How Do You Change a Furnace Filter?

Date: December 16, 2024

It only takes a couple of minutes but can really improve your heating efficiency.

Sometimes, the smallest actions can make the biggest difference to your quality of life. With winter upon us in the greater Boston region, homeowners need to consider every component of their furnace’s health. And if your forced-air heating system seems to be struggling to keep your home warm — especially if you’re getting weaker-than-normal airflow from your vents — the reason could be the furnace’s air filter.

In this article, we’ll discuss how (and how often) you should change your furnace air filter.

What does a furnace filter do?

Your home’s forced air system keeps you comfortable by circulating air through ductwork. This includes both your furnace and your central air conditioning equipment. As air moves through your HVAC system, it carries agents from outside and from the ducts, like dust, pet dander and mold. Your HVAC system’s air filter catches these pollutants before they enter your living spaces.

As you might imagine, this filter is used a lot in the winter and summer. If left unattended, it can become clogged with pollutants it’s caught.

When should you check your air filter?

Check your filter at least once a month during peak heating and cooling seasons. This lets you see if it’s dirty or clogged and fix it quickly. Dirty filters can harm your indoor air quality (IAQ) and restrict airflow, causing your furnace or A/C to work harder and raising energy costs. Regularly checking your filters is a quick, inexpensive way to save a lot in reduced energy usage.

How can you access and check your furnace’s air filter?

It is best to shut down your furnace before checking its filter. This air filter can generally be found in a slot in the blower compartment. If it’s clean, you can return the filter to its slot.
Did the filter come out dark, dusty and dirty? Here’s a quick rundown on how to address the issue:

• If you’ve got a reusable air filter, wash away all the dust and dirt, let it dry and pop it back in the furnace.
• If your filter is disposable, you’ll need to replace it. No worries, though —disposable air filters are easy to find at home stores and won’t break the bank.

Can you improve the efficiency of your air filter?

Upgrading your air filter is a relatively inexpensive way to improve your home’s IAQ. Many heating and cooling systems have lower-quality filters that block some particles but let others through. Consider upgrading to a HEPA filter.

HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air. These filters capture up to 99.97% of particles. A whole-house HEPA filter can eliminate pollutants sized 0.3 microns or larger, including allergens like bacteria, dust mites and pollen.

Cubby is here for your home heating and IAQ needs.

At Cubby Oil & Energy, we have a large, highly-trained team that can help with all your heating and air quality concerns. If you haven’t arranged a furnace tune-up recently, we recommend doing so as soon as possible. It’s the best way to ensure your system is running efficiently, reliably and cleanly.

We also install fantastic IAQ solutions that can make your home more comfortable and protect the healthiness of the air you breathe. These products include ultraviolet-light air purifiers, air cleaners, whole-house humidifiers and ventilation systems.

Need help with your home’s air or heating? Get in touch with the Cubby team today to request service.