The Importance of Properly Maintaining HVAC Filters

That central heating and air system in your home provides you with a lot of conveniences. You can easily control the temperature in your house from one central location and it even helps you control such things as the humidity in your house too. Another benefit you get from a central heating and air system is it constantly circulates and filters the air in your house to keep the air you breathe full of oxygen and healthy for you. One thing that is important is to properly maintain the filters on your central heating and air unit to keep it running at optimum efficiency and to maintain proper air quality. Here is a little bit more information about HVAC filters.

The Importance of HVAC Filters

As was briefly mentioned in the opening paragraph, the filters on your central heating and air system help clean the air. There are filters on both the air intake and air return sides of the system. These filters are usually located behind some type of vent in a place that is easy to get to so you can change them.

The air in your home can circulate as much as 24 hours of day if you so choose; those types of choices can usually be programmed right into your system. Needless to say, if you run your system 24 hours a day seven days a week, that is a lot of air that will pass through those filters in a short amount of time so they will get dirty fairly easy. They will pick up all sorts of airborne dust, pet dander, pollen and other things that are commonly found in the air in your house.

HVAC Filters

What Happens When The HVAC Filters Get Clogged?

With all the airborne debris that the system collects it will eventually start to plug up the fibers in whatever material your particular air filters are made of. The circulation of the air is not only meant to provide you with healthy fresh air but it is also vital to the working components of the system. For instance, if you have a gas furnace that provides the heat for your central heating and air system, then it needs air to help with the combustion; dirty HVAC filters can make this combustion inefficient and stress the system itself.

How Often Should You Change Your HVAC Filters?

This is not a simple question to answer because the operating environment in your home may not be the same as someone that lives in a dry climate where there is lots of dust in the air. As a general rule here are some guidelines.

  • A typical Home needs the air filters changed about every 90 days
  • Homes with one pet should change their HVAC filters about every 60 days
  • Homes with allergy sufferers or more than one pet should change their filters ever 30 – 45 days.

In addition, make checking you’re your filters part of your monthly maintenance checks around your house. Don’t be afraid to clean them or change them out if they appear dirty ahead of schedule; they are too important to your health and the operation of the system to take chances with.