New York Renovator

Change Your Furnace Filters Regularly

Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by Mrs. Mecomber in HVAC, heating

We had our first big freeze last night. The house is pretty cold this morning, but I am stubbornly being a miserly scrooge frugal by refusing to turn on the furnace yet. Truth is, I’m late this year in getting ready for winter! My furnace needs a tune up and new filters yet, and I need to inspect the ducts to make sure everything is working properly.

One of the nicest things you can do for your furnace is changing the filter regularly. But how often does one change the filters? I’ve done a little research, and the answer is: it depends. Haha! Seriously, it does depend on your furnace, your house, and your lifestyle. If you have a lot of pets and a huge drafty dusty home like I do, you should change your furnace filters every month. If you use your furnace irregularly, have no pets, and have a smaller home, every other month or every three months are fine. Most furnaces come with recommendations in the manual; always check that first.

The main purpose of the furnace filter is to protect your furnace’s delicate moving parts from dust and dirt. And some filters come with extra benefits, such as capturing very small particles of dander, dust, and allergens. I only use those now. You should see how quickly they fill up with gunk!

I read a review at Consumer Reports a while ago, and they did a test on furnace filters. The “cheapo” brands (the ones I always got) were horribly non-effective in filtering dust and allergens from the furnace system. The filter that got the highest grades were those by the manufacturer 3M. Those are the only ones I purchase now; they’re called Filtrete Micro Allergen Reduction Furnace Filter. They are, obviously, more expensive than the cheapo ones, but at least they do the job! And we change them every month (well, try to). So I am always looking for deals. I used to get them from my local Big Box stores, but have recently found the filters I use at Buy.com. They come in a pack of 6 and the shipping is very inexpensive. Sometimes you can snag some when there’s a good sale; however, at this time of year, sometimes things are out of stock. Don’t ever wait to order seasonal stuff like this!

It’s important to change your filters regularly. Leaving filthy filters in your furnace can cause the furnace to overheat and shut down; installing insufficient filters can cause dust and dirt to pass into your furnace motor, clogging up the works and reducing the efficiency of the furnace (which means more expensive heating bills). Be sure to change your filters regularly! And if you’re looking for some good prices and great service, check out Buy.com’s inventory.

Tags: ducting, filters, furnace