You know you need to change your air filter, but you’re not sure where to begin because it’s been a while. Don’t worry, we’re here to assist you! Air filters that are clean improve the quality of your indoor air and reduce the wear and strain on your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. When you put your air filter in the wrong way, it won’t be able to filter your home’s air effectively, causing a slew of maintenance issues. If you don’t change your air filter at all, you’ll have much more trouble! In this blog post, we’ll show you how to replace your air filter correctly in five simple steps.
1. Shut Down Your Furnace Or Air Conditioner
Because your air filter might accumulate a lot of dust, it’s critical to cut off the power to your furnace at all times. Your HVAC system will circulate dust, pollen, and filth through the vents and into your home if the power is left on. Yikes!
2. Locate the Air Filter That Needs to Be Replaced
In most cases, your filter can be found next to your furnace. A return air grill, air cleaner cabinet, or media type filter may be present. It all relies on the sort of air conditioning system you have.
3. Get Rid of Your Old Filter
When you remove your old air filter, be careful because it has most likely collected a lot of dust and other particles. Store the used filter in a large trash bag, tie it up, and place it in an outside trash bin to properly dispose of it.
4. Put Your New Air Filter in Place
Fortunately, most air filters are engineered to not fit properly until they are properly placed. Look for airflow arrows printed on the air filter’s side that indicate which way the filter should be put. The arrow on the new filter should point toward the furnace when you insert it.
5. Reconnect the Power to the Furnace
Now that you know how to change an air filter properly, you can breathe clean, filtered air! This is just one aspect of understanding how often you should service your furnace.
NOTE: If your filter doesn’t have an airflow arrow, the downstream side of the filter usually has a wire mesh. The function of this wire is to provide the filter with the rigidity and strength that it needs to catch particles. If your air filter doesn’t have an airflow arrow, make sure the wire mesh of your HVAC system is facing the blower, as this is the final surface the air encounters.
Contact Marten’s Heating & Cooling for furnace repair services, or if you have any further queries about your home’s air filter.