When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Taking care of your furnace can help quite a bit in the time in between furnace service appointments. One of the easiest, and critical, ways to maintain your furnace lies in changing your furnace filter. Having a dirty air filter may contribute to a host of adverse problems for your heating and cooling system, its efficiency, and ultimately, how much your energy expenses are each month.

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

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

Now you’re likely wondering how to change your furnace filter. Inevitably this will change depending on what furnace you have, but typically: 

• Open or remove the air filter panel around the bottom of your furnace to reveal an open compartment.
• On the top of that open compartment is where your furnace filter is resting on two metal lips.
• There will be a little space to move your filter back and forth that allows you to pull down one end of the filter and remove it from the compartment.
• When adding the new filter, look at the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that indicates the air flow direction, to ensure you’re installing the filter in the right direction. In most cases, the arrow should point towards the main part (or top) of the furnace.