Regularly
replacing your furnace filters is
the
most
important step you can take to insure that your
home comfort
system is running
at peak efficiency. Maintaining a clean filter can
lower your air
conditioner's energy consumption by 15% or more and
protect your
family's health.
Cheap and neglected home air filters quickly
become clogged, resulting in blocked air flow
and significantly
reduced system efficiency.
The harder your system works the more
energy you
consume and the higher your monthly bills. It is common for most home
owners to simply forget to change their air
conditioner filter and pay
a high price for it over the years.
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Here are answers to the
most common questions
we receive about air
conditioner filters:
At Air Conditioner
Filters Made Easy we believe that understanding the facts about your
home
air
filters is critical to helping you save money and helping the
environment.
Below you will find answers to these important questions.
What
is the
function of my furnace filter?
The primary purpose of an air
conditioner filter is
to
protect the system blower motor from
accumulating dust and dirt
which
would
cause mechanical breakdowns. As comfort system technologies evolve,
health
and air quality issues became more important to homeowners.
Today, home air filters
are generally
designed
to trap dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, smoke, pet
dander and
other airborne particles as well as prolong the life
of your
system’s equipment.
Most
homes now being built and remodeled are tighter that ever
using
more insulation - they are becoming virtually draft-free.
While
these changes are
making
homes more energy efficient, they are also
creating a number of
filtration
problems. Particulates and pollutants become trapped and
eventually
build up
inside your home, settling on counter tops, floors and other surfaces.
When
changed on a predictable schedule, good quality home
air filters will
reduce
the amount
of these particles and pollutants your family
inhales, keep
your system running efficiently and help reduce your overall energy
consumption.
Why
do I need to
change my
furnace filter?
Essentially
your furnace filter is a collector of dust, dirt, grime and
other nasty microscopic
things that float around your home. When your comfort system is turned
on, it collects these particles to
protect your system and clean your
home's air. Like the lint trap in your dryer, it
accumulates a thick
layer of these
air borne particles.
Once it has trapped a certain
amount, it
becomes full and ineffective and
gradually restricts
the air flow moving through your system. This
requires your
system to work harder to
keep you cool —
wasting
precious energy and increasing your bills.
Dirty, clogged home air filters also
become less effective at
capturing the air
borne germs and pollutants that can
irritate
your family’s breathing.
Irritated sinuses, sneezing, allergies and
even asthma are triggered. Your family inhales what your filter can’t
handle any longer.
An old and
forgotten filter can eventually accumulate so much dirt and grime that
it can
totally
choke off the air flow to the system. In the worst case,
the filter
will be
sucked into the blower motor and cause thousands of dollars in damage
to your system.
How
often should I change my
air
conditioner filters?
There is
no simple answer to this important question. Really, it depends.
The life expectancy of
your furnace filters
can vary depending upon many conditions in your home.
Every house is different. The
frequency
with which
you change your home air filter is determined by any of these
factors:
- the
number of people who live in your home
- if
there pets in the house
- there
is a smoker in the house
- if
you leave the windows open
- if
you have pollen bearing trees or plants in the neighborhood
- if
you live in an area with a lot of dampness
- if
you live in an area that is dry or arid
- plus
many others
If you
have several of these factors,
you’ll
likely experience a quicker
loading
of particles on your filters. If so, you may need to
change filters
every 60
days. If you only have one or two of these conditions you may need to
change
your furnace filter every 90 days.
Check
your
filter every month, especially during heavy use months in
the summer.
If
the filter looks dirty after 30 days, change it. At an absolute
minimum, you should change
the filter every 3 months. A clean air filter will also prevent dust
and dirt
from building up in the system — leading to expensive maintenance
and/or early
system failure.
What
are some of the problems I will face when I forget to
change my furnace filters?
The problems that arise from not
regularly changing your furnace filter can be broken into three
categories:
mechanical
problems,
energy
consumption problems and
health
problems.
On the
mechanical side, a dirty, blocked
home air filter of any type may result in extensive damage to the fan
blower motor
or compressor. Dirt and grime accumulate on crucial moving parts
causing them to
fail much
quicker than expected. This can be very costly and
sometimes leads to a
total
system replacement. At the very least, your system life expectancy will
be
reduced significantly.
Increased energy consumption problems
are often overlooked but can be just as expensive. It’s simple really –
the
harder your comfort system must work, the more energy it will consume.
The more
energy it consumes, the higher your energy bills. A basic filter
maintenance
program like
Furnace
Filters Made Easy can save you hundreds of
dollars
a year.
And the third problem, and most
importantly, is
potential
health problems for your family. Consider these facts from
the U.S
Environmental Protection Agency:
Your
furnace
filter is
the
primary defense to reduce and hold these health issues at
bay. A
quality home air
filter changed on a regular schedule is a small investment to make for
your
family’s overall health.
What
is a MERV rating and why is it
important?
The acronym MERV stands for "Minimum
Efficiency Reporting Value." MERV ratings are used to rate the
ability
of
a home air filter to remove airborne particles
from the air as it passes
through the
filter. MERV is a standard used to measure the overall efficiency of a
filter and
measures a filter's ability to remove particles from .30 to 10 microns
in size.
To give you an idea of the scale of a
micron, 100 microns is about the
thickness of a piece of paper or a human hair.
Filters
with higher ratings not only
remove
more particles from the air, they
also
remove smaller particles. Here are examples of MERV ratings and the
particles they can filter:
- A MERV rating of 13
means the filter is 89-90% minimum efficienct at capturing measured
particles
such as bacteria, tobacco smoke, and particles that make
you sneeze.
- A MERV rating of 11
means the filter is 80-85% minimum efficienct at capturing measured
particles
such as humidifier dust, lead dust, milled flour, auto emissions and
other
fumes.
- A MERV rating of 8 means the filter is 60%
minimum efficient at capturing measured particles such as mold spores,
hair
spray, fabric protector, dusting aids, cement dust and pet dander.
- Typical
fiberglass throw-away filters are rated at a 4 MERV and below with a 6%
minimum
efficient at capturing the measured particles like pollen, sanding dust
and large
dust particles.
At Air
Conditioner Filters Made Easy, we supply only filters with a MERV
rating of 8
or higher because your family's health is important.
Where
is my Air
Conditioner Filter located?
The location of your air filter depends
on
the type of furnace that you have. For central furnaces,
filters are
generally located somewhere along the return duct's length. Common
filter
locations are in walls, ceilings, furnaces, or in the furnace
itself.
Room furnaces have a filter
mounted
in the grill that faces into the room. If you have an "up-flow"
furnace, the filter is located in the blower compartment. The blower
compartment is behind the bottom door. If you have a "down-flow"
furnace, the filter is located in the upper blower compartment. These
models
usually require two filters placed in the unit in a "V" shape.
If you have either an up-flow furnace or
a
down-flow furnace, both will be equipped with a safety switch. When
replacing
the furnace door after you have changed the filter, you must ensure
that the
door has engaged the safety switch. The furnace will not run if the
safety
switch is not engaged.
You may also have a horizontal furnace.
Most of these models come with a rack for the filter. The rack houses
the
filter and slides right into the unit without the removal of panels or
doors.
When
installing home air filters, it is
important to insert it properly. Most filters will have
arrows to guide
their
placement in the furnace. The arrows should point in the direction of
the
furnace or blower motor.
Always ensure that power is turned off
at
the main circuit breaker every time you change home air filters. If you
have
difficulty with the installation of a new air filter, consult the
manufacturer's instructions.
