Good Morning on this fine May 2nd, 2022. Yes, I know this is not the most exciting topic in the world, but it is an important one. Many of you may say that I change my filter regularly, every 3 months as the filter package says it will last. Can the filter last 3 months? Sure, it is possible for it to last 3 months in the right conditions, but for the majority of homes there are a lot of dust, pollen, pet hair, brought into the home. Not to mention the things released into the air while cooking which can help catch and build up even more debris on the filters.
The filter for your HVAC system is there to protect the equipment, not really there to protect you. The secondary action is it does help protect you from all these items listed as it filters them out of the air. The air filter when properly installed and maintained prevents the dust, pollen, grease/oils, dirt, pet dander, pet hair and many other things from reaching and building up on the evaporator coils of your HVAC system. Why is this important? The evaporator coils are where the air is cooled when running the A/C, or during the cold months on a Heat Pump it is where the air is warmed when the heat is running. If these coils become covered with dust, hair and other contaminants it prevents air flow through the coils, or at least slows the air flow down. This lowers the efficiency of your HVAC system. Making it work harder to pull in the air and also make it run longer to heat or cool your home. Please see the phots below showing the dirty evaporator coils.
It is best to change the air filter for your HVAC system every month for optimum performance of your HVAC system. This will make your system more efficient and help the fan motor last longer by reducing the strain on with free flow stream of air. The type of filter you use also has an impact on the system as well. Most HVAC contractors will tell you to use the cheapest form of filter you can find. That you don't need to use the higher filtration rated filters. For the most part I agree, but for personal reasons, I used a little more filtration than the ones they recommend. I do have bad allergies that cause me issue year round, but I only go up to a lower lever filtration level to help catch the pollen and such. Even that can and will add a little strain to the system. The higher filtration levels will require the filter to be changed more often due to clogging.
If you have any questions, you are welcome to reach out to me, but you can also reach out to your trusted HVAC contractor.
Clogged Evaporator Coils Recommended Filter Clogged Filter
Not change as needed