When Should I Change My Air Conditioner’s Air Filter at Home?

Every once in a while we’re asked what is the most important thing that the U.S. area homeowner’s can do to ensure efficient functionality of their air conditioning and heating system between their scheduled tune-ups? The answer is simple this; remember to change the heating and air conditioning air filter. Buying new furnace and return air filters is crucial to the ideal operation of your HVAC system, as well as your home’s air quality. Studies show that indoor air pollution is in the top five environmental health risks? It’s not thought of often, but it is extremely important to consider. Changing the air filters is not a tough thing to do for most the U.S. homeowners, but there are typically two obstacles to actually completing this job:

1. 1. Knowing just how often to replace your furnace or air conditioner filter.

2. 2. Remembering to change air filters when needed.

When To Change Your Air Filters

Most filters have a printed “expiration” date on the packaging. It may say “Lasts up to 3 months” or “Change filter every 90 days”. Pay attention at the store and you should see that some are engineered to only last a single month, while other manufacturers (like Honeywell) have produced media air cleaners with filters meant to be swapped once every 6-12 months. The industry standard seems to be once every three months for most higher quality filters, but we have a rule of thumb that we suggest our readers to go by. If it’s dirty, change it! A dirty air filter can contribute or cause damage to expensive equipment, like your compressor, so it’s recommended to change it out more often than neglect it. If you want to stick to the manufacturer’s recommended limit, we suggest scribbling the date on the filter when you swap it out, and setting a reminder for yourself in your phone or on a calendar. Also be aware that your filter manufacturer sometimes has a different recommendation from your HVAC system manufacturer.

Deciding how often to change your air filters relies upon several factors:

• • Which air filter your system requires

• • The overall air quality of your the U.S. area home

• • Pets – Cats, dogs, birds, etc.

• • Occupancy of the home

• • The level of air pollution and construction around the home

For your standard 1″-3″ air filters, the manufacturers basically tell you to change them every 1 or 2 months, which is really a great rule of thumb. But general rules aren’t always for everybody. If you have to tolerate light to moderate allergies, you may need to upgrade the 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 less occupied home (like a vacation home) or an area where there are fewer cars around, replacing your air filters each year may be quite sufficient. Why should you factor in your pets? They have a tendency to shed, which can clog your air filter fast. Clearly, the air filter is just doing its job by capturing pet hair and dander, but extremely dirty filters can cause diminished HVAC performance.

In summary:

• • Seldom used home or single occupant homes without pets or allergies: Change 6-12 months

• • Average suburban home without pets: Change every 90 days

• • House with a pet: Change every 60 days

• • More than one pet or have allergies: Change every 30-45 days

How To Remember To Change Your Air Conditioner’s Air Filters

Here’s an easy way to stay on top of this; sign up for the Service Experts Email Club. This is a convenient way to get money-saving discounts and other helpful information on your smartphone, tablet or desktop. In addition, 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 the date of your choosing.

How to replace your return air filter

Most people know how to replace the air filter in their equipment, but some houses have an additional filter in the return ducts. Whether you have one or not is dependent on what your unit’s manufacturer recommends. Your system is designed to handle a set amount of pressure in your home sweet home, and the more filters you have the harder the blower motor works, which can reduce the life of your system if it isn’t designed for it. Finding out whether you have a return filter and replacing it is a piece of cake:

• • Go to your return air vents.

• • Some covers have screws and some have tabs. Unscrew or pull tabs to remove from the wall.

• • Inspect for a filter. If one is inside, pull it out and record the size.

• • Verify the filter type is the one recommended by the manufacturer.

• • If filter is dirty, replace with the manufacturer’s recommended filter of the same size and type.

Crazy as it may seem, filters can really alter your home’s airflow, which is why we recommend asking the manufacturer. A top tier HEPA filter that is designed to catch smaller dust will reduce airflow more than a cheaper filter. With restricted airflow comes more pressure on your system, so you need to verify that your HVAC system was made to handle it. Otherwise, you might experience uneven heating and cooling efficiency in your home, and system parts may die off much faster than normal.