If you’re a responsible homeowner, you probably know you’re supposed to replace your furnace filters on a routine basis. We recommend checking them monthly, and replacing every two months. But what happens if you check your HVAC filter at its regularly schedule interval, only to discover that it’s completely covered in hair, dust and other particles? You’re probably wondering what would cause it to clog up prematurely.
We’ve discovered a few commons causes of this issue, and some of the things you can do to fix it.
What Causes Furnace Filters to Clog?
Following are some of the most common reasons why a furnace filter gets clogged more quickly than expected.
| Pets This one is a biggie. The hairier the animal, the more hair you can expect inside your home. If the hair is in your home, by extension it will end up in your furnace filter, as the furnace uses internal house air recirculated back into the furnace through the cold air return. | Grooming is your friend Daily vacuuming and weekly pet brushing and go a long way to reducing the amount of pet hair and dander in your atmosphere. |
| Thermostat Fan is “ON” Thermostats have two fan settings, “ON” and “AUTO.” When the fan is switched to AUTO it only blows air when your HVAC system is actively cooling or heating your home. When it’s set to “ON” it runs continuously, which means more air is being drawn through the furnace system (and the filter). | Flip the Switch Switching from ON to AUTO will ensure your furnace’s blower is only running when it needs to run. Not only will it clog your filter less, it will extend the life of your furnace’s blower motor. |
| Extreme Temps Sometimes, when the outside air temperature is at an extreme (cold or hot) the system may actually need to run continuously to keep your temperature inside at the right settings. | Replace Filters More Often During this time, you may want to consider shortening the replacement interval to accommodate the extreme weather, at least until the temperatures normalize a bit. |
| High MERV rating The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating on a furnace filter determines how effective it works to remove particles from the air. MERV numbers run from 1 to 16; the higher the number, the smaller the particles the filter can capture. A higher MERV rating is particularly important when it comes to allergies and asthma; it filters more particulates out of the inside air.
It also stands to reason a higher MERV rating also means the filter is more restrictive in its airflow, causing more wear and tear on your furnace’s blower motor. |
Talk to the Man Our experienced, trained and certified HVAC technicians can advise you on the best filter to install to meet your family’s needs. An inexpensive fiberglass filter will allow smaller particles to pass through, so it won’t clog up as quickly or as often; a thick, pleated filter will capture more particles but create more back pressure. Check with your service tech for the right balance. |
| Dust in the Wind A recent home renovation or construction project, or just accumulated dust in unused rooms can be a factor in excessive dust. | Suck it Up Anything you don’t remove from your home environment by vacuuming will end up in the furnace filter. |
Stretch the Life of Your Filter
One step you can take to reduce the frequency of filter replacement is to remove the filter from the furnace and vacuum the surface of the filter. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily make the filter clean or like new, but it does reduce the workload of the blower motor and helps your indoor air quality. It does remove a significant amount of larger particles, particularly hair. This is a great solution that will stretch the life of your home’s furnace filter, and ultimately the life of your furnace, as well as the comfort level of your family
A more effective solution than simply vacuuming everything all the time is to add an air purification system to your heating and cooling system. A furnace add-on like this removes many particles before they can reach the furnace filter, giving your furnace a longer life, and giving your family a safer and cleaner breathing environment. Again, this should be a serious consideration if a member of your family is suffering from allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions.
Of course, not all filters are one-and-done disposable. There are filters available that may be vacuumed or cleaned with a garden hose to extend their lives. They are priced a bit higher than the disposable ones, but are a lot less hassle.
Getting the right filter is important for proper maintenance and operation of your home’s heating and cooling equipment. To learn more about what’s the right filter for your home, air purification systems, or other solutions to improve the indoor air quality of your home, call Dor-Mar to schedule a free, no-obligation appointment with one of our team.
How We Can Help
Our team offers a wide array of routine maintenance and emergency services for your heating and cooling system, allowing your family to breathe fresh, safe, clean air and be comfortable year-round. We also offer a number of add-ons to your HVAC equipment that can improve your home’s IAQ, such as electrostatic air filters, whole-house humidifiers, duct cleaning, and more.
Schedule an appointment for HVAC system troubleshooting or maintenance with us today by using our online contact form, or call one of our seven neighborhood offices listed below. We pride ourselves on our customer-focused service, and our reviews show it.
NEWARK 740.345.6639 • COLUMBUS 614.238.6689 • DUBLIN 614.545.8939 • REYNOLDSBURG 614.365.1579 • WESTERVILLE 614.381.1540 • GROVE CITY 614.595.3098 • ZANESVILLE 740.454.2420
Dor-Mar…Your Climate Hero!
