How Often Should You Change Your Home Air Filter?

It's essential to keep your home air filter clean and changed regularly to ensure your HVAC system is running efficiently and effectively. But how often should you change your home air filter? Read this expert advice for more information.

How Often Should You Change Your Home Air Filter?

It's essential to keep your home air filter clean and changed regularly to ensure your HVAC system is running efficiently and effectively. But how often should you change your home air filter? It depends on a few factors, such as the type of filter, the thickness of the filter, the MERV rating, and if you have pets. Generally, it's recommended to change your air filter every three to four weeks. If you have pets or allergies, you may need to change it more often.

If you have a MERV 8-1 filter, you can replace it every two months. If you have a three-month filter, it should be changed every three months. If you're unsure of how often to change your air filter, inspect it monthly and replace it when it fails the visual inspection. You can also write the date on the filter in sharpie every time you change it so that you can keep track of how much time has passed.

When picking up your existing filter, look for an arrow on the side of the filter that indicates the direction of air flow. It's also important to check around the oven for any removable filters that may need to be changed once a year. It's important to change your air filter regularly as it saves electricity and extends the life of your HVAC unit. It's also terrible for your system to have a clogged filter as it works harder, doesn't work as well, costs more money, and shortens the lifespan of the entire system.

If you install an air controller under a house, make sure to change the filter regularly as dirt and other particles can suck in and end up killing the coil and other components.