4 Reasons To Change Your Air Filter Often

There are plenty of good reasons to change your air filter on a regular basis. Doing so benefits your health and your finances. Dirty air filters can’t efficiently remove particulates from the air. This can cause serious breathing problems, especially for people with allergies. It can also put a serious strain on your HVAC system. Here are the top four reasons you need to change your air filters on a schedule.

1. Protecting Your HVAC System
   • Keeping a clean filter helps prevent HVAC breakdowns, and over time, it can increase the life of the system itself. A dirty air filter restricts airflow and makes the system work harder. As all homeowners know, HVAC systems aren’t cheap. Repairs can cost hundreds of dollars. Replacing the entire system can cost tens of thousands. When you change your filters on a regular basis, you are increasing the efficiency and lifespan of your investment.
2. Removing allergens from your air
   • Quality filters remove allergens from indoor air. Cheap filters don’t. The Washington Post explains that “[fiberglass] filters do virtually nothing to stop the tiny particles that cause lung damage.” For people with allergies, using clean, high-quality air filters can provide serious relief. MERV 13 filters remove more toxins from the air that circulate throughout your home than lower rated filters. This means you can breathe easier knowing that you and your loved ones are breathing cleaner air on a daily basis.
3. Cheap fiberglass filters recirculate dust particles and clog up the HVAC system
   • Using cheap fiberglass filters creates several problems. They don’t work well, so they recirculate nasty dust particles. This clogs up the HVAC system and prevents it from working efficiently. It also fails to remove toxins from your indoor air. If you notice that your inexpensive fiberglass filter isn’t getting dirty, that’s a sign that it isn’t working. Over time, cheap filters can cause you to need HVAC repairs much more frequently.
4. Using high-quality air filters and changing them regularly protects your health and your finances.
   • Choosing high-quality filters with a rating of MERV 8 or higher and changing them on a regular basis keeps your home, your lungs and your HVAC system cleaner. This can have serious financial benefits by keeping expensive medical costs and repair costs down. Over time, breathing polluted air can cause serious health problems. That’s why choosing quality air filters and changing them regularly can protect your health and save you money.

Choose the right air filters the first time and don’t use them longer than the manufacturer recommends. Avoid the ones with a low MERV rating. People who think they’re saving money by buying cheap filters or using the same filter for an extended period of time are actually costing themselves a fortune in repairs, HVAC replacements, and even medical bills. There are lots of areas where buying cheaper items is a financially sound choice, but skimping on air quality is a costly mistake.