A two-fold air filter should be changed every three months, while a three-fold air filter should be changed every 120 days. A four-fold air filter should be replaced every six months, and a five- or six-fold air filter should be changed every nine to twelve months. Fiberglass air filters are more affordable but less efficient at capturing dust and particles from the air, so they usually need to be changed every 30 days or as recommended by the manufacturer. Pleated air filters should be replaced approximately once every three to six months. The frequency of air filter replacement depends on several important factors, such as your home, occupants, and location.
An HVAC filter will only last one to three months on average, so it's important to keep track of the date you installed them. If you wait too long to change the filter, indoor air quality will suffer. In general, if you find yourself vacuuming or sweeping more often than usual, it's likely time to change your air filter. In most cases, air filters with a MERV rating equal to or lower than 16 are designed for residential, commercial, and institutional air conditioning systems. The more folds an air filter has, the greater the chances of eliminating indoor air pollutants.
If you have respiratory problems, you should change your air filter every six weeks to ensure that indoor air quality remains at its best. To better know when to replace an air filter, consider the size of the house, the number of people living in it, the number of pets, and if anyone has serious allergies or smokes inside the house. If the filter remains unchanged for too long, it can even shorten the life of the boiler or air conditioner, so it's important to include air filter replacement in your list of common household maintenance tasks. As a general rule of thumb for pleated air filters (such as those made by FilterBuy), they should be changed every 90 days. If you're installing the air filter in a vacation home, cabin, or other property that isn't commonly used, you can usually wait a little longer to change it. MERV 9-12 filters are perfect for people with allergies; however, they can negatively affect your electricity bill.
Generally speaking, lower home occupancy extends the life of the air filter while higher home occupancy reduces it. Your home's air filters should be changed regularly to keep the system running smoothly and to maintain optimal air quality. Replacing the air filter will restore airflow, improve heating and cooling efficiency, and increase air quality throughout the house. The replacement cycle of the air filter and boiler filter is also affected by both outdoor and indoor air quality.
