When Should I Change My Air Conditioner’s Air Filter at Home?

Every once in a while we’re asked what is the most important thing that Fort Lauderdale area homeowner’s can do to protect their air conditioning and heating system between their scheduled tune-ups? That’s an easy one; remember to change the heating and air conditioning air filter. Replacing furnace and return air filters is critical to the proper performance of your HVAC system, as well as your home’s air quality. Research suggests that indoor air pollution is one of the top five environmental health risks? It’s not thought of often, but it is extremely important to consider. Changing the air filters is not all that hard for most Fort Lauderdale homeowners, but there are typically two hurdles to actually getting it done: 

  1. Understanding just how often to swap out your furnace or air conditioner filter. 
  1. Changing them when you’re suppose to. 

When To Change Your Air Filters 

Most filters have a printed “expiration” date on the box or plastic. It may instruct “Lasts up to 3 months” or “Change filter every 90 days”. Check out the filters at the store and you’ll notice that some are designed to only last a month, while other manufacturers (like Honeywell) have released media air cleaners with filters meant to be swapped once every 6-12 months. The industry standard seems to be once every 3 months for most higher quality filters, but we have a rule of thumb that we recommend our readers to go by. If it’s dirty, change it! A dirty air filter can contribute or cause damage to expensive equipment, like your compressor, so it’s better to change it out more often than neglect it. If you want to follow the manufacturer’s recommended limit, we suggest scribbling the date on the filter when you swap it out, and adding a reminder for yourself in your phone or on a calendar. Also be aware that your filter manufacturer might have a different recommendation from your HVAC system manufacturer. 
 
Choosing how often to change your air filters can depend on several factors: 

  • The type of air filter you are using 
  • The overall air quality of your Fort Lauderdale area home 
  • Pets – Cats, dogs, birds, etc. 
  • Number of people in the home 
  • The level of air pollution and construction around the home 

For your typical 1″-3″ air filters, the manufacturer specs basically say to change them every 30-60 days, which is actually a great rule of thumb. But generalities may not be suitable for your specific needs. If you have to tolerate light to moderate allergies, you might need to upgrade your air filter or change them even more frequently than OEM specifications. On the other hand, if you’re in a remote area, own a less occupied home (like a vacation home) or an area with few automobiles and trucks, annual replacement of your air filter may be quite sufficient. Why do we call out our beloved pets? They have a tendency to shed, which can clog your air filter quick. Naturally, the air filter is just doing its job by capturing pet hair and dander, but extremely dirty filters can cause diminished HVAC performance. 

In summary: 

  • Infrequently occupied home or single occupant homes without pets or allergies: Change 6-12 months 
  • Common suburban home without pets: Change every 90 days 
  • Got a cat or dog: Change every 60 days 
  • Several pets or have allergies: Change every 30-45 days 

How To Remember To Change Your Air Conditioner’s Air Filters 

It’s simple; sign up for the Service Experts Email Club. This is a convenient way to get money-saving discounts and other helpful information on your smartphone, tablet or desktop. Also, your email subscription preferences let’s you set a reminder to change your Fort Lauderdale area home’s air filter every 30, 60, 90, 120 or 365 days, or any date you find most convenient. 

How to replace your return air filter 

Most people know how to replace the air filter in their system, but some houses have another filter in the return ducts. Whether you have one or not is dependent on which HVAC system you have. Your system is designed to handle a set amount of pressure in your home sweet home, and the more filters you have the harder the blower motor works, which can decrease the life expectancy of your system if it isn’t designed for it. Finding out whether you have a return filter and replacing it is a piece of cake: 

  • Go to your return air vents. 
  • Some covers have screws and some have tabs. Unscrew or pull tabs to take off the wall. 
  • Check for a filter. If one is in place, pull it out and write down the size. 
  • Verify the filter type is the one recommended by the manufacturer. 
  • If the filter is dirty, replace with the manufacturer’s recommended filter of the same size and type. 

Incredible though it may seem, filters can really affect your home’s airflow, which is why we recommend checking in with the manufacturer. A top tier HEPA filter that is designed to catch smaller dust will obstruct airflow more than a cheaper filter. With restricted airflow comes more pressure on your system, so you should verify that your HVAC system was engineered to handle it. Otherwise, you could experience reduced heating and cooling efficiency in your home, and system parts may die off much faster than normal. 

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