It’s safe to say that you rely on your heating and cooling systems throughout the year. Whether it’s the middle of a blisteringly hot summer or the dead of winter, you count on these essential pieces of equipment to keep your home comfortable. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to forget that these systems require a little care from time to time.
For example, it’s crucial to replace your HVAC filter’s air filter regularly. This way, you can ensure your home stays comfortable, and you don’t experience any indoor air quality problems. However, how often you replace this filter can depend on a few factors, such as the size of your home and the specific needs of your household.
So, how often should you really be changing your air filters? Let’s answer this question in more detail below.
What Happens if You Don’t Change Your HVAC Filter?
Before we can discuss how often you should change your HVAC filter, you must understand why this simple maintenance task is so important. Neglecting the needs of your heating and cooling systems can have many unexpected consequences in the future.
Check out what can happen to your heating and air conditioning systems if you don’t change your HVAC filter, among other potential problems:
How Often Should You Change Your HVAC Filter?
As we briefly mentioned above, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to replacing an air filter. Instead, you’ll need to consider several factors to ensure you follow the proper replacement schedule for your specific needs.
Every 9 to 12 Months
If you want to know how often you should really be changing your air filters, consider what type of filter you’re using. For example, pleated air filters can usually go much longer before being replaced than those made out of fiberglass. The pleated material generally allows these filters to collect more airborne particles, such as dust, pet dander, and pollen.
If you use a pleated filter that has a thickness of five or six inches, you can typically get away with replacing it every nine to 12 months. However, if the filter is only one or two inches thick, you’ll want to swap it out every 30 to 90 days.
Every 90 Days
When you ask a professional technician how often you should change your HVAC filter, there’s a high chance they’ll tell you to complete this maintenance task every three months or so. That’s because there’s a general rule of thumb to replace the filter at least once every 90 days.
Of course, several factors can affect how often you actually end up replacing the filter. For instance, if you live in a small home, there’s a good chance that you won’t have to change the filter as often as if you live in a large house. That’s because smaller homes tend to circulate much less air.
You’ll also want to take into account how often you use your air conditioner or heating system. If you’re constantly blasting the air conditioning or cranking up the heat, it’s a good idea to replace the filter more frequently. The more you use your HVAC systems, the more airborne pollutants will pass through the filter.
Every 60 Days
As you may or may not know, pet dander is one of the most common airborne contaminants. So, how often should you really be changing your air filters if you have pets?
When it comes down to it, you’ll most likely want to replace your filter once every 60 days if you have one or two furry friends. However, if you have multiple pets running around your home, swapping out the filter every 45 days is usually more appropriate. This way, you can stay ahead of all that pet hair.
Every 30 Days
As we briefly touched on above, fiberglass filters generally need to be replaced more frequently than those made from pleated material. These filters are typically the most affordable option, but this means that they only do their job at the most basic level and are typically less effective at trapping airborne contaminants. So how often should you change your HVAC filter?
Unfortunately, the frequency will definitely increase. As a general guideline, you should change the filter just about every 30 days. If you or members of your household have allergies or asthma, you’ll probably want to stick to frequent changes like this as well.
Don’t Neglect Your HVAC System’s Needs
Now that you know how often you should really be changing your air filters, hopefully, you understand how important it is to keep up with your heating and cooling systems’ needs. Although this is a simple and straightforward maintenance task, neglecting to do it can have severe consequences for your HVAC system, energy bills, and home air quality.
If you think the time has come to schedule HVAC maintenance in Las Vegas, contact the experts at Pure Plumbing & Air! Our highly trained and experienced technicians offer many services to keep your home comfortable throughout all months of the year, including tune-ups. You can count on us to do a thorough inspection and ensure your HVAC system is working properly when you need it most.
As a trusted company serving our local communities since 2013, we’re proud to offer a broad range of services. We specialize in everything from HVAC services to water heater repair in Las Vegas, NV, and the surrounding areas. Contact us today to request an appointment!
