Replacing Your Furnace Filter Correctly!
Whatever the time of year, our team at Save Home Heat Company always stresses the importance of keeping up on furnace filter replacement or cleaning in central forced air heating and cooling systems. It’s really that important! This goes for furnaces, AC systems, and heat pumps, too.
In this post from our service and home comfort teams, we’d like to revisit some important basics about replacing furnace filters in centrally ducted systems, and revisit why this simple procedure is so important. In addition, we’ll continue beating the ‘holistic approach’ to indoor air quality.
Why an Effective Furnace Filter Matters
In addition to the important purpose of helping to keep your indoor air clean, another primary job of the furnace filter is to protect the evaporator coil (aka. the A-coil) in AC and heat pump systems from dust. The A-coil, which in appearance can be likened to a large, triangular shaped car radiator, has many aluminum fins that transfer heat, and which are a magnet for dust. We can’t overstate the importance of keeping the evaporator coil clean! A dirty A-coil, loaded with dust, will impact airflow and negatively affect the performance and efficiency of your system, and more. The furnace filter protects against this happening.
A clean, effective furnace filter helps:
- Ensure that your furnace, heat pump, or AC system is running efficiently and effectively
- Improve overall indoor air quality by reducing airborne dust and other common indoor pollutants
- Improve the indoor environment for those who experience seasonal or year-round allergies, or who have other respiratory conditions
- Improve indoor comfort levels
- Reduce overall stress on the system, helping to lengthen equipment life
- Improve system reliability, reducing unforeseen parts failures which can be caused by excessive stress on the system
A Note About MERV Ratings
Filter efficiency is measured and discussed in terms of the filter’s MERV efficiency rating; MERV is short for “Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value,” for alphabet soup fans. Rule of thumb: the higher the MERV rating, the more efficient and effective the filter is at removing particles from air flowing through it.
Here’s the catch: The highest MERV-rated filter isn’t always the best fit for every home and system. For example, in 1-inch thick, disposable filters, ratings above MERV 8 tend to be too restrictive to airflow, and could potentially do more harm than good. More efficient, more effective disposable filters, in the MERV 11 to MERV 16 range (high efficiency media air cleaners), typically feature a 5-inch thick replaceable filter cartridge. When servicing a system or providing a free install quote, our team takes extra care in recommending the specific filter that we feel is the best fit for each individual system and home we work in.
Keys to a Properly Installed Furnace Filter
As our team always stresses, proper furnace filter installation is critical. If an air filter is improperly installed or replaced, the value of investing in a higher performing filter, along with a good replacement schedule, can end up being for naught. If you’re already up to speed, the below info. could serve as a good review for you.
Bypass Air Is A Big No-No!
One of the keys to your furnace filter doing its job right – regardless of the type of filter – is to make sure that none the air coming back to the furnace from around the hou
se thru ducting can get around the filter, i.e. bypass the filter. Sometimes the assembly that houses the filter comes in a fancy metal box from the m
anufacturer, and other times it may be a filter track built into a custom sheet metal transition from a shop such as ours at Save Home Heat. Regardless of the arrangement, the air filter must fit snugly in the filter housing, with no gaps around any of its sides; this includes the filter access door, too.
The Correct Air Filter Dimensions & Airflow Direction
Simply put, close doesn’t cut it. Make sure the replacement filter you purchase is the exact dimensions you need; all of the dimensions. Before you toss it, we recommend inspecting the dirty filter that you’re replacing, all the information and details you need should be printed right on the filter. Sometimes it’s ok to use a third-party source other than the original filter manufacturer, and other times, not so much. Be careful what you purchase.
In addition to an accurately sized filter, when you install the new one, make sure that the direction of airflow through the filter is oriented properly. On virtually all replacement filters, there is an arrow printed on the cardboard filter frame, it should be pointing toward the furnace or air handler, i.e. the direction of airflow coming back from the house to the main unit. Furnace filters are normally installed on the return-air side of the system, so the arrow should be pointed toward the main fan in the furnace or air handler. If you get confused, there’s always a service team like ours at Save Home Heat available to assist, if necessary.
Safety First!
Here’s another thing that we can’t stress too often: If you handle the air filter replacement yourself (many people do), make sure you TURN OFF POWER TO THE SYSTEM before you access the filter. Even if the filter is located external to your furnace or air handler, an extra layer of safety in the process can pay dividends for you down the road, when muscle memory starts to take over. And of course, remember to turn the power back on when you’re done!
Included in the annual maintenance plans that we offer to our customers, filter replacement is one of many important items on our technicians’ checklist. Some families even choose to have us return at other times of the year, for an additional filter visit, along with a quick check of system response from the thermostat. The additional peace of mind and reduced ‘life complication’ is worthwhile to many families that we serve.
Filter Upgrade Options
Many homeowners choose to upgrade their 1-inch furnace filters to more efficient, more effective air filters. This not only improves air filtration, but in many cases, the high efficiency media air cleaners we frequently install need to be replaced only once a year, depending on year-round usage and load. Under similar conditions, a 1-inch filter may need replacing 3 or 4 times a year in order to be most effective. A high efficiency media air cleaner = more effective filtration with less hassle at the same time!
Our most popular filter upgrades are Healthy Climate MERV 11 Media Air Cleaners from Lennox Industries, followed by Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16 Media Air Cleaners (which incorporate activated carbon). What our team recommends to each of our customers depends on a variety of factors, including the airflow capabilities of their ducting system, as well as our assessment of the level of air filtration that best matches the homeowner’s goals.
True HEPA air filters are continuing to gain traction with homeowners who desire the highest level of air filtration, and whose systems can accommodate the upgrade (this is primarily a space consideration in the mechanical area).
A ‘Holistic IAQ System’ Approach
Our team routinely recommends taking a multi-pronged, whole-home approach to improving and ensuring a home’s indoor air quality (IAQ). A high efficiency media air cleaner is often the first step, and an effective whole-house humidifier frequently comes next. The biggest innovation that we’ve seen in the past couple of decades has been the introduction of highly effective central air purifiers, which address many unseen indoor air pollutants (including bacteria, viruses, and VOCs) and also assist the furnace filter in doing a better job. Together, this holistic IAQ team provides a broad range of benefits that will help improve your health and wellbeing in your home, and provide benefits for your house, too.
It bares mentioning that if your home is very tight, with low air exchange rates, lots of insulation, and modern windows and doors, an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) might be a good addition to your IAQ team if stale indoor air is a concern.
Your Trusted Indoor Air Quality Team in the Denver, Boulder, and Loveland Area
In the Denver Metro, Boulder, and Loveland area, our team at Save Home Heat Company provides a broad range of home services, including expert furnace, heat pump, and air conditioner installation, maintenance, and repair, and much more.
Whether it’s assisting you with a furnace filter upgrade or a whole-home IAQ system, Save Home Heat – providing top level service and quality products to our customers for over 45 years – can be trusted to provide you with the experience and expertise needed to help you invest in your home wisely. Please reach out to our friendly staff today for assistance.
Please contact me to schedule a service call, or to provide a free install quote!
