When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Maintaining your furnace can go a long way in the time in between furnace service appointments. One of the simplest, and essential, ways to take care of your furnace lies in replacing your furnace filter. Having a dirty air filter may contribute to a variety of negative concerns for your heating and cooling system, its efficiency, and ultimately, how much you’re spending on your energy bills every 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 normally need to be switched out every month and 3 inch filters need to be replaced every three months, dependent on the recommendations of the filter maker.
• Home habits: if you have pets in your home, it could make sense to replace your filter more often as a result of pet dander. If a family member deals with allergies or asthma, consider changing your home’s air filter more regularly to help potentially decrease their symptoms.

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

• Open or pull off the air filter panel near the bottom of your furnace to reveal an open compartment.
• On the top of that open compartment is where you’ll see your furnace filter resting on two metal brackets.
• 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 take it out of the compartment.
• When adding the new filter, check the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that specifies the air flow direction, to ensure you’re installing the filter in the proper direction. In nearly all cases, the arrow should point at the main part (or top) of the furnace.