Member Login | Not a FREE member yet? Sign Up Here!

Air Conditioner And Furnace Filter Options
By: Donald Munn

Changing your air conditioner filter is one of the most important things you can do to keep your equipment working at peak efficiency. These filters should be changed at least very three to six months. Many contractors recommend every month but this is a bit excessive unless you have severe allergies or live in a very dusty environment. In this case you should use a very efficient air conditioner filter.

There are many factors that determine how long you should wait between filter changes. If you wait too long, equipment efficiency begins to decline and operating costs go up. Changing your filter too often can become expensive especially if you are using good quality filters.

It is important to keep in mind that the more efficient your air conditioner filter is the more often it will have to be cleaned or replaced. For most people, pleated filters will do an adequate job. These filters are ten to sixty percent efficient and some manufacturers claim even higher efficiencies.

Pleated filters should be changed every three to six months. If you live in an area that is very dusty then your filter may need to be changed more often.

For more efficient filtration you may want to consider using an electrostatic filter, a HEPA filter or an electronic filter. These are some of the more efficient air conditioner filters available.

Electrostatic filters offer the greatest value. They cost 2 to 6 times more than an efficient disposable filter but are reusable. You simply rinse them with water and they are ready to use again.

Electronic filters are efficient at collecting small particles but do not do a great job with larger dust particles. With these filters it is important to have a good pre-filter.

The most efficient filters available for home use are HEPA filters. These filters are extremely efficient but can cause too much restriction to air flow in a heating or cooling unit which can lead to operating problems. These filters should be used only if you require the cleanest air possible and they will need to be changed at least every month and maybe more

Economy panel filters that you can get from your local hardware store are probably the worst type of filters that you could possibly use in your air conditioner. These are the ones that you could almost read a book through. These filters are at the bottom of the list, when it comes to efficiency.

These filters do such a poor job you could leave one in your air conditioner for a year and it might not collect enough dust to require changing. The unfortunate thing is the evaporator coil of your air conditioner would need to be cleaned every year to remove the dirt that should have been stopped by the filter.