When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Caring for your furnace can help quite a bit in the months in between furnace service appointments. One of the easiest, and critical, ways to maintain your furnace lies in switching out your furnace filter. Having a dirty air filter could contribute to a host of adverse concerns 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 change 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 swapped out every three months, dependent on the recommendations of the filter maker.
• Home habits: if you have pets in your home, it could make sense to switch out your filter more often due to pet dander. If someone in your family has allergies or asthma, think about switching out your home’s air filter more frequently to help potentially decrease their symptoms.

Now you’re possibly wondering how to replace your furnace filter. Inevitably this will vary depending on what furnace you have, but normally: 

• Open or take off the air filter panel near the bottom of your furnace to reveal an open compartment.
• On the top of that open compartment is where you’ll see your furnace filter resting on two metal lips.
• There will be a bit of space to move your filter back and forth that allows you to pull down one end of the filter and take it out of the compartment.
• When installing the new filter, look at the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that specifies the air flow direction, to be sure you’re installing the filter in the right direction. In the majority of cases, the arrow should point to the main part (or top) of the furnace.