When it comes to air conditioning, one area that’s mostly overlooked is home air filters. This mostly comes from the fact that many people don’t exactly know how often to change air filters, or what type of air filters they should purchase. There is no one answer for how often to change air conditioning filters, because it can vary on the size of the home, occupants of the home, to the size of the AC unit itself. Most people recommend changing your air filter every 60-90 days. Some might need to change them more often, while others may be able to wait a little longer. It’s wise to change them regularly just to keep on top of it, if you’re unsure.
This doesn’t answer the question of what is the right air conditioning filter for your home needs however. For that, there are factors you need to think about. These factors include the material, air filter sizes, and air filter rating. Let’s look at each of these separately.
Fiberglass – Fiber glass is the most common air filter people purchase. This is probably because they’re more often the most inexpensive. They come with a metal grating on the back to help reinforce the filter when it’s installed. These filters are recommended to be changed more often, because they don’t filter as much as other materials.
Pleaded – Pleaded air filters are a little more on the costly side, but you’re getting what you pay for. These filters are a little more reliable, and can collect more particles in the air, making for a more efficient air filtering system.
AIR FILTER SIZES
The size of the air filter plays a huge role in the efficiency of your air conditioning unit. You want to make sure you are using the right size for you home, or else it could run the unit harder than it should be. Some people use filters that are slightly too small, which will work, but only temporarily. When you have the unit installed, the tech will tell you, or give you paperwork on all the sizes that are compatible with the unit, and which are the best air filters for the best results.
AIR FILTER RATING
When searching for the best air filter, you should always look at the MERV rating. This stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. This measures the effectiveness of the filter you’re considering purchasing. The higher the rating, the better the filtration you will get. The fiberglass filters tend to rate lower on this scale, where the pleaded filters rate higher. So if you’re wanting to make sure you’re getting the lowest amount of airborne dust particles in your home, make sure you’re purchasing filters that rate higher on the MERV scale.
If you have anymore questions or concerns about you air filters, don’t hesitate to call your local air conditioning repair company to get answers to your questions. They will be able to help lead you in the proper direction, especially if they were the ones who installed the unit itself.
