Though they are often overlooked, your furnace filter is a key player in maintaining the efficiency of your furnace. If you neglect the filter, you may notice a spike in your heating costs and changes in the overall performance of your heating system.
Changing your furnace filter regularly will prevent it from getting clogged with dirt and other materials. When it’s saturated with collected debris, it makes your furnace work harder to heat your home, decreasing efficiency and increasing power bills. This increases the possibility that unwanted particulates will blow through and around the edges of improperly installed or sealed filters, circulating throughout your house and lowering your indoor air quality. This means that hazardous pollutants such as pollen, dust mites and other allergens will pollute your indoor air.
MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) is an important gauge of efficiency for your furnace filter but will mean nothing unless you replace it as per the recommendations of the manufacturer. Typically, during the high-use heating season, you should change them every month but some will last longer than that.
Some furnace filters are designed to be washed rather than replaced. If you have one of these filters, be sure to turn off your heating system before taking it out to wash it. There are various filter cleaning products available or you can simply use soap and water. Do not try to wash a filter that is meant to be replaced, as these products are easily damaged and will be rendered much less effective with even the tiniest rip.
Be careful that you install your filter properly. As mentioned, bypass leakage occurs when air is able to get past the filter without going through it, bringing harmful pollutants too. There are filters available with gaskets that will create an airtight seal to prevent this.
For more information on how furnace filters affect your efficiency, contact Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. We have proudly served the Dayton area since 1978.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace efficiency and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Ace Hardware Home Services services the Ohio’s Miami Valley. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
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