pets or have allergies: Change every 30-45 days
How To Remember To Change Your Air Conditioner’s Air Filters
It’s simple; sign up for the Service Experts Email Club. When you do, you can elect to receive (or not) great email coupons and newsletters with a lot of tips and discounts on AC repairs and tune-ups. Also, your email subscription preferences let’s you set a reminder to change your the U.S. area home’s air filter every 30, 60, 90, 120 or 365 days, or a specific date of your choice.
How to replace your return air filter
Most of us know how to replace the air filter in their unit, but some residences have an additional filter in the return ducts. Whether you have one or not is dependent on what your unit’s manufacturer recommends. Your unit is made to handle a maximum amount of pressure in your home sweet home, and the more filters you have the harder the blower motor works, which can shorten the life expectancy of your system if it isn’t designed for it. Learning whether you have a return filter and replacing it is a piece of cake:
- Find your return air vents.
- Some covers have screws and some have tabs. Unscrew or pull tabs to remove from the wall.
- Look for a filter. If one is there, pull it out and note the size.
- Verify the filter type is the one recommended by the manufacturer.
- If the filter is dirty, replace with the manufacturer’s recommended filter of the same size and type.
Incredible though it may seem, filters can dramatically impact your home’s airflow, which is why we recommend checking in with the manufacturer. A more expensive HEPA filter that is designed to catch tinier debris will obstruct airflow more than a cheaper filter. With restricted airflow comes increased pressure on your system, so you ought to verify that your HVAC system was made to handle it. Otherwise, you might experience reduced heating and cooling efficiency in your home, and system parts may wear out much faster than otherwise.
