When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Maintaining your furnace can help more than you’d think in the months in between furnace service appointments. One of the simplest, and essential, ways to take care of your furnace is in replacing your furnace filter. Having a clogged air filter could contribute to a host of negative concerns for your heating and cooling system, its efficiency, and ultimately, how much your energy expenses are every 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 replaced every month and 3 inch filters should be replaced 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 as a result of pet dander. If someone in your family has allergies or asthma, contemplate changing your home’s air filter more often to help with their symptoms.

Now you’re possibly wondering how to change your furnace filter. Obviously this will change depending on what furnace you have, but normally: 

• Open or pull off the air filter panel close to the bottom of your furnace to uncover 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 small amount of space to move your filter back and forth that allows you to pull down one end of the filter and pull it out of the compartment.
• When putting in the new filter, inspect the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that shows you 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.