Air Conditioner Filters

Catching the Dirt 24/7.

Whether your air conditioner uses your furnace’s air handler system or you have a separate air handler, it is essential to regularly clean or replace your air conditioner filters. Clean AC filters allow your air conditioner to run more efficiently, which can save you money on energy bills and help you avoid costly repair or replacement.  Additionally, a clean filter promotes a healthier living environment by improving your home’s air quality. 

Depending upon where you live, you’ll want to replace your air conditioning filters or clean reusable filters at least four times a year and as often as every month. Remember, with AC filters you get what you pay for; so spring for the good ones. Keeping dust and dirt out your system is critical to a system’s ability to function efficiently and effectively.

Choosing the Right AC Filter. There are a number of common air conditioner filters available. The right one for you depends on your family's sensitivity to airborne particles:

• Disposable fiberglass Filters.  The least expensive – and also the least effective - disposable fiberglass filters are designed to block only large dust and dirt particles to protect your furnace. Smaller particles, like pollen and mold, pass right through.
• Washable "Electrostatic" Filters.  These AC filters have a static charge that attracts dust, dirt and other matter and are only slightly more effective than disposable, but still block only 15 to 20% of airborne particles.
• Pleated "Allergy" Filters.  A much denser mesh material to trap particles, the pleats increase the surface area, eliminating large allergens like pollen and mold – most are 35 to 50% efficient.
• Electronic Air Cleaners.  Using electrodes to create an ionized electrical field these cleaners "magnetizes" pollutant particles and collect them on the filter material. An electronic unit can eliminate virtually all pollen and mold spores, up to 94% of smaller particles, and even up to 80% of airborne viruses.
• HEPA - High Efficiency Particulate Air - Filters.  The "gold standard" in AC filters, HEPA filters are used in commercial applications like hospitals, research facilities and electronics manufacturing where clean air is vital. They not only block air particles, but also air flow, so they’re not recommended for residential use.

If allergies and respiratory problems aren’t a concern for your family, a disposable or washable air conditioner filters can be enough to keep your furnace clean. But it’s important to change or clean the filter every month – remember that dust and dirt are the cause of half the repair calls to service technicians.

Contact your local ARS^®/Rescue Rooter^® heating and air conditioning specialist today to order the right air conditioning filters for your HVAC system.