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 easiest, and essential, ways to care for your furnace is by changing your furnace filter. Having a clogged air filter may contribute to a variety of negative issues for your heating and cooling system, its efficiency, and ultimately, how much your energy expenses are each month.

So what goes in to deciding when you should switch out your furnace filter?

• Type of filter: the two most common filter sizes are 1 inch and 3 inch filters. 1 inch filters usually need to be replaced every month and 3 inch filters should be replaced every three months, depending on the recommendations of the filter manufacturer.
• Home habits: if you have pets in your home, it might make sense to replace your filter more often due to pet dander. If someone in your family suffers from allergies or asthma, contemplate switching out your home’s air filter more frequently to help ease their symptoms.

Now you’re probably wondering how to change 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 around 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 supports.
• 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, 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 proper direction. In most cases, the arrow should point to the main part (or top) of the furnace.