Your Furnace Air Filter Options
One thing every home furnace needs is an air filter, at least if you want to keep pollutants out of your home and keep the furnace operating efficiently. You’ll find that there are many brands and types of furnace air filters available, but they all fall into six different types. These types are electrostatic, pre-cut media pads, pleated, HEPA, activated carbon and fiberglass panel filters.
While you will find that many of the filters available are reliable and efficient, others will give you less than stellar results. And don’t think that you have to choose a brand name filter, some of the generic air filter options are just as good as the more expensive brand name filters.
It is difficult to say that one type of filter is better than the others because they are each designed for a different purpose. Only you can decide which type of filter you need and which type will best serve your needs. Each of the six types of furnace filters has positives and negatives, such as air flow capacity, types of particles trapped, length of time between cleaning or changing the filter and ease of installation. Deciding which filter is best for your needs will require a bit of research into the characteristics of each type.
Keep in mind that typically brand is one of the least important characteristics when choosing an air filter. You can almost always use any brand you like as long as the dimensions of the filter are correct for use in your furnace. Hardware stores stock popular sizes of many of the filter types, however you may find that your furnace requires a custom sized filter. This happens for a wide range of reasons and if this is true for you chances are you will need to find a wholesaler in your area or else order your filters online.
The most popular type of filter is the pleated filter. They come in a wide variety of standard sizes and represent a good value for their cost. They can also come with electrostatic properties to improve their efficiency or with charcoal included in the filter material to help control household odor. Pleated filters are disposable and will need to be replaced every few months, depending on your furnace usage.
The next popular type of furnace filter is the electrostatic filter. These also provide very good value since they are reusable filters and usually come with a lifetime guarantee. Of course these reusable filters need to be cleaned from time to time so if you do not wish to be bothered with this task you should stick with the pleated filters. Whether you choose pleated or electrostatic filters it is necessary to clean or replace them regularly to keep your furnace operating correctly and efficiently.
Fiberglass filters are another type of disposable filter, however you will find that they are not very efficient in filtering anything other than the largest dust particles. To ensure clean air in your home it’s necessary to choose a pleated or electrostatic filter. If allergies are a problem for you choose an electrostatic HEPA filter which will filter out over 97% of all household allergens.
Remember when shopping for a furnace air filter that cheap filters are not always bargains. Cheap filters often do not filter as well as you would like or may need to be replaced more frequently to keep your furnace operation efficiently. Do your research to determine which type of filter best suits you and if nothing else make sure you keep up with the regular cleaning and replacement of your furnace filter to ensure clean air in your home and proper furnace operation.