Many homeowners don’t know a lot about their HVAC system, including where key equipment like the furnace is located. If you don’t know where the furnace is, you can’t complete routine furnace maintenance tasks like inspecting the furnace air filter. This and other simple chores can enhance your furnace’s energy efficiency. It’ll also help reduce the risk of damage or a malfunction.
Most furnaces are found in the center of your home, either in a special utility closet or downstairs in the basement. If your home doesn’t have a basement, it may also be in a crawl space or the attic. You may find other equipment like the water heater or your washing machine nearby.
Once you’ve found where your furnace is, the next step is to locate the furnace filter.
You’ll usually find the air filter within the blower compartment, which is accessible through a metal door or hatch on the lower half of the furnace. It could also be in a sliding compartment by the air handler component of your furnace or on a rack placed on the furnace’s side. It will be located in a place where it can trap dust, pollen and other airborne particles as they pass through your HVAC system.
Over time, the furnace filter collects more and more particles. At a certain point it will restrict airflow and can reduce your home’s indoor air quality as well as your HVAC system’s overall efficiency. By regularly cleaning or replacing the filter, you’ll keep everything working more effectively.
Thankfully, you don’t need tons of HVAC experience to know how to change a furnace filter. In fact, it’s one of the easiest tasks you can do to help encourage the best performance from your HVAC system. Here are some things to keep in mind before you start:
Ultimately, knowing how often to change your furnace filter depends on several things. Start with the model of the filter itself, as more efficient filters can last longer. You’ll also want to consider your indoor air quality needs, the size of your family and number of pets as well as local pollution levels.
Basic filters suggest replacement every 1-2 months, or as short as 20-45 days each if you have multiple pets and someone in the house has allergies.
The quality of your furnace filter might have a big impact on your HVAC system’s overall efficiency as well as your home’s indoor air quality. The ideal way to check the quality of your furnace filter is its MERV rating. This stands for the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, and indicates the filter’s effectiveness at reducing the number of airborne particles in your home.
The [bigger|higher} the MERV rating, the better the filter will be. Ratings can be on a scale of 1-20, but this doesn’t mean you should try to find a furnace filter with a 20 MERV rating. In fact, many filters with ratings above 13 are often designed for hospitals or other buildings that rely on the safest, most hygienic conditions possible.
Forgetting to change your furnace filter isn’t the end of the world, but it can negatively affect how effective your HVAC system is. Furnaces need unobstructed airflow for efficient heating, and a clogged filter can slow that down. The longer you go without replacing it, however, the more likely problems can develop that will require furnace repair. Here are a few of the most common:
Definitely not! Your furnace filter is still a beneficial component for getting the most out of your HVAC system. You should always have a filter in place, even if you forget to replace it every now and then. A trustworthy service company like Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing can help you keep up with routine furnace maintenance in the U.S. including replacing the air filter.
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