Choosing the right AC filters and
furnace filters can help your heating and cooling devices work more efficiently
and may even improve your health. The purpose of the air filter in your air
conditioner or furnace is to trap dust, allergens and other small particles
that can cause respiratory irritation and other symptoms. High efficiency AC
filters and furnace filters will reduce your exposure to allergens which may
reduce your allergy and asthma symptoms. The trick is choosing the right
furnace filters and AC filters for your home HVAC equipment.
Get to Know Your Furnace and AC
Filters
The box instructions on the $20
furnace filters may say that you’ll get 90 days of use out of it, but the truth
is that your mileage will vary. If you have pets, you’ll have to change furnace
and AC filters more often. Likewise, if you live in a high-dust area. When
there’s more pollen in the air, your AC and furnace filters may need more
frequent replacement or cleaning. During the winter, with all the windows
closed, you may be able to go a bit longer between changes for your filters.
Switch to Permanent Washable AC
Filters and Furnace Filters
Changing the filters in your furnace
and air conditioner can get expensive, especially if you do it as often as you
should. You can reduce the cost by purchasing your filters by the case, or by
investing in a washable air filter for your air conditioner and furnace. A
washable air filter provides other benefits in addition to the cost savings.
Make Cleaning Your Air Filter Part of
Your Routine
Don’t put off changing AC and furnace filters until you can tell they need changing. Make changing or cleaning your
filters part of your home maintenance routine. Not sure you’ll remember that
you need to change the filter? Set up an email reminder or put it on your task
list to pop up on your day planner.
Always Use the Right Size AC and
Furnace Filters
The wrong size filter in your AC or
furnace will allow dust, allergens, spores and other contaminants to slip
through into your home. In addition, those particles can build up around the
air conditioner coils and reduce the efficiency of your AC unit. In a furnace,
the buildup of dust can become a fire hazard.
Furnace filters and AC filters are an
integral part of your home air conditioning and heating equipment, and the one
part you can easily maintain yourself. Keep on top of keeping it clean and you
– and your entire family – will breathe easier.
Your AC air filter keeps dirt, dust
and pollen from coming into your home. Changing the air filter regularly is
essential to the safe and efficient operation of your air conditioner. A dirty
air filter reduces the air flow in your AC unit and, if left long enough, can
become a source of indoor air pollution. While disposable air filters are
relatively inexpensive, the cost of a continual stream of throwaway air filters
can become considerable. A washable AC filter is one solution to the cost and
inconvenience of replacing your AC air filter every few months.
Benefits of Reusable Air Filters
The cost of replacing the air filter
in your AC is only one of the benefits you’ll get when you switch to a washable
AC filter. Here are a few of the others.
The Greener Solution
We live in a disposable world, and the
world is paying the price for it. When you choose reusable air filters over a
standard disposable filter, you’re using fewer resources in manufacturing and
keeping dozens of AC filters out of the landfill. One washable AC filter can
last you up to five years. If you replace your AC filter 4 times a year – which
is a fairly standard recommendation – you’ll be keeping 20 air conditioner
filters out of the waste stream.
Convenience
At first glance, it may seem more
convenient to simply toss a dirty air filter in the trash. In reality, when you
have a washable AC filter, you never run out of air filters, never have to make
an emergency run to the home improvement store and always have a spare AC
filter on hand when the air filter is dirty. You can add the gas savings to the
environmental savings listed above, too.
Cost
While the cost of disposable air
filters varies depending on size and quality, you can expect to pay about $10
per filter every time you change the air filter. Compare the cost to an average
of about $35 for a washable AC filter that will last up to 5 years. At five
changes a year, the disposables will cost you as much as $250 as compared to
the $35 for a washable AC filter.
Why throw away good money into the
landfill? Switch to reusable air filters for your furnace and air conditioner
and save.
