How often to change home air filter?
  • Category:
    Energy Efficiency
  • Published:
    May 26, 2022

How Often Should You Change Your Home Air Filter and Why?

You may have heard you should regularly switch out your home’s air filter, but perhaps you ask yourself, “Why is it important to change the air filter?” From extending the life of your system and preventing breakdowns to having healthier air in your home to potentially saving money and the environment, the reasons for regularly putting in a new air filter in your home arenumerous.

How often to change your home air filter

Every manufacturer has specific recommendations as to how often to change a home air filter, but on average, changing every month is the standard. Various factors influence how often you go about replacing the air filter in your home.

  • Type of filter used. Not all air filters are alike. The two most common types are fiberglass and pleated. Pleated air filters are generally better at capturing dust and particles and can last up to 90 days.
  • Home size. The larger your home, the more air your air filter must process. You may find changing the air filter in your home more often is necessary. You might go longer between air filter changes if your house is smaller.
  • Air quality. Air quality is one of the more influential factors in how often to change your home air filter. If you live in an area where smoke, fog, dust, and airborne debris are common, your air filter will clog up faster and will need more frequent replacing.
  • Pet hair, dander and dirt are part of owning companion animals. You will have to replace your air filter more often the more pets you have. Clear air filters will help you get rid of dust in your home.
  • Having allergies or asthma or family members who are affected by these conditions are one of the reasons why it is important to change your air filter. If a clean, healthy environment and improving your air quality is important, change your filters more often.
  • Will changing the air filter help the A/C? Absolutely. Clean filters improve air flow so your A/C does not have to work so hard to keep your home comfortable. Regularly installing clean, new air filters are an important part of HVAC maintenance.
  • Who is living in your house can also drive your schedule for installing a clean air filter. Some children and adults can be more sensitive to air pollutants. Also, the more people living in the house will likely increase how often you change your home air filter.

What do air filters do in a house?

What does an air filter do in a house?

The reason why you should change your air filter is because what air filters can do for your HVAC system, your house and your wallet. Home air quality can contain dozens of contaminants. With good ventilation and air filters, you can improve your situation and keep contaminants from building up inside.

What do air filters do in a house specifically?

First, they filter out particles like smoke, pollen, dust, pet dander, hair, dirt, and allergens, including dust mites that are in your air. Specialized air filters can remove bacteria, mold, and viruses, too.

The second role of the air filter is to keep these debris out of your equipment. Dirt in your duct system or air handler can damage sensitive components in your HVAC system over time, shortening its life or causing unexpected breakdowns.

Lastly, air filters can improve the efficiency of your HVAC system. When it is clean, it does not have to work as hard to heat or cool your home. That can help save the environment and possibly decrease your energy bill. Why it is important to change your air filter is on many lists of tips for saving energy.

Why should you change your home air filter?

Reasons you should change your home air filter regularly.

Now that you know what air filters do in a house, let’s go through the benefits of regularly changing the air filter. The benefits fall into three primary categories for why it is important to change the air filter.

1. Health concerns

Particles build up over time in the air in your house. Pets, carpets, textiles, paper products, cleaning products and tools, and the like all create, encourage, or stir up contaminants in your home.

Dust mites, dust and dander are common allergens. Smoke and pollution make asthma worse. Mold, viruses and bacteria can spread disease. Clean air is your first defense when it comes to the health of you and your family.

2. Energy efficiency

Clean air filters are the central component of a clean and efficient HVAC system. Besides moving warm or cool air around your home more efficiently, a clean system runs smoothly. That is why the answer is yes to the question: Will changing the air filter help the A/C?

Wear and tear on components doesn’t just shorten their lives, the operation of the system uses more energy, essentially wasting electricity at home. Regularly changing air filters and keeping your HVAC system clean is one of the easiest ways to save energy in your home.

3. Prevent system failure

Because your HVAC must work harder to pull air through your home when the air filter is clogged, it puts added strain on the system. Damage and costly breakdowns are much more likely. While it is nice to know the important tips to fix your A/C, keeping it running smoothly will save you trouble, discomfort, and expense in the long run.

How to tell when you need to change your HVAC air filter: Do a visual check

How do you know that it is time to change the air filter? The easiest and surest way is to look. Open your HVAC system and do a visual inspection of the filter. When you first start, you might check it every other week or so to see what its condition is over the course of a month. If it still looks clean after 30 days, you may opt to continue using it.

You might also discover that it is clogged well before the recommended 30-day change out. By regularly checking over a few months, you will understand the specific patterns in your home and will know the ideal frequency for replacing the air filter.

Changing the filter is easy. Open the vent door on your HVAC unit. Slide the old one out and slide the new one in.

Now you know why it is important to change the air filter. It is so important to your health and for saving energy that Constellation customers can get their first air filter for free when they order through Second Nature. Keeping up with changing air filters is one of the best ways to have a healthy and energy-efficient home.

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