When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Maintaining your furnace can go a long way in the time in between furnace service appointments. One of the simplest, and essential, ways to take care of your furnace is by changing your furnace filter. Having a clogged air filter can contribute to a number of unfavorable issues for your heating and cooling system, its efficiency, and ultimately, how much you’re spending on your energy bills month after month.

So what goes in to determining 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 normally need to be switched out every month and 3 inch filters need to be changed every three months, dependent on the recommendations of the filter maker.
• Home habits: if you have pets in your home, it may make sense to switch out your filter more often due to pet dander. If you have someone in the house that deals with allergies or asthma, think about replacing your home’s air filter more frequently to help ease their symptoms.

Now you’re probably wondering how to swap out your furnace filter. Inevitably this will vary depending on what furnace you have, but typically: 

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