When is the last time you thought about your furnace filter? One of the easiest ways to keep up maintenance on your HVAC system each month is to change your filter. The filters job is to trap dust, dirt, dander, animal hair, and other fine particulates that are floating around in your home air. Clean filters help it run better and clean your air so your family breathes better. Not changing your filter can damage your furnace and AC and also lead to less clean air. When buying a filter, the higher the MERV rating, the more it traps. You want to get a decently high number but not the highest because those are hospital grade filters. The hospital grade filters can restrict airflow to your system leaving your AC vulnerable to coil freezing up and the furnace not working correctly. You can also get a HEPA filter to trap more allergens if your household has allergies, it is worth the little extra money. It is recommended that you change the filter every month especially if you have animals, people with allergies, run the ac and furnace a lot, open windows and doors often, have smokers in the house, or notice dirt buildup on the filter.
It is simple to change your filter. First you turn off the furnace. Then you have to locate the service panel and remove it. After that you slide out the existing filter that is typically located next to intake/outtake blower fan. Just slide in new filter, turn the furnace back on and you are done! Very easy! That process takes mere minutes so there is no reason not to change the filter each month. Its a cheap and easy way to maintain your HVAC system. Bartlett Heating and Air can help you decide what filter is best for your furnace so give us a call today!
