When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Caring for your furnace can help more than you’d think in the time in between furnace service appointments. One of the simplest, and critical, ways to take care of your furnace is in switching out your furnace filter. Having a dirty air filter can contribute to a host of unfavorable problems for your heating and cooling system, its efficiency, and ultimately, how much your energy costs are each month.

So what goes in to consideration when you should switch out your furnace filter?

• Type of filter: the two most common filter sizes are 1 inch and 3 inch filters. 1 inch filters normally need to be changed every month and 3 inch filters should be changed every three months, dependent on the recommendations of the filter manufacturer.
• Home habits: if you have pets in your home, it might make sense to switch out your filter more often due to pet dander. If someone in your family has allergies or asthma, contemplate switching out your home’s air filter more regularly to help ease their symptoms.

Now you’re probably wondering how to swap out your furnace filter. More than likely, this will differ depending on what furnace you have, but normally: 

• Open or pull off the air filter panel close to the bottom of your furnace to reveal an open compartment.
• On the top of that open compartment is where you will find your furnace filter resting on two metal lips.
• There will be a small amount of space to move your filter back and forth that allows you to pull down one end of the filter and pull it out of the compartment.
• When adding the new filter, check the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that shows you the air flow direction, to ensure you’re installing the filter in the proper direction. In the majority of cases, the arrow should point towards the main part (or top) of the furnace.