One of the cheapest and easiest home maintenance items you can check off your list is replacing your HVAC filter. If you’re unsure as to how often you should replace your HVAC filter, you’re not alone!
Many people struggle with this. Here’s the good news: you can do this home maintenance item completely on your own. However, if you want to hire someone else to do it for you – that’s also an option.
The fact that it’s easy to do also means that it’s easy to forget to do. Therefore, it’s even more important to replace these regularly. Perhaps you can schedule it for the same time you pay your mortgage.
How often you replace your HVAC filter truly depends on the type of filter you’re using. Are you using fiberglass or a high-end pleated filter? If you’re using a fiberglass filter, which is the cheaper of the two, you’ll want to replace it every month.
If you are using a high-end pleated filter, you can get away with checking those less frequently. They typically last up to six months without needing to be replaced. If you want to be safe, you can replace them every three months.
When you don’t regularly replace your HVAC filter, dirt and dust can clog it. This can impact the quality of the air in your home because at some point, your filter won’t be able to remove harmful particles anymore. If anyone in your family has asthma or other respiratory issues, this can be a huge detriment.
What if you don’t have someone with respiratory issues and you’re not too concerned about indoor air quality or pollution? Not replacing your HVAC filters on a regular basis also greatly increases your energy bills because it takes more energy to blow air through a filter that is clogged than through a clean one. If you’re looking for a way to keep your costs low, then this is a quick and easy way to do it.
Exceptions to the rule
There are some instances where you’ll want to replace the filter more regularly than the recommended guidelines mentioned above.
Replace your filter more frequently (every 30 or 60 days) if:
Let’s say you forget to replace it one time – no big deal! However, if you don’t replace your HVAC filter for years on end, that can cause some serious problems. Neglecting to replace filters long-term can:
As you have read, there are only benefits to changing your HVAC filter, which is easy to do yourself, but if you need help or just don’t want to think about changing it, we can do this for you with our Flat Subscription.
