The answer to this question depends on what type of filter you’re using, whether or not you live in an area with bad air quality, and how many people occupy your home. If you’re unsure, it’s always better to be safe than sorry and change your air filter more often than you probably should.
Here are some steps to help you decide how often to change your air filter based on the type of filter you have:
Do You Have Pets?
If you have pets, one of your biggest enemies when it comes to keeping clean air in your home is pet dander. If you’re allergic to animals, anything above 0.5 grams per cubic meter of air is considered unhealthy.
But even if you aren’t allergic, exposure to a lot of pet dander has been linked to respiratory problems like asthma. So, in general, if you have any pets, especially furry ones, consider changing your filter more frequently.
If you have pets, it’s essential to change your filter more often than those without furry friends. If you smoke or are in a very dusty environment, it is also good to change your air filter more frequently.
How Big Is Your Home?
The size of your home should dictate how often you change your filter. Filters are labeled with a rating to help you figure out how large they are and how long they can go between cleanings.
Remember that these numbers aren’t exact. Don’t blindly replace filters every three months, for example. If it smells bad or gets clogged often, it’s time to replace it! In addition, don’t be afraid to get your HVAC professional involved if you have questions about when to switch them.
They’ll likely prefer dealing with dirty filters to having one burst on a client’s ceiling at 2 a.m. on a Saturday. Filters typically cost $10–20 depending on your HVAC unit, so changing them when they need it is certainly better than waiting too long and incurring expensive repairs down the road.
Where Do You Live?
The answer to that question might determine how often you change your air filter. Depending on where you live, some filters may need to be changed every month or two. Other places may see up to six months between filter changes.
If you live in a place with notoriously dirty air (like a big city), you’ll probably want to change your filter every few weeks or even more frequently than that. On the other hand, cleaner cities and areas will likely mean more extended periods between filter changes.
Call an HVAC professional if you have any doubts about when it’s time for a new filter. You’ll also want to note precisely what type of filter you’re using. Some air filters last much longer than others, especially those cleaned regularly.
So, changing air filters depends on your home and what you have in it.
There’s no definite answer for how often you should change your air filter. The frequency with which you need to swap it out depends on what kind of filter you have and what’s living in your home.
For example, if many people smoke in your house or pets run around, air filters will be more effective if they’re changed more frequently. If you don’t have any allergies, though, you can probably go longer without changing yours.
As a general rule of thumb: If only two people are living in your house and one pet that doesn’t shed too much hair (or if someone has an allergy but isn’t allergic to pets), change your filter every six months; otherwise, do so every three months.
Some things to look out for: Indoor air pollutants can get caught in your filter and build up over time.
Call Airsmiths Cooling & Heating today to schedule an appointment with one of our trained, professional HVAC technicians. We’ll come to your home and make sure that you have a clean, well-functioning air filter so you can breathe easy throughout every season.
Our cooling and heating specialists are available 24/7 for your convenience. Contact us today if you want to change your air filters.
