If you’ve got a furnace keeping you warm, you expect it to do its job all winter long with very few problems. We all hope for the best when it comes to our heating systems, but sometimes we have to put in a little bit of work to make sure the heater can run smoothly. And if you’re only changing your air filter once a month, you’re probably not doing enough.
Why regular filter changes matter
A dirty air filter can cause a lot of trouble for your heater, clogging up the system and preventing air from moving through it. This hurts your heater and your wallet:
- Prevents the heating system from doing its job: You might notice that temperatures are lower than you’d like, and that your heater does a poor job of heating up the whole home sufficiently because the system can’t pull in the right amount of air.
- Can cause the heater to break down: Because your heater was designed to take in a certain amount of air with each cycle, any lack of airflow can do a lot of harm, preventing the heater from doing its job, but making it work a lot harder to try, which eventually wears down the parts and could cause a heating system breakdown.
- Raises your bills: A dirty filter makes the system work harder, in turn raising your monthly energy costs.
We recommend changing the filter every 1-3 months or as often as your filter manufacturer suggests.
Changing the filter
First, you have to know where to find the filter. Sometimes, it is located directly on the furnace. Often, you have to look beneath the return grille of your HVAC system to find it.
Slide out the filter and replace it with one of a similar size. And that’s pretty much it! You do have to ensure the arrows are facing the right way when you insert the new one. And if you want to have better air filtration, you might look for a filter with a higher MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value), though you should consult with a technician first.
Call the friendly people at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning for more helpful advice and heating service in Colorado Springs.
