When and How to Change Your Furnace Filter

Taking care of your furnace can go a long way in the months in between furnace service appointments. One of the easiest, and crucial, ways to take care of your furnace is by replacing your furnace filter. Having a clogged air filter may contribute to a host of negative concerns for your heating and cooling system, its efficiency, and ultimately, how much you’re spending on your energy bills every month.

So what goes in to deciding when you should replace your furnace filter?

• Type of filter: the two most common filter sizes are 1 inch and 3 inch filters. 1 inch filters typically need to be switched out every month and 3 inch filters should be changed every three months, based on the recommendations of the filter manufacturer.
• Home habits: if you have pets in your home, it may make sense to replace your filter more often because of pet dander. If you have someone in the house that suffers from allergies or asthma, contemplate replacing your home’s air filter more often to help with their symptoms.

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

• Open or pull off the air filter panel near the bottom of your furnace to uncover an open compartment.
• On the top of that open compartment is where you will find your furnace filter resting on two metal lips.
• There will be a small amount of space to move your filter back and forth that allows you to remove one end of the filter and take it out of the compartment.
• When installing the new filter, check the perimeter of the filter for an arrow that shows you the air flow direction, to be sure you’re installing the filter in the proper direction. In most cases, the arrow should point towards the main part (or top) of the furnace.