How Often Do You REALLY Need to Change Your HVAC Filter?

Did you know you might be able to keep your home’s heating and cooling system around for more than 25 years? As long as you arrange to have your HVAC system maintained, it should last for at least two decades, if not even longer than that.

For the most part, you should plan to leave HVAC maintenance up to the professionals. A reliable HVAC service can help you keep your HVAC system in excellent condition.

You will, however, need to get into the habit of changing your HVAC filter on your own. Googling “how often do you need to change your HVAC filter” should give you an idea of when you should do this.

But there are some conflicting opinions on when homeowners should replace their HVAC filters. So in this article, we’re going to strive to provide you with the correct answer to the question, “how often should you change your HVAC filter?” We’re also going to touch on how to change the air filter in your house in the right way.

Keep reading to learn all about the importance of replacing your HVAC filter.

What Does an HVAC Filter Actually Do?

Before we begin discussing how often you should replace the HVAC filter in your HVAC system, it’s important for you to know what it’s responsible for doing. It’ll help you get a better understanding of why you need to make sure to replace your HVAC filter accordingly.

When your home’s heating and cooling system is turned on, it’ll pull in air from your home and either heat or cool it prior to sending it back out through your ductwork and into the various parts of your house. An HVAC filter is in place to see to it that this air is as clean as it can be.

But if you don’t have a clean HVAC filter, it can have an impact on your home’s air quality. It can also put an unnecessary strain on your HVAC system as a whole.

For these reasons, you’ll want to stay on top of replacing your HVAC filter. Otherwise, you might inadvertently affect the air quality in your home while also reducing your HVAC system’s lifespan in the process.

How Often Should You Change Your HVAC Filter?

Now that you know why it’s important to replace your home’s HVAC filter, let’s get into talking about how often you should do it. As we alluded to earlier, there is sometimes confusion about this since different websites will tell you different things when you Google “how often should you change your HVAC filter?”

Generally speaking, the answer to the question, “how often should you change your HVAC filter?”, is right around 3 months. You’ll want to make it a point to replace your old HVAC filter with a new one at least that often.

That being said, there are some instances in which you might want to replace an HVAC filter more often than that. You may need to do it if:

• You have pets living in your home and pet dander in your home’s air because of it
• You and/or your other family members smoke in your home on a regular basis
• You have an older HVAC system and want to try to get the most life possible out of it

In each of these cases, you might want to try replacing your HVAC filter every 2 months or maybe even every single month. It’ll really all depend on how bad the air quality is in your home.

How Can You Tell When an HVAC Filter Needs to Be Replaced?

Although you should only have to replace an HVAC filter about once every 3 months, there will be signs that’ll suggest you should do it more often than that. Your job will be to monitor your home for these signs and spring into action to replace your HVAC filter as necessary.

Here are a handful of signs that’ll show you need to strongly consider putting a new HVAC filter in place:

• You can see dirt building up on your HVAC filter
• Your home is gathering more dust than usual
• You and/or your fellow family members are suffering from allergic reactions more than normal
• Your HVAC system seems to be struggling to keep up with your heating or cooling demands

It’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your home’s HVAC filter. You won’t have to spend too much time or money replacing it, so you should toss your old HVAC filter and put in a new one if you sense it might be on its last legs.

How Do You Change the HVAC Filter in Your House?

If you haven’t ever had to replace an HVAC filter in your home, you might not have the slightest clue as to how to do it. Fortunately, it won’t be difficult at all to figure out how to change the air filter in your house.

Here are the steps you’ll need to take to do it:

1. Start by shutting off your home’s heating and cooling system
2. Remove your old HVAC filter and see what size it is so you can buy a new one
3. Write down the day you replaced your HVAC filter on your new one
4. Put it in the same spot where your old HVAC filter was
5. Make sure your new HVAC filter is secure and turn your heating and cooling system back on

You should be able to work your way through this entire process in under five minutes. It’s one of the simplest forms of HVAC maintenance that you can do.

Which HVAC Filters Should You Use?

When you’re buying a new HVAC filter, you might want to just go ahead and stick with the same type of HVAC filter you were already using. But you might also want to shop around for other HVAC filters that’ll work better for your home.

There are some very basic HVAC filters that will filter little more than dirt, dust, and other larger debris. But there are also other HVAC filters designed to filter things like pet dander, smoke, and all kinds of allergens.

If the indoor air quality in your home isn’t great, you might want to pick up a more advanced HVAC filter. It could work more effectively than the one you were using before.

What if You Don’t Change Your HVAC Filter Often Enough?

If you don’t make it your mission to change your HVAC filter often enough, it’s going to turn into a big problem sooner or later. Here are some of the things that may happen when you don’t replace an HVAC filter at least every 3 months:

• Your home’s indoor air quality will take a turn for the worst
• Dust will begin to build up on all the various surfaces throughout your home
• Your heating and cooling system will need to work harder than usual, which could lead to HVAC repairs
• You might see your home’s heating and cooling costs spike

It’s so simple to avoid the consequences of not replacing your home’s HVAC filter enough. You can steer clear of them by picking up a new HVAC filter every few months and putting it to good use.

What Other HVAC Maintenance Needs to Be Done?

Replacing the HVAC filter in your home’s HVAC system is one of the most important forms of HVAC maintenance you’ll do. But you should also set out to have it maintained in other ways.

At the start of the winter and summer seasons, you should always arrange to have an HVAC service inspect your HVAC system and make any necessary adjustments to it. They’ll be able to clean out your HVAC system and lubricate any moving parts in it.

You should also schedule HVAC repairs as soon as you notice anything wrong with your HVAC system. It’ll stop small issues with your HVAC system from spiraling out of control and turning into much bigger problems.

Who Can You Rely On for HVAC Maintenance Services?

It wouldn’t be a bad idea at all for you to take care of replacing your HVAC filter yourself. But as we alluded to earlier, you should leave most other HVAC maintenance up to the pros.

Search for an experienced HVAC service that has a great reputation within your community to maintain your HVAC system for you. A company like It’s Your Heating and Cooling Guy can lend a hand with HVAC maintenance and make sure your HVAC system is always running the way it should.

Stop Googling “How Often Should You Change Your Air Filter” and Call Us for Help

If you’re Googling “how often should you change your HVAC filter” right now, you’re likely confused about how to maintain your HVAC system. Why not let It’s Your Heating and Cooling Guy assist you with all your HVAC maintenance needs?

We can work on most heating and cooling systems. Whether you need your HVAC system maintained or have a repair that needs to be done, you’ll be more than satisfied with the professional HVAC services we can provide.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment.