How Often Should I Change My Furnace Filter In The Winter

How Frequently Should You Change Your Furnace Filter

how often you need to change your furnace filter in your home - filterbuy

When it comes to maintaining a healthy key air system in your house, near homeowners are aware that they need to regularly change their AC air filters. However, they may not be enlightened that they also need to alter their furnace filter at regular intervals.

All central air systems with a heating component have a "furnace."

The furnace is function of your HVAC air filtration system responsible for taking common cold air in and heating it upwards before it's blown throughout the rest of the abode through the air handler.

Furnaces - the heating component of your cardinal air system - are made of several primary parts that are responsible for heating the air inside of your home. The estrus exchanger, combustion chamber, and air blower help to condition the air. Your furnace filter helps to clean it.

So, how oft should you really change your furnace filter? Let's take a deeper expect at your home'south furnace filter, what it does, and why it'southward important to regularly change your furnace filters.

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Commencement, What Does a Furnace Filter Exercise?

Earlier nosotros get into the details surrounding when and how often to change furnace filters, permit's discuss why they are needed in the outset place.

The furnace filter is used to articulate the air of contaminants and dust but before air is pulled into the furnace organization. The air passes through the filter material where contaminants are trapped. This keeps contaminants out of the furnace and HVAC equipment that's further down the line.

Without a filter the furnace would cease to operate rather quickly considering the equipment would exist too gunked up to operate properly.

There are also a couple residual benefits that come from using furnace filters. In addition to keeping the HVAC organisation clear of contaminants, furnace filters also help clean the indoor air that y'all breathe. All the air purification allows the HVAC system to run equally efficiently every bit possible, which lowers the cost of heating and cooling a dwelling house. Larn more about different types of furnace filters.

Not All Primal Air Systems Accept a Furnace Filter

You lot may non have realized your furnace filter needs to be changed because furnace filters aren't needed in every HVAC organization. It all depends on the equipment that's involved and how the system is designed. Below are a few instances when a HVAC system won't demand a furnace filter.

Central Air Systems Without a Heating Component

example of a central air handler without a heating component

Some people alive in climates where air cooling is needed most twelvemonth-round, which means heating the business firm isn't a business concern. It'due south possible for HVAC systems to take no heating component and therefore they don't need a furnace filter.

HVACs With Unmarried Air Filtration Systems

central air unit with a single filtration system

Some HVACs are designed to have a single air filtration system rather than a separate system for the air conditioner and furnace. When this is the case just a single HVAC air filter is needed. The filter is placed in a shared air handler where it cleans the air before it's diverted to either the conditioning unit or furnace.

How Often to Replace & Change Your Furnace Filter

how often you should be replacing your furnace filter in your home

Your specific situation is unique, but near air filtration experts concur that in that location is a general lifespan for furnace filters.

The standard recommendation is to replace furnace filters at least one time every 90 days.

Proceed in heed, this is a general recommendation. In that location are a few factors that can shorten or extend the time between furnace filter replacement intervals.

Furnace Filter Thickness & Change Intervals

different sized thickness furnace filters

One of the biggest variables is the thickness of your furnace's filter.

Furnace filters are typically 1-, 2-, four- and 5-inches thick. The thicker a furnace filter is, the more information technology can hold and the longer it will last. Below is a quick reference for filter thickness and modify intervals:

ane" furnace filters should exist replaced every one-3 months.
ii" furnace filters should be replaced every i-3 months.
iv" furnace filters should be replaced every half dozen-nine months.
5" furnace filters should be replaced every 9-12 months.

The thickness of your furnace filter is dictated by your air handler and furnace's filter slot. Yous tin can't try to cram a larger air filter in a small-scale vent slot. It's as well not advised to use a furnace filter that is too sparse for your furnace filter slot. That will result in inadequate filtration and contaminants making their style into the air in your domicile.

Also go on in listen that thicker furnace filters tend to terminal longer, providing more filtration over time, and then they tend to price more than 1" and two" furnace filters.

Signs Information technology's Time to Replace Your Furnace Filter

a dirty furnace filter is a good sign its time to replace

There are a lot of variables that influence how often a furnace filter needs to exist changed. Plus, y'all may need to modify the furnace filter more frequently at sure times of year. Instead of but going off the standard timeline, beneath are some signs and special considerations that volition let y'all know when to change a furnace filter.

Symptoms of an Onetime or Dirty Furnace Filter

Increased heating bills and energy costs during colder months
Worsened air quality inside the business firm
Constant temperature fluctuation
The furnace shuts down due to clogs in the equipment
The heat exchanger is prematurely worn or damaged
The presence of dust and pet dander around the business firm
Increase in allergies or animate issues or symptoms

When in doubt, just take a quick look at your furnace filter. When a filter has reached the end of its life it will appear very muddy. Instead of seeing white pleats, the air filter medium volition exist a darker color, often grayness or brown. You may even meet larger $.25 of debris.

Furnace Filter Change Intervals in Winter vs. Summer Months

Mostly speaking, HVAC furnace filters don't need to be changed equally regularly during winter months compared to summertime months. In the winter, as long equally the furnace filter isn't dirty and chock-full, y'all can go the recommended xc days earlier needing a replacement. Simply if you accept college-than-normal usage during a particularly common cold period, it may warrant an before replacement interval.

It all comes downward to a affair of runtime and humidity. Typically, the air conditioner runs more hours of the day in summertime. Longer runtimes mean that more than air is passing through the filter each mean solar day. Higher humidity levels in the summer or winter can also make your furnace filter damp. The added moisture reduces the filter's chapters to hold contaminants, and information technology will demand to be inverse more than ofttimes.

What Could Happen If You Don't Change Your Furnace Filter

Allow's look at worst case scenarios if y'all don't modify your furnace filter on time.

At this signal y'all may be wondering how important irresolute your furnace filter is in the real world. You may even think y'all tin can skip a few changes if you live in a balmy climate or aren't worried near air quality in your habitation.

an old or dirty furnace filter can cause damage to your heating system

Even if you live in a temperate climate with great air quality, there's another of import reason to change your furnace filter as recommended. Clean furnace filters help protect your HVAC system.

The primary purpose of a furnace filter is not to clean the air you lot exhale but to clean the air that's passing through the furnace and other HVAC equipment. There are hundreds of components that can be negatively impacted by air contaminants. When contaminants enter the system, they can cause build upward and premature wear that makes the equipment work harder.

If you don't regularly alter your furnace filter, y'all can end up with a furnace that doesn't operate as efficiently and volition probable take a shortened lifespan. This ends upwardly costing homeowners coin in the short-term since more energy is used to heat and absurd the home.

Long-term costs include more than frequent repairs and needing to replace the furnace or unabridged HVAC system sooner than expected.

Shop Furnace Filters with Filterbuy

Looking for the best air filters for your dwelling house? At Filterbuy you can find specialty furnace filters and standard HVAC filters in a wide range of sizes and thicknesses. We tin can also create custom size furnace filters and so you get an exact fit!

We also offer five-inch furnace filters (16x25x5 or 20x25x5), whole house air filter brands, and rigid prison cell furnace filters.

Furnace Filter Changing FAQs

How often should you replace your furnace filter?

The general recommendation is that furnace filters should be replaced at to the lowest degree once every xc days.

How long is a furnace filter good?

A furnace filter will last if the medium tin can collect airborne contaminants. One time the medium is fully saturated information technology will no longer be able to filter the air.

How often should you alter a 1-inch furnace filter?

A ane-inch furnace filter should exist changed at least in one case every 1 to 3 months or every 90 days.

How often should you lot alter a two-inch furnace filter?

A ii-inch furnace filter needs to be changed every 1-iii months.

How oftentimes should you modify a iv-inch furnace filter?

A 4-inch furnace filter should be changed erstwhile betwixt 6 and nine months.

How oft should you change a 5-inch furnace filter?

You can wait ix to 12 months earlier needing to replace a 5-in furnace filter.

How often should yous change a furnace filter in wintertime months?

During the winter when the furnace is used more frequently, yous volition need to supercede the furnace filter more oft. It's not uncommon for furnace filters to need to be replaced once a month in the winter. However, if your HVAC has a single filtration arrangement that uses one air filter for the workout unit of measurement and furnace so replacements will be less frequent in the winter compared to the summer.

How often should yous change a Honeywell furnace filter?

A Honeywell furnace filter is going to have the same filter replacement recommendations as standard filters. Only exist careful not to confuse Honeywell furnace filters with their HEPA air filters for purifiers, which last much longer.

How often should you alter a Carrier furnace filter?

A Carrier furnace filter has like filter replacement recommendations. Carrier's fiberglass furnace filters should be changed every 30 days. Their pleated furnace filters tin terminal anywhere from iii months up to a yr.

How oftentimes should you change an Aprilaire furnace filter?

Aprilaire furnace filters tend to last a little longer than the norm. The manufacturer recommends changing their filters every half dozen to 12 months.

How often should yous change an Air Bear furnace filter?

Some Air Carry furnace filters can last six to nine months before needing to be replaced.