How Frequently Should I Change My Air Conditioner Air Filter?Every once in a while we’re asked what is the most important thing that your city area homeowner's can do to secure their air conditioning and heating system between their seasonal PLUS Maintenance Tune-ups? The answer is simple this; remember to change the heating and air conditioning air filter. Changing furnace and return air filters is critical to the proper performance of your HVAC system, not to mention your home's air quality. Studies show that indoor air pollution is one of the top five environmental health risks? We know it's the last thing on your mind, but this is really important stuff. Changing the air filters is not all that hard for most your city homeowners, but there are usually two challenges to actually completing this job: Knowing just how often to change your furnace or air conditioner filter. Remembering to change air filters when needed. When To Change Your Air Filters This is not a trick;

simply put – when your air filters are dirty, change them. Choosing how often to change your air filters can depend on several factors: Type of filter your A/C system requires The overall air quality of your your city area home Pets – Birds, cats, dogs, hamsters (do you have one?), etc. Number of occupants in the house General air pollution in the your city area or construction taking place nearby For your typical 1"-3" air filters, the manufacturer specs basically say to change them bi-monthly, which is in fact a great rule of thumb. However, general guidelines are not applicable to all. If you have to tolerate light to moderate allergies, you may need to upgrade the air filter or change them even more regularly than OEM specifications. On the other hand, if you're in a remote area, own a infrequently occupied home (like a vacation home) or an area where there are fewer cars around, replacing your air filters each year may be quite sufficient. Why do pets matter so much?

They have a tendency to shed, which can clog your air filter fast. Clearly, the air filter is just doing its job by capturing pet hair and dander, but tremendously dirty filters can cause weak HVAC performance. Seldom used home or single occupant homes without pets or allergies: Change 6-12 months Typical suburban home without pets: Change every 90 days Add a dog or cat: Change every 60 days Multiple pets or have allergies: Change every 30-45 days How To Remember To Change Air Filters Here’s an easy way to stay on top of this; sign up for the Service Experts Email Club. When you do, you can elect to receive (or not) great email coupons and newsletters with a lot of tips and discounts on AC repairs and tune-ups. Plus, your email subscription preferences let’s you set a reminder to change your your city area home's air filter every 30, 60, 90, 120 or 365 days, or the date of your choosing. < Previous February 23, 2015Next >There are many types of air filters on the market these days, but which one is best?  

We are often asked the question, do electrostatic air filters work?  lowes air purifier canadaThe real answer is, it depends.  ozone air purifier cape townElectrostatic air filters are washable furnace filters that can be very useful for certain uses, but whether or not they should be used in your house is a much broader question.  alen air purifier retailersIf someone in your home suffers from asthma or severe allergies then the answer will likely change.  As a general rule, electrostatic air filters cannot even come close to the filtration power of a high quality anti-allergen filter from 3M or Honeywell, but that doesn’t mean you should rule them out altogether.  Those of you who read our articles regularly, know that we are a small, U.S. Veteran-Owned HVAC company in Southern California, and pride ourselves in giving people honest, straight answers to their questions.  

In this article, we will discuss what an electrostatic air filter is, how it works, the pros and cons of using one and whether or not washable furnace filters would work for your home. Electrostatic air filters are washable air filters that theoretically never need to be replaced.  I say ‘theoretically’ because I have a hard time believing that something that is subjected to dirt and debris regularly will work indefinitely, but that is the standard claim.  The idea is that instead of replacing your electrostatic air filter at regular intervals like you would a conventional air filter, you take them out back and wash them off with a hose about once a month.  This is a handy trick if you are sick of spending money on conventional air filters, but do electrostatic air filters work?  They do work, but the question is do they work as well as a conventional air filter? For more information on conventional air filters and how often you should change them, take a look at: Air Conditioning Filter Change – How Often Should I Do It?

These washable furnace filters work by having multiple layers of vented metal which the air passes through.  As the air passes through the first layer of filtration, the air molecules are positively charged by the friction between the air and the filter.  The now positively charged air molecules attach themselves to the next few layers as they pass through the rest of the filter.  Think about it as working kind of like walking across the carpet with your socks on and then touching a door knob – the process of walking across the carpet charges you with static electricity which is then released when you touch a grounded surface like a door knob.  Only instead of your socks scooting across a carpet, it is the air scooting across your air filter that creates a charge and traps dust particles in the air filter.  For more information on electrostatics, try this short vintage physics video – it’s worth a look: Electrostatics – How Electrostatic Air Filters Filter Air. One of the most attractive parts of washable air filters is the fact that you never have to buy a new one.  

This is definitely a plus, I mean who wants to buy a new air filter every few months?  Even if you opt for the cheaper air filters that run you 50 cents each (which I do not recommend), you still have to go through the hassle of buying them and replacing them on a regular basis and who wants to deal with that? The other appealing part about using electrostatic air filters is the price.  If you are buying high quality air filters then you may be spending $15 every few months which adds up to around $60 each and every year.  Now even though this might not break the bank, it can add up over time.  Washable furnace filters cost around $50 to $60 each but never have to be replaced, meaning that they pay for themselves in the first year of their use.  You can’t argue with the cost of these filters, so it may be an option to keep in mind. I have to say that the cons of an electrostatic air filter far outweigh the pros, in my opinion.  There are several problems with a washable air filter, ranging from how effectively they filter your air to how often they have to be washed.  

Some of these problems are a matter of preference, but some can’t be argued with and should be kept in mind before making your decision: Electrostatic air filters can only filter so much.  One of the problems with electrostatic filtration is that it relies on static electricity to operate.  What I mean by this is that static electricity is powerful enough to filter small, lighter dust particles out of the air but what about larger dust and dirt particles?  Unfortunately, this is one of the areas that electrostatic filtration falls short in.  An electrostatic air filter will never be able to filter as well as a high quality HEPA filter or even a moderate 1200 MPR filter (micro particle performance rating).  These filters are designed to filter out everything down to a certain specification size and are good at what they do.  If you have someone in your house who suffers from asthma or bad allergies, then I’d definitely recommend you avoid washable furnace filters and instead opt for a high-filtration replaceable filter with at least a 1400 MPR.  

For more information on this, take a look at: How to Reduce Asthma Symptoms and How Your Air Conditioner Can Help. Other problems with electrostatic air filters include: Just food for thought before investing in a washable air filter.  For information on how to prevent mold and whether or not you need to have your air ducts cleaned, take a look at these helpful articles: Should I Have My Air Ducts Cleaned? How Do You Prevent Mold? It depends on what you mean by ‘work.’  They do remove some dust particles from your air, but overall I do not recommend electrostatic air filters for home use.  Electrostatic air filters are an interesting technology but they just won’t work as well as a 3M 1600 MPR and they never will.  The nasty stuff that is in your air needs to be removed for the health of you, your family and your air conditioner.  A disposable filter allows you to do this, then throw this nastiness into the garbage where it belongs.  In the end, although they are a great idea in principle they just won’t filter your air as well as a conventional air filter will.