When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Taking care of your furnace can help more than you’d think in the time in between furnace service appointments. One of the simplest, and crucial, ways to maintain your furnace is by changing your furnace filter. Having a dirty air filter can contribute to a host of adverse concerns 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 replace your furnace filter?

• Type of filter: the two most common filter sizes are 1 inch and 3 inch filters. 1 inch filters typically need to be switched out every month and 3 inch filters ought to be swapped out every three months, dependent on the recommendations of the filter manufacturer.
• Home habits: if you have pets in your home, it may make sense to replace your filter more often because of pet dander. If someone in your family suffers from allergies or asthma, consider replacing your home’s air filter more regularly to help potentially decrease their symptoms.

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

• Open or pull off the air filter panel near the bottom of your furnace to expose 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 bit of space to move your filter back and forth that allows you to remove one end of the filter and remove it from the compartment.
• When installing the new filter, inspect the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that specifies the air flow direction, to make sure you’re installing the filter in the correct direction. In most cases, the arrow should point towards the main part (or top) of the furnace.