How often should you change your HVAC filter? Many people don’t think about their HVAC filter until they start to notice that their HVAC system isn’t working as efficiently as it should be. While it is easy to forget about this important part of your HVAC system, knowing when and how often to change your air filter can make a major difference in the efficiency and performance of your system. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of regularly changing your HVAC filter and the recommended schedule for doing so.
Reasons to Change the Filter Regularly
The air filter is a required part of an HVAC system. In fact, many HVAC systems will not work properly without a filter in place. Here are some other reasons you’ll want to change your air conditioner filter regularly.
Improves Air Quality
The HVAC air filter plays an important role in promoting good air quality in your home by trapping dust mites, mold spores, debris such as pet hair, and allergens. The filter’s job is to clean the air that passes through your HVAC system to prevent dust and debris from passing through the cooling system. That means it simultaneously improves your indoor air quality and a dirty filter will do the opposite and promote poor air quality.
Maintains Efficiency
Changing a dirty air filter regularly is necessary to make sure your air conditioning system works at maximum efficiency. A clogged filter from build up of dust and things like pet dander can restrict the flow of air and make your air conditioner work harder to pull air through and circulate it in your home.
Extends HVAC’s Lifespan
Clean, optimized air filters result in longer HVAC life expectancy and help maintain performance efficiency. Since an old filter that is full of debris will make the HVAC equipment work harder, it also shortens the life of your HVAC unit in the long run.
How Often Should You Change Your HVAC Filter
The recommended general guideline is to change your HVAC filter every 1-3 months, depending on the type of filter you have, the number of people living in your home, the amount of dust, pets, and other environmental factors. It may also need to do more frequent air filter changes if you have allergy sufferers living in your home. You should also check the filter on a regular basis, at least once a month. This can help you to diagnose any potential problems and keep your system running smoothly and help you to determine if it needs to be changed more frequently due to the presence of dust, pet hair, or other environmental factors. Some other factors that contribute to how often you should change your air filter are:
Quality of the Filter
Higher quality air filters with higher MERV ratings usually last longer, so you will have to replace them less frequently. But remember that even the best air filters need to be replaced after a certain amount of time, since they cannot filter out particles indefinitely.
Size of the Space
The size of your home directly impacts the amount of air circulating in the space. Large spaces or areas that have a lot of activity create more air exchange, resulting in more airborne particles that need to be filtered out. Air filters in larger homes will often need to be replaced more frequently than those in smaller homes.
Frequency of Use
The frequency of use can have a big impact on how often an air filter needs to be replaced. A higher amount of use will require more frequent filter replacement as the air filter will take on airborne particles over time. If an air filter is not used, the air filter may not need to be replaced for months or even up to a year. It’s average use that typically requires
AC Maintenance
Changing your home air filter is just part of the maintenance required to extend the life of your AC unit. Regular overall maintenance is a good idea for anyone with an AC unit, but even more so in SWFL where our air conditioners work overtime, pretty much year round. Dolphin Cooling’s AC maintenance plans cover regular inspection of everything from drain lines to the air handler and condenser unit, along with air filter replacements and more. AC maintenance plans help ensure that you catch issues before they turn into costly repairs or a higher energy bills. To schedule maintenance or learn more about our maintenance plans, contact us today!