Besides being a necessity to keep your furnace running efficiently, frequently replacing the furnace’s filter will make a tremendous difference in the air quality in your home and will help allergy sufferers in your family find relief, explains Joe Gratta of Atlantic Mechanical in Massachusetts. While the general rule of thumb that most HVAC contractors relate to their clients is to change the filter in their furnace once a month, you may need to change it more often depending upon the environment in your home. If you have numerous pets, someone smokes in the home, or you have a problem with mold growth, the filter will need to be changed more frequently to minimize allergies.
The reason that so many particles and allergens are attracted to the furnace is simple: Your furnace is air driven and operates on the supply and return of air. This means that if your furnace is in your basement, then in order to operate, the furnace intakes air and then turns the air into heat that is then blown through the vents and ducts throughout your home. So essentially, if the air going into your furnace is full of pollen, pet hair and smoke, then it will be pushed into the rest of your home causing respiratory problems and allergy symptoms. As awful as it is to imagine all of those particles being circulated through your home, it is completely avoidable as long as you stay on top of changing the filter as often as necessary. There are even various types of filters that offer different levels of protection for allergy sufferers.
The best filter for allergy sufferers
If you are someone who has asthma or suffers from allergies year-round, then Gratta recommends upgrading to an electric filter which offers you the most protection. While you will have to pay more money upfront — between $100 to $400 for electric filters as opposed to $1 to $15 for disposable ones — the electric filter offers numerous perks. For starters, instead of throwing away and replacing the filter every few months, you can slide out the electric filter, wash it, and replace it. Furthermore, electric filters promise to trap more than 95% of the allergens in the air of your home which also helps improve the efficiency of your furnace overall. And, as an added bonus, many electric furnace filter manufacturers offer customers a five-year warrantee on their purchase. So for example, if you buy an electric filter for $300 that doesn’t need to be replaced for at least five years, you will have only paid for that one-time purchase. If you choose to buy disposable filters at $10 per filter and you change the filter once a month as recommended, then in the course of that same five-year period, you have spent $600. By opting for the electric filter, you are not only saving money on the filter itself, but you are prolonging the life of your furnace and cutting back on the costs of allergy and asthma medications since your air will be cleaner on a daily basis.
If you are unsure how to make the switch from disposable to electric filters, or you would like further information on the type of electric filter that would work best for your needs, consult with your HVAC contractor to determine your specific requirements.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
