How Often You Should Change Your Air Filter

Why Changing Your Filter Is Important

Air filters trap pet hair, dust, and other irritating particles so that your air conditioning system delivers fresh, clean air back into your home. Eventually, the filter traps so much dust and debris that air can’t properly filter or travel to the HVAC unit, leading to:

High energy bills—When an HVAC filter is clogged, your system has to work harder to pull air through to cool or heat the room. This causes it to run for longer periods of time, increasing the energy your home uses. Health concerns—If a filter isn’t working properly, dust and allergens can circulate throughout your home and cause allergies and respiratory illnesses. System failure—An HVAC system has to work hard to pull air through a clogged filter. This continuous strain on the unit can cause it to break, causing you to pay for expensive repairs or replacements.

How to Change Your Air Filter

You should ideally change your air filter every three months, however, there are certain factors to consider when determining when to change out an old filter.

Type of air filter—Some air filters are more effective than others. Lower quality fiberglass filters are more affordable, but they don’t last long and need to be changed every month. Pleated air filters are high-quality filters that are very effective in trapping particles and last up to 90 days. Pets—If you own pets, change your filters every two months to keep your air clean. Allergies—If you suffer from allergies, even the smallest amount of dust or debris in the air can trigger a reaction. To ensure your system is pumping only clean air, change your filters about every 50 days. Children—If you have young children in the home, keep the indoor air quality high by replacing your air filters every two months. Home use—Homes that use their HVAC system daily need more frequent air filter replacements than a vacation home that doesn’t filter air regularly. If your home’s heating and cooling system only run a few times a year, replace the air filters every six to 12 months.

While these factors affect the frequency of air filter replacement, you should visually inspect your filter every month to check for excess particle buildup. If the dirty air filter is completely layered with dust and debris, it’s a good idea to change the filter even if it hasn’t reached the end of its recommended lifespan.

How to Change Your Filter

Here’s how to change your air filter when it’s time for a replacement.