Everyone knows that allergens vary throughout the United States and at different times of the year. Depending on conditions and also construction activities in your area your filter may require changing more often than oth
ers.
In new subdivisions construction and excavation can stir up lots and lots of dust. Especially during drier times of the year. Obviously the more rain then the less dust but just because it’s been rainy or you live in an older part of town that doesn’t have a whole lot of new construction doesn’t mean you shouldn’t change your furnace filters at least every three months.
Dirty furnace filters are more than just dirty air circulating through your home. A clogged or heavily dusted filter can be very taxing on your overall system. The clogged filter doesn’t allow air to pass through it as easily and can over work your HVAC system.
Since the system has to work harder to push more air through the nasty filters you end up paying more in energy costs. This is why we recommend changing your filters at least every three months.
Furnace filters come in different sizes so be careful when purchasing them at your local hardware store. If the filter doesn’t fit your system you may find yourself making multiple trips back to the store to find the right one. 16x16x1 and 20x20x1 are common sizes but check your old one first to make sure what size you need. They can come in other sizes besides the ones listed above.
You also need to be aware of the rating on the furnace filter. If you have allergy sufferers in your home you may want to spend the extra money and buy a filter with a rating of 7 or higher. a rating of 10 being the best and usually the most expensive.
Also, pet dander can cause a house to be more dusty than one without fury creatures. I personally always get a furnace filter with a rating of 10. My son has allergies and to be quite honest, I feel like these filters not only last longer but they also help my system to run more efficiently.
Sure it costs a little more but what’s the price you put on clean air for you family? I’d rather breathe the cleanest air possible. Most of the time we have little to no control over the quality of the air we breathe. When I do have a say so in it I like to maintain as healthy an environment as possible.