Is anyone in the HVAC profession or can tell me anything about furnace filters?

[Prairie~Phlox]

Ok, so we have a Carrier furnace, was in the house when we moved in. It has a door that filters go into and we've always put four filters in that I know of (dh normally takes care of these things, but he's out of town this week.) The opening takes 16x25 filters and is about 5 1/2 inches wide from the outside. From what I can tell online, I think it's supposed to have filters like this http://www.filtersamerica.com/show_detail.cfm?thissku=ACBCM1F So is it wrong to just put four one inch filters in it? We actually have one washable and I just bought another washable tonight. I took out three others + the washable, really five filters "could" fit, but I just put back the number that was already there. I don't know, I know this winter when the furnace wasn't working that great, dh check and the filters were filthy. I now set my phone to clean them once a month.

 

Thanks for any advice.

Phlox

[Mommyfaithe]

If you used the filters on the link or something similar they will need replacing less frequently and keep the air and the furnace cleaner maintaining the furnaces efficiency over a longer leriod of time. The one inch thick filters...even if you install six of them let a lot of fine particles build up inside the furnace.

 

When the furnace was installed the homeowner paid extra to be able to use the high efficiency filter. You might as well take advantage of that as it will protect the furnace and give you cleaner air to breathe. If there is also an ultra violet lamp installed in the ductwork, the build should be replaced annually. The UV bulb kills germs, mold, viruses, bacteria etc. In the air and prevents these from growing in the ductwork. These bulbs lose their effectiveness after a year.

 

Hth,

Mark (Faithe's dh)

[anotherbrother]

FWIW I think those filters are pretty pricey. We use similar ones, but I can usually find them at Home Depot for less than $15 each.