How Often Should I Change the Air Filter in My Furnace?

As written in most owner’s manuals: Your system should be regularly inspected by a qualified service technician to maintain warranty status. Between visits, there are some routine maintenance procedures you can do to help keep your system operating at peak performance. The main purpose of filtration in any HVAC system is to protect the equipment. An additional result is better indoor air quality (IAQ) for building occupants. The frequency of replacement or cleaning filtration depends on some key factors. Such as: Filtration Make/Model, i.e.… Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC) or Purification, Media filters, or Standard Disposable 1” – 2” thick (pleated or fiberglass) Filter Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) Rating Conditions of Indoor Environment, i.e… Pets, Occupant Health Requirements, etc. For standard disposable filters, consider changing them every 30 days. While they might not appear to have a lot of collection on them, waiting until they are plugged and restricting airflow will cause issues in equipment performance. Media filters are another disposable type of filtration. However, these are pleated and usually between 4” – 6” thick, leaving more surface area for air to pass through and collect more particulate. The recommended change interval for media filters is 3 – 6 months, due to their increased surface area. If you have a form of (EAC) or air purification filtration, please consult the owner’s manual for the maintenance and cleaning requirements. These requirements will vary depending on different brands, makes, and models. All materials provided by mybryantdealer.com are available for informative purposes only. Any dissemination of this content herein is done so at the user’s discretion and own risk. Consult a qualified Bryant installer or service agency for additional information or assistance. If you’re not comfortable performing any of this type of maintenance, just ask your local Bryant HVAC professional what is included in your bi-annual checkup. Most contractors will have service maintenance agreements that make it easy to properly maintain and repair your systems.