90 Day Filters, Do They Really Last That Long?

As we all know, the air in your home is extremely important to your health!  More and more people are now purchasing the higher quality 90 day filters that are now available.  But are they worth it?  Do they really work that well?  Do they actually last 90 days?

Having good quality air filtration is one key factor to having healthy indoor air quality, and yes we believe the higher quality filters on the market are worth the money.  BUT, there are several factors that you need to consider:

1 - Just because the package says 90 day filter, does NOT mean it will last 90 days in your home.

Here is a picture of a 90 day filter that we took out of a home this week.  The customer was a little upset because it had only been in for 60 days! 

Per Filtrete's website:  The life of a filter can depend on the individual conditions in your home. You may need to change your filter more often if your home has:

• Unusually dirty duct work
• Construction work in progress
• Furniture or drywall sanding in progress
• Pets
• Smokers
• A fan running continuously

In these cases, you may want to change the filter more frequently.

We also see that more frequent filter changes are needed in homes with large families and small children due to the amount of times the doors are opened a day.

2 - Will the new filter restrict my air flow?

Today's heating and cooling systems operate differently. It is extremely important to have proper air flow through your home. A lot of times we see customers who have had their equipment changed out, but the ductwork was not. It is not always bad, but sometimes the old ductwork doesn't carry the amount of air that the newer more efficient systems require. So, what does that have to do with filters? Simple, the 90 day filters are denser and catch more particles which also means the air can not move through the filter as easily. This could cause the equipment to work much harded and cut down on the life span of your equipment. We recommend that you have the entire system checked to be sure the high quality filters are right for your situation. Check out Filtrete's FAQ section on the high efficiency filters.

Again, we believe it is extremely important to have a good quality filter in place if your system allows it.  BUT even more important, whether you have a $50 filter or a $1 filter, change them as it is needed for your situation.  Don't get stuck breathing the air coming through a dirty filter like above!  Check your filters regularly!

To schedule an evaluation of your system, 
call us today at 980-235-0055!