Furnace maintenance can be intimidating to some, but there is one simple tip that can help your furnace’s performance and maintain indoor air quality: changing your furnace filter. Doing this regularly can help remove allergens and other airborne contaminants that cause dust and debris to settle in your vents and potentially cause damage to your furnace. But how often should you replace your furnace filter to help your furnace perform at its best? Poston Brothers, your Burlington, KY heating and cooling team, is here to answer all your furnace filter questions.

How Often Should You Change Your Furnace Filter?

Furnace filters come in all shapes and sizes. You can buy almost any furnace filter at your local hardware store. Bring your current furnace filter with you, or take a picture with your phone to make sure you’ve located the correct filter. Some furnace filters are thin and made of fiberglass. Others are thicker and have multiple layers. Depending on the width, some furnace filters last longer than others. A good rule of thumb is to replace your furnace filter every 90 days, or 3 months. However, you may want to change your filter more frequently if you have young children or pets. 

Pets create dander which often gets absorbed into the vents. The pet hair makes its way to the furnace filter and clogs it up more quickly than a home without pets. If you have young children, indoor air quality should be a top priority for your home. Replacing your furnace filter more frequently than 90 days will help maintain good air quality. 

Factors That Can Affect the Lifespan Of Your Furnace Filter

You might find that you go to change your furnace’s air filter after 90 days only to discover that it’s not full and it doesn’t need to be replaced. That’s fine. Each home is different. Certain factors can help extend or shorten the lifespan of your air filters. 

For example, in Kentucky, our winters are relatively mild and shorter compared to winters in the northern states. You might not run your furnace all winter long. If you don’t run your furnace every day in the winter, there’s a good chance your furnace filter could last for the whole season. Running your furnace on a constant basis is more likely to fill up the filter faster. 

The size of your house and your furnace are also important factors. A large house with a large furnace will need to work harder to heat the entire house. This could wear out the filter because the furnace needs to work more. Smaller houses with smaller furnaces might have smaller filters which would cause them to fill up quickly. Be aware of the size of your furnace filter for a better idea of how often you need to replace it. 

Signs It’s Time To Change Your Furnace Filter

When heating issues arise, one of the most common fixes we recommend our customers try first is changing the furnace filter. Many times, this is exactly what your furnace needs to restore air flow and start running again. Here are some other signs it’s time to change your furnace filter:

  • You’ve noticed higher heating bills suddenly. A clogged air filter could be making your furnace work harder.
  • You notice dust and debris coming from your air vents or built up in your ductwork. If the filter is full, it needs to be replaced to remove more dust.
  • No heat, or very little heat coming from the furnace. An obstructive furnace filter could be restricting airflow to your furnace. 

Replaced Your Filter and Still Experiencing Furnace Issues – Call Poston Brothers

How often you should replace your furnace filter is up to you, but now you know what to look for. If you’re experiencing furnace issues and replacing your furnace filter didn’t help, there’s probably something else wrong with your furnace. If your furnace filter hasn’t been replaced in a long time, it can cause damage to your furnace. Let’s take a look and see what’s wrong. Call Poston Brothers today to schedule services for your heating and cooling system.