During this time of COVID-19 we have been spending 95% of our isolation in our homes.   When we do go out, we take precautions by wearing a mask and we diligently disinfect our surfaces and common areas with wipes or sprays to keep the viruses at bay, but how clean is the air in your home?

Having consistent dirty filters in your home can leave negative effects on your health such as respiratory diseases, allergens and much more.  Take for example a high performance furnace filter such as Filtrete by 3M ; they claim it captures dust, bacteria, viruses and allergens . It is important to check and change the filters more frequently in your home.   If your HVAC filter gets clogged, it can cause a health hazard and a strain on the system resulting in malfunction. 

If your filter is dirty it means your furnace will be working harder to generate heat and this will in turn cost you more in energy bills. 

Different sizes of filters and the frequency to change them depends on the thickness of the filter, the amount of dust and the number of pets living in the house. If you have a thin filter it will need to be changed more frequently, generally between 1 to 3 months and  for 5” filters you may have to change them as often as every 3 months or as little as once a year. 

It’s time to change your filter if colour is looking on the grey side. It’s important to insert the filter the right way or it won’t filter effectively and will put a strain on the furnace and your hydro bill. Most filters have an arrow pointing in the direction of the air flow. Here’s what to do if you’re unsure how the air flows into your furnace. Look for the heating duct, it should be at the top of your furnace, then locate the cold air return which should be at the base of your furnace. The furnace will pull air from the cold air duct through the furnace and up in the heating duct. The arrow should point towards the furnace.

Don’t forget about the other filters in your home. You should periodically change the filter in your air purifier, clean the filters in your Air Exchanger, your dehumidifier and your vacuum.

If you plan to leave your home for a period of time remember to change or clean your filters to prevent maintenance issues while you are gone. 

Have a home watch professional check on your home while you’re away, always keep spare filters on standby, and let your home watch professional know where to find them.