Do Ac Filters Need To Be Changed In Winter

How Often Should Yous Alter Your Furnace Filter

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

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

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

The furnace is part of your HVAC air filtration organisation responsible for taking cold air in and heating information technology upwards before it's diddled throughout the rest of the dwelling through the air handler.

Furnaces - the heating component of your central air arrangement - are made of several primary parts that are responsible for heating the air inside of your home. The heat exchanger, combustion chamber, and air blower assist to condition the air. Your furnace filter helps to clean information technology.

So, how ofttimes should you really alter your furnace filter? Allow's take a deeper await at your home's furnace filter, what it does, and why information technology's important to regularly change your furnace filters.

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First, What Does a Furnace Filter Practice?

Before we get into the details surrounding when and how often to change furnace filters, let's discuss why they are needed in the first place.

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

Without a filter the furnace would end to operate rather chop-chop considering the equipment would be too gunked up to operate properly.

There are as well a couple residual benefits that come from using furnace filters. In add-on to keeping the HVAC organization articulate of contaminants, furnace filters also help make clean the indoor air that you breathe. All the air purification allows the HVAC organization to run every bit efficiently as possible, which lowers the cost of heating and cooling a home. Learn more than about different types of furnace filters.

Not All Central Air Systems Take a Furnace Filter

You lot may non take realized your furnace filter needs to exist changed because furnace filters aren't needed in every HVAC system. Information technology all depends on the equipment that'south involved and how the arrangement is designed. Below are a few instances when a HVAC system won't need a furnace filter.

Key Air Systems Without a Heating Component

example of a central air handler without a heating component

Some people live in climates where air cooling is needed almost yr-round, which ways heating the business firm isn't a business organisation. It'due south possible for HVAC systems to have 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 take a single air filtration organisation rather than a separate arrangement 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 of measurement or furnace.

How Often to Supervene upon & Modify Your Furnace Filter

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

Your specific situation is unique, but most air filtration experts concord that there is a general lifespan for furnace filters.

The standard recommendation is to supplant furnace filters at least once every ninety days.

Go along in listen, this is a general recommendation. At that place are a few factors that tin shorten or extend the time between furnace filter replacement intervals.

Furnace Filter Thickness & Modify Intervals

different sized thickness furnace filters

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

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

1" furnace filters should exist replaced every one-three months.
two" furnace filters should be replaced every one-3 months.
four" furnace filters should be replaced every half-dozen-9 months.
5" furnace filters should be replaced every ix-12 months.

The thickness of your furnace filter is dictated by your air handler and furnace's filter slot. You can't try to cram a larger air filter in a minor vent slot. Information technology'due south also not advised to use a furnace filter that is as well sparse for your furnace filter slot. That volition result in inadequate filtration and contaminants making their style into the air in your home.

Also keep in mind that thicker furnace filters tend to last longer, providing more filtration over time, and so they tend to cost more than than 1" and 2" furnace filters.

Signs It'south Fourth dimension to Supplant Your Furnace Filter

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

In that location are a lot of variables that influence how often a furnace filter needs to be changed. Plus, y'all may need to change the furnace filter more oft at sure times of year. Instead of just going off the standard timeline, beneath are some signs and special considerations that will let yous know when to change a furnace filter.

Symptoms of an Old or Dingy Furnace Filter

Increased heating bills and free energy costs during colder months
Worsened air quality inside the house
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 house
Increase in allergies or animate issues or symptoms

When in doubt, just take a quick wait at your furnace filter. When a filter has reached the end of its life it will announced very muddy. Instead of seeing white pleats, the air filter medium volition be a darker color, often grayness or brown. You may fifty-fifty see larger bits of debris.

Furnace Filter Change Intervals in Winter vs. Summer Months

Generally speaking, HVAC furnace filters don't demand to be changed as regularly during winter months compared to summertime months. In the winter, as long as the furnace filter isn't dirty and clogged, you can go the recommended xc days earlier needing a replacement. But if you accept higher-than-normal usage during a particularly cold period, it may warrant an earlier replacement interval.

It all comes downwardly to a matter of runtime and humidity. Typically, the air conditioner runs more hours of the twenty-four hour period in summertime. Longer runtimes mean that more than air is passing through the filter each solar day. Higher humidity levels in the summer or winter can also make your furnace filter damp. The added moisture reduces the filter's capacity to hold contaminants, and it will need to exist changed more ofttimes.

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

Allow'due south wait at worst example scenarios if you lot don't change your furnace filter on time.

At this point you may be wondering how important changing your furnace filter is in the real globe. You may fifty-fifty think yous can skip a few changes if y'all alive in a balmy climate or aren't worried about air quality in your dwelling.

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

Even if y'all live in a temperate climate with keen air quality, in that location's another of import reason to change your furnace filter equally recommended. Clean furnace filters help protect your HVAC organisation.

The main purpose of a furnace filter is non to clean the air you lot breathe 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 organization, they can crusade build up and premature wear that makes the equipment work harder.

If you don't regularly change your furnace filter, you can end up with a furnace that doesn't operate as efficiently and will likely have a shortened lifespan. This ends up costing homeowners coin in the short-term since more energy is used to heat and cool the dwelling.

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

Shop Furnace Filters with Filterbuy

Looking for the all-time air filters for your home? At Filterbuy yous tin find specialty furnace filters and standard HVAC filters in a broad range of sizes and thicknesses. Nosotros can too create custom size furnace filters and then yous get an verbal fit!

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

Furnace Filter Irresolute FAQs

How often should you replace your furnace filter?

The general recommendation is that furnace filters should be replaced at least one time every 90 days.

How long is a furnace filter good?

A furnace filter will last if the medium can collect airborne contaminants. Once the medium is fully saturated it will no longer be able to filter the air.

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

A one-inch furnace filter should exist changed at to the lowest degree in one case every one to 3 months or every 90 days.

How often should you change a 2-inch furnace filter?

A 2-inch furnace filter needs to be changed every i-iii months.

How often should you lot change a iv-inch furnace filter?

A 4-inch furnace filter should be changed sometime betwixt six and ix months.

How often should yous change a v-inch furnace filter?

You tin wait 9 to 12 months before needing to replace a 5-in furnace filter.

How often should yous modify a furnace filter in winter months?

During the winter when the furnace is used more often, you lot volition demand to supersede the furnace filter more than frequently. It's not uncommon for furnace filters to need to exist replaced once a month in the winter. All the same, if your HVAC has a single filtration organization that uses ane air filter for the workout unit of measurement and furnace and then replacements will exist less frequent in the winter compared to the summer.

How often should you change a Honeywell furnace filter?

A Honeywell furnace filter is going to have the same filter replacement recommendations as standard filters. Just be careful not to misfile Honeywell furnace filters with their HEPA air filters for purifiers, which concluding much longer.

How often should y'all change a Carrier furnace filter?

A Carrier furnace filter has similar filter replacement recommendations. Carrier's fiberglass furnace filters should be changed every 30 days. Their pleated furnace filters can concluding anywhere from 3 months up to a year.

How often should you change an Aprilaire furnace filter?

Aprilaire furnace filters tend to concluding a little longer than the norm. The manufacturer recommends irresolute their filters every six to 12 months.

How often should y'all change an Air Bear furnace filter?

Some Air Deport furnace filters tin last six to nine months before needing to be replaced.