Furnace Filters Need to be Changed Regularly

Furnace filters are greatly neglected due to the perceived inconvenience of maintaining them. This is true even though a furnace is a vital part of a home. Without it, there would be no heat during those cold winter days. After all, the furnace is all the way down in your basement where it may be damp and the lighting is bad. Who wants to go down there and fiddle around with a filthy furnace air filter that may get your clothes all dirty? There are many reasons to take that trip downstairs regularly and to make sure that your filter is clean and your furnace is operating properly.

The Benefits of Changing your Furnace Filter

The benefits of changing furnace filters regularly are many. Think about the purpose of a filter in the first place. A furnace filter is a home air purifier meant to take the dust out of the air flowing in your home. If the filter is clogged with dust the furnace works harder trying to get air out and circulating in your home. The longer and harder the furnace works, the faster it will burn out and the higher your utilities bills will be. Imagine how hard you would have to suck on a straw with something stuck in the middle of it. You’d suck and suck to get a bit of liquid through the straw and after all that effort you could collapse. Your furnace is the same way.

Did you ever neglect a small cavity just to have it turn into a route canal? If you had just taken care of the tooth when the problem was small, you would have saved yourself a lot of time, pain and money. It is the same with your furnace. If you change the furnace air filters regularly and take care of the furnace, you’ll save a lot of time and expense in the long run.

When changing your filter, it is a good idea to use the same brand filters as your furnace. For example if you have a Honeywell furnace, use Honeywell furnace filters. I mention Honeywell because they are considered one of the best on the market. If you are looking for a Honeywell furnace filter, you can find it cheaper online. The company makes all kinds of furnace filters including washable, disposable and Honeywell electronic furnace filters.

The Dangers of not Changing your Furnace Filters

We already discussed that changing your filters regularly will save you money on your utility bill as well as the time and expensive of replacing furnace parts or worst case scenario your whole furnace. What about the serious dangers to you and your family if you neglect your furnace? First of all, a dirty furnace with clogged filters at best will allow a lot of dust to circulate in your home which you and your family will breathe in. At worst, there are fumes that the furnace will give off that are very unhealthy to breathe in. In today’s day and age where people spend a lot of time at home on their computers, on the TV or working from home, they would spend a lot of time breathing in these toxins. That is what makes proper filtering and ventilation important.

The very worst danger is that a neglected and dirty furnace can actually blow up or cause a fire. Imagine the risk to your valuable items not to mention your invaluable family members and pets. This is a danger that can be prevented by regularly checking and changing your furnace filters.

Taking the time to take care of your furnace will save you from health problems that home air purifiers can counter, will save you time and will certainly save you a lot of money.

Electrostatic Furnace Filters

An electrostatic furnace filter uses the technology of static electricity to remove dust from the air. This has the benefit of having very little impact on air flow into your furnace. The reason this is beneficial is because some filters can limit air flow significantly causing the furnace to overwork which reduces its efficiency. Electrostatic filters are considered permanent or reusable furnace filters since they do not need to be replaced often.

A reusable furnace filter is otherwise known as a washable furnace filter. This means that you do not have to spend money every month on disposable filters which you might otherwise think are a good choice as cheap furnace filters. Washable furnace filters will save you hundreds of dollars in the long run.

You can get more information about furnace filters and other Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) topics by visiting the HVAC talk forum. Our site also covers many different HVAC topics such as how to use a portable air conditioner; choosing a ceiling fan heater or bathroom ceiling heater; using halogen heaters as an alternative form of heating to choosing fireplace grates for your fireplace and much more. If there is a topic you would like to see covered, please feel free to contact us.

Instead of using disposable fiberglass furnace filters, a better choice is an electrostatic furnace filter. By using electrostatic furnace filters, you will not only be breathing cleaner air, but you will also be helping to cut down on landfill waste. Because cheap fiberglass filters need to be changed every month, the amount of throw-away filters used every year can really add up. If you use an electrostatic furnace filter instead, you only need to purchase one permanent filter, which you can then clean every month and replace.

One of the problems with disposable furnace filters is that they are only able to remove large particles of airborne debris from the air. In fact, this type of filter is not even designed specifically to clean the air you breathe, since their primary purpose is protecting your heating equipment. If you are using disposable filters, only 10% to 40% of the airborne debris is being trapped and removed from the air. This is because a good majority of the airborne particles are too small to be caught by a standard fiberglass furnace filter.

By comparison, an electrostatic furnace air filter is able to remove around 88% of this debris. By removing more debris, an electrostatic furnace filter will remove not only dust and debris, but also will also remove pollen and pet dander, as well as help control bacteria, mold and viruses. There are of course a wide variety of electrostatic furnace air filters on the market, which vary in regards to their effectiveness as well as cost. Many of the top brands of electrostatic filters, such as a Honeywell electrostatic Furnace filter, can dramatically improve the air within your home.

Electrostatic furnace filters rely on static electricity to clean the air. This static charge attracts airborne particles when the air passes through the filter. Instead of throwing a disposable filter away, you remove the filter and clean it. This will save money each month on filter purchases, as well as eliminate the need for other types of air cleaners within your home. You need to remove the washable electrostatic furnace filters once a month for cleaning, as it will not be able to effectively do its job if it becomes too dirty. Honeywell furnace filters are a quality and reliable brand.

Electrostatic furnace filters do cost more than throw-away types of furnace filters and also more than electronic furnace filters. However, after adding up the monthly cost savings from not needing to purchase a new filter every month, plus the advantages of cleaner air within the home, most people who switch to an electrostatic furnace filter feel they are well worth the initial financial investment.

There are many advantages to an electrostatic furnace filter. Not only do they keep the air in your home clean, but also they are also environmentally friendly. Because these filters are permanent, and not throwaway, you will not need to keep purchasing fiberglass furnace filters every month, and instead you will simply wash and replace the electrostatic furnace filter.

Electrostatic furnace air filters are becoming a more popular filter choice, especially when there is a desire to achieve cleaner air within the home. Many homeowners who have previously used panel or frame type air filters with their heating and cooling systems are choosing to switch to an electrostatic furnace filter. These types of filters are very efficient at removing dust and other airborne particles from the air within the home.

Electrostatic furnace filters work by creating a static charge, which attracts dust particles as air passes through the filter. Traditional furnace filters are able to trap larger airborne particles, such as dust, but smaller particles are able to pass through the filter. Unfortunately, most particles within the home are small enough to pass through these traditional types of furnace filters. In fact, the traditional fiberglass furnace filter is usually only remove about 10% to 40% of the particles in the air. They are actually designed to protect your furnace, and not to protect the air you breathe.

An electrostatic furnace air filter is able to remove much smaller particles, which keeps the air in the home much cleaner. Airborne particles become attracted and trapped until the filter is washed. While the quality of electrostatic furnace filters varies by brand, on the average an electrostatic filter can remove almost 90% of the particles in the air. Of course, the better brands produce the best results. For example, a Honeywell furnace filters can dramatically reduce the amount of dust and pollen that exists in the air within the home.

Maintenance is easy with an electrostatic furnace filter, since you only need to wash it about once a month. Because these furnace filters can be washed, you will not need to purchase and replace disposable furnace filters every month. Not only does this save money, but it also saves on waste. Since disposable fiberglass furnace filters should be replaced every month, the number of filters you need to buy over time can really add up. Although an electrostatic furnace air filter is a more expensive initial purchase than throwaway filters, it will save you money over time.