Written Check it every 30 days. If it looks clean, put it back in. This is a common question. But I have some houses where one person lives there and they travel 5 days a week. I have other houses where 5 people smoke, they have 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a meth lab. No one can say for sure, every house is different.Although relatively cheap, your air conditioning filter can be the biggest factor in determining the efficiency of your air conditioning unit, your unit’s longevity and your health as well.  Let’s face it, Santa Clarita summers can be taxing both on your body and your HVAC unit, but ensuring that an air conditioning filter change is part of your routine is one of the most important factors in ensuring the health of you and your air conditioner.  Here are some simple central AC filter tips that you can use to keep you and your HVAC system running smoothly for many summers to come. Although your air conditioning filter can remove allergens from the air and increase your home’s air quality, many consumers don’t know that the primary purpose of your filter is not for you – it’s for your HVAC system itself.  

A clogged AC filter can reduce air flow significantly, increasing the amount of time your system has to run and putting significant stress on your air conditioner’s internal components.  The AC filter’s primary role is to keep dust and other contaminants from collecting on the evaporator coil and other components which decreases the rate at which heat is exchanged.  Additionally, this dirt and debris can collect on the various moving parts of your blower motor and fan, which also decreases their effectiveness.  installing window ac unit horizontal windowIn fact, a dirty evaporator coil can increase your utility costs by 5-40%.moving a window air conditioner Replacing your air conditioning filter routinely will help keep your system running smoothly and prevent the buildup of mold, dust and other allergens which could require you to clean your air conditioning ducts – an unnecessary expense.  air conditioning units small apartment

For more on this, take a look at: Should I Have My Air Ducts Cleaned? and How Do You Prevent Mold? One of the many benefits of changing your air conditioning filter is the effect that this has on your health.  Whether you have a sturdy immune system or suffer from severe allergies or asthma, ensuring that your air is scrubbed with each pass through your air conditioner is essential to good respiratory health.  Routine AC air filter replacement is essential to decreasing the amount of organic material that accumulates in your systems ducting which can fuel mold growth.  Mold in your air conditioning system can cause several undesirable symptoms, including chronic cough, wheezing and the increased likelihood of asthma attacks.  For more information on mold and other respiratory issues, take a look at the CDC: CDC and Respiratory Health. If you or a member of your family suffers from severe allergies or asthma, I’d recommend this article: How to Reduce Asthma Symptoms and How Your Air Conditioner Can Help.

The moral of the story, if you remember nothing else from this post, is to remember to replace your air conditioning filter on a regular basis.  Means changing your air conditioning filter every three months at a minimum, but possibly more often if you live in a dusty or arid area.  ASM recommends that you check your filter on a monthly basis and if the entire filter is dark grey and has a “saturated” look, then it’s time to change it (see photo – a used photo is on the right, the new filter is on the left). I can’t emphasis this enough – use good air conditioning filters.  The cheap type that you could stick your finger through with little or no effort and can see through as you hold it up to the light are no good (the kind you most often find in your apartment’s AC filter).  Buy yourself some high-quality baffled filters, and if any members of your family have asthma or allergy problems then invest in the better Honeywell HEPA filters and a UV purifier as well.

If you take my advice and are looking for a high-quality filter for your next air conditioning filter change, then I’d take a look at products from Honeywell and 3M.  They run about $15 a piece but are cheaper if you buy them in bulk.  If someone in your family suffers from asthma, don’t buy a filter with a micro particle rating of less than 1600 as this has been shown to reduce asthma symptoms and the likelihood of an asthma attack.  Believe me, my wife suffers from asthma and it’s well worth it.  Take a look at some of these products: 3M – A High-End Air Conditioning Filter Change. At All Systems Mechanical HVAC, we care about the well-being of you and your family.  Ensuring that you schedule a regular air conditioning filter change is one of the most important factors in ensuring that you and your family stay healthy.  We should also re-emphasize how important a regular AC air filter replacement is to keeping your air conditioner functioning properly for it’s maxim lifespan.  

For more information on this and other air conditioning related topics, visit us at our ASM Air Conditioning Blog.  If you live in Santa Clarita or the Southern California region, give us a call and we’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.TORONTO – If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give your furnace much thought as long as it’s keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. But in order to keep it working to its optimal performance — and help prevent a possible malfunction — you need to either change or clean your furnace filter on a regular basis.Sounds simple, but in reality there are so many options for furnace filters that choosing the wrong one can do more damage to your furnace than good and could potentially cause your furnace to break down.A traditional forced-air furnace draws air in via return ducts, warms it over a heat exchanger then, with the help of a blower fan, pushes the heated air through a series of ducts that branch off into rooms throughout your home.

The furnace runs until the temperature inside reaches your desired thermostat setting. (If you have whole home air conditioning the process is similar with the air being cooled in the summer by an outdoor compressor unit and a series of coils inside your furnace).WATCH: Repair Clinic explains how a furnace works The main purpose of a furnace filter is to protect the blower fan from all the dust, hair and other gunk the return duct pulls in. While it will also help the quality of your inside air (as it is removing contaminants from being recirculated), its job is not to actually clean your air as many people believe. Furnace filters are rated using the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV). MERV ratings range from 1 to 16.  — to get an idea of what each MERV rating can handle). Higher rated filters allow less air to flow through though and can force your furnace to work harder and possibly malfunction. A MERV rating between eight and 11 is adequate for most homes. To be safe, you should check if your furnace manufacturer has a maximum MERV rating your model of furnace can use.

Some home improvement centres, such as Home Depot, use their own rating system on products sold in their stores. These ratings are similar to the MERV scale but do vary slightly. It’s best to confirm what their rating converts to on the MERV scale to ensure you’re using a filter safe for your furnace.The most common type of furnace filter is the disposable pleated kind. These come in a range of standard sizes and ratings. Pleated filters are constructed out of paper and polyester and do a good job at filtering most household particles and allergens. The price of these filters varies from a couple of dollars all the way into the $30 – $40 range depending on the brand, size and rating of the filter. Pleated filters should be checked monthly for blockages and replaced on average every 90 days.Disposable fibreglass filters are the cheapest filter on the market. They have an almost spider web appearance and are most often blue in colour. They come in many standard sizes, but are generally more flimsy and have lower ratings than pleated filters.

Due to their inferior quality, disposable fibreglass filters should be checked and replaced more frequently than pleated filters.FROM HGTV CANADA: Firerating & Fireproofing Your FurnacePermanent reusable filters (also referred to as washable filters) are constructed with either a solid aluminum or plastic frame and are more efficient than a disposable filter. These filters can be vacuumed off and cleaned with water. They come in a range of sizes and ratings, and while more costly to purchase, they last an average of 5 years if maintained with a proper cleaning at least every 90 days.Both disposable and washable filters come in electrostatic versions. Electrostatic filters self-charge themselves as air passes through them. This process helps trap small particles, making them good for homes with pets or people who smoke inside. Check your furnace manual to ensure you can safely use electrostatic filters.Furnace filters are sized by thickness (depth), height and length. The most common thickness is 1”, with 4” also being a popular choice on larger systems.

Height and length combinations range from 10”x10” all the way to 30”x30”. The most common sizes are 14”x25”, 16”x20”, 16”x25”, 20”x25”, and 25”x25”. To find out what size filter your furnace uses, remove and check the old filter (the size should be written on the frame of the filter) or refer to your furnace manual.NOTE: If your furnace uses a custom size filter speak with your furnace manufacturer to find out where you can purchase replacement filters.Once you know what size filter you require and what MERV rating you can use, and have chosen what filter type to purchase, it’s time to replace the old filter.NOTE: To ensure your furnace doesn’t kick in while you’re changing your filter it’s recommended you turn your furnace off while swapping out the filter.Open the filter compartment door (this will be between the air intake and furnace itself) and slide the old filter out and properly dispose of it (it will be dusty so try to place it in a bag as quickly and gently as possible).

If you have a permanent filter, vacuum it off before rinsing it thoroughly with water. Allow it to completely dry before putting it back inside your furnace.WATCH: Liberty Homes demonstrates how to change a furnace filterIf you haven’t changed your filter in a long time and notice lots of hair or dust around the filter opening, it’s highly recommend you vacuum around the outside of the furnace and inside the filter opening before replacing the filter.Whether you’re using a disposable or washable filter it will have an arrow on it showing the direction of the airflow. The arrow needs to face the furnace side of the compartment when you slide it in. This is important to ensure your filter is working properly.Once you have your filter replaced turn your furnace back on. Check your filter monthly and clean your washable filter or replace your disposable filter every 90 days.NOTE: If you’re not comfortable cleaning or changing your own furnace filter contact an HVAC professional in your area for assistance.