It is easy to take clean air inside your home for granted. Everyone breathes without thinking and usually only notice changes when there is a problem. The air inside your home becomes safe and fresh as your air systems work throughout the day. But the air brought inside your home is not always necessarily the cleanest. Your air systems have no real way to clean incoming air, which is where air filters come in.
Your home air filters consist of a tight mesh weaving. This weaving traps and absorbs pathogens, contagions, dust, dirt, sand, mold, bacteria, viruses, allergens, and pollutants alike. Air passes through the filter and gives your home that fresh, clean smell. Furnace air filters are only different from other filters due to the system they are placed in, but that does not mean they are any less important. In fact, furnace filters are important tools for your home and require frequent maintenance to avoid any problems from cropping up over time.
Filtration in the Furnace Systems
The air filters you order need to be the correct size in order to fit comfortably into your furnace system. The air filter size you need to know is on the cardboard edge of your old filter, clearly printed so that the new filters are able to match the requirements necessary. Once you order the new filters, they will arrive ready for immediate use. It is in your best interest to have the new air filters arrive before the old ones become too dirty. You do not want dirty furnace filters in your home systems. The particle covered filters become a problem for their system and eventually for your home over time.
When your furnace air filters become dirty, that means that the irritants they trapped and absorbed have built up over time. The result is a filter that still blocks harmful particles, along with airflow your home needs. For a normal air system, lack of airflow leads to plenty of issues including: dryness and stagnation throughout your home. Dirty furnace filters cause additional problems, considering the blocked airflow is also heated.
The Problem with Dirty Air Filters
When heated airflow becomes blocked, the temperatures start to build inside your furnace leading to an unsafe rise in temperatures. Your furnace is only able to handle so much heat before it begins to suffer from mechanical damage. Your home will also see fluctuations in temperature from room to room since the heating becomes inconsistent and indoor air quality lowers. The blockage in the system also causes heavy strain on your furnace system as it tries to push past the problem.
Your air systems will increase their efforts to bypass the dirty furnace filters over time. But your systems are not built for the prolonged use of so much energy. Eventually the strain will lead to costly repairs, as the mechanical damage becomes too much. You will also see a rise in energy billing as the system continues to use more and more electricity over time.
The Effectiveness of Your Furnace Filters and Their Replacement
It is common sense to assume that the more effective your furnace filters are, the faster they become dirty. The best air filters strike a balance for their mesh weaving that allows airflow to pass through easily while also still keeping it clean. The efficiency of your air filter are rated using the MERV scale. MERV, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, allows you to see just how well the air going through your filters are cleaned and how often they need replacement. Your furnace filters need regular changing. You may face heavy costs that might have otherwise been avoided.