When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Taking care of your furnace can help quite a bit in the months in between furnace service appointments. One of the simplest, and crucial, ways to maintain your furnace is in switching out your furnace filter. Having a clogged air filter could contribute to a number of unfavorable concerns for your heating and cooling system, its efficiency, and ultimately, how much you’re spending on your energy bills month after 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 normally need to be switched out every month and 3 inch filters ought to be replaced every three months, dependent on the recommendations of the filter company.
• Home habits: if you have pets in your home, it could make sense to replace your filter more often due to pet dander. If someone in your family deals with allergies or asthma, think about changing your home’s air filter more often to help ease their symptoms.

Now you’re possibly wondering how to replace your furnace filter. More than likely, this will vary depending on what furnace you have, but typically: 

• Open or pull off the air filter panel around the bottom of your furnace to uncover 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 bit of space to move your filter back and forth that allows you to remove one end of the filter and pull it out of the compartment.
• When adding the new filter, check the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that indicates the air flow direction, to ensure you’re installing the filter in the proper direction. In most cases, the arrow should point to the main part (or top) of the furnace.