When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Caring for your furnace can help more than you’d think in the months in between furnace service appointments. One of the easiest, and essential, ways to care for your furnace is in replacing your furnace filter. Having a dirty air filter may contribute to a number of adverse problems 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 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 might make sense to switch out your filter more often because of pet dander. If a family member suffers from allergies or asthma, contemplate changing your home’s air filter more often to help ease their symptoms.

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

• Open or remove the air filter panel near the bottom of your furnace to expose 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 little space to move your filter back and forth that allows you to remove one end of the filter and remove it from the compartment.
• When installing the new filter, check the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that indicates the air flow direction, to be sure you’re installing the filter in the correct direction. In nearly all cases, the arrow should point to the main part (or top) of the furnace.