Everything You Should Know About Heat Pumps

Keep Your Furnace Running Efficiently With a New Filter

6 January 2016

Jessica Jimenez

When it comes to heating your home, your furnace is one of the most important units you will own. In order for your furnace to work effectively, you have to be proactive about changing your filter. Experts recommend changing your furnace filter about every month if you have a pleated one-inch filter in your home. If you have a large home, you will want to change your filter more often to help remove dust and dirt from circulating into the air and getting into your filter. When going to purchase a new filter for your furnace, here are some things to keep in mind. 

Quality vs. Cost

One of the most important aspects of purchasing a new furnace filter is the quality of the filter. Of course the cost of the filter may influence your decision to a point, but you don't want to choose the cheapest filter just because of the cost. You could be putting you and your family's health at risk by doing so. Not all filters are created equal. Some may trap more pollutants than others, so you want to choose a filter that is going to give you the best protection. To help save on costs, look for a pack of filters that contains several. These are often cheaper by unit than just purchasing a single filter. 

Size of the Filter

If you go to the store and grab a quality filter, you could be doing more harm than good if you don't do a little research first. Filters range in size so you need to make sure you buy a filter that is going to fit into your furnace. You also want to make sure you are putting the filter in right. If the filter goes in upside down, then you could inhibit air flow through the filter. As a result, your furnace is not able to run as effectively and this can cause major issues down the road. 

MERV Ratings

There are various types of furnace filters on the market. One of the most common types of filters is the fiberglass filter. These are not as effective as another common style called a pleated furnace filter. A pleated furnace filter will help trap dust and other particles much better. MERV ratings start at a one and go well above thirteen. The higher the number, the more effective the filter is at trapping particles. Typically, you would want to shoot for a furnace filter that has a rating somewhere in between an 8 and a 12 for the average home. Anything below this may not remove enough of the pollutants in the home, causing both health issues and problems with the furnace.

If you have any questions about furnace filters or furnaces in general, speak to a local HVAC service for more information.

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