Do I Need to Replace My Furnace Filter with the Right Size?

Learn how to measure furnace filters correctly so you can get replacements that fit perfectly and provide optimal performance.

Do I Need to Replace My Furnace Filter with the Right Size?

If you have an old filter from your oven with the dimensions printed on it, then determining the size is not a problem. You can use these provided dimensions to get the right replacement. However, if your system only fits a 1- or 2-inch filter, a high MERV rating could be detrimental. A 1-inch filter with less surface space will clog up quickly and will need to be replaced more often than a coarser filter. Combining a thin air filter with a high MERV rate can also restrict airflow, hampering efficiency and causing excessive wear.

When you change the oven filters, the first step is to know what size the oven filter is. The oven filter must fit snugly into its slot. If your air conditioning system has an air filter, you can check its size to make sure you can get the right replacement. Most filters have the sizes listed on the side printed on the side, including the length, width, and depth in inches. They usually appear in that order.

The thicker the oven filter, the longer you can go without replacing it. Generally, oven filter sizes with a thickness or depth of up to one inch should be replaced once every one to three months. In contrast, oven filter sizes with a thickness of four inches last up to a full year. As long as you know how to read them and where to find them, you should have no problem replacing oven filters at home. The thickness of the air filter ranges from 1 to 5 inches deep; some options are more common than others and your oven can determine the thickness you can use.

You should always use the correct furnace filter sizes to protect your home comfort, indoor air quality, and reduce air conditioning costs. Like length and width, thickness is an important part of sizing the oven filter and getting the right fit to optimize performance. If the oven filter is installed upside down, your oven will have to work harder to achieve air flow, which could damage it. But what if the air filter compartment in your oven is only 3 mm thick? In that case, the 1-inch oven filter is better than the 4-inch filter; however, a 3-inch thick air filter is better. Just like when you measure the filter itself, the air filter slot will be the same size as the actual filter, not the size of the replacement that is needed. Ensuring that boiler filters are clean and changing them regularly not only means having a cleaner, healthier home but also reducing your utility bill by 5 to 15%.

However, keep in mind that those dimensions are not necessarily the actual dimensions of the furnace opening where the filter is installed. Please note that the actual size of the air filter will be smaller than its nominal size. I had bought the wrong size filter before but you guys did everything you could to get me the right ones. So if you're looking for an efficient way to replace your furnace filters with ones that fit perfectly and provide optimal performance, make sure you know how to measure them correctly.

Juanita Pete
Juanita Pete

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