4 Things To Consider When Choosing The Best Furnace Filter For Your Home

What Are Furnace Filters And Why Are They So Important?

The furnace filter is your HVAC system's unsung hero. If you live in Kawartha Lakes or the surrounding areas, you rely on your furnace to keep your family warm and comfortable for more than half the year. Your furnace heats air and circulates it through your home, usually via ductwork. Your furnace filter keeps that air clean and free from 

• Allergens

• Dust

• Pet hair 

• Mold spores

• VOCs

• Smoke particles

• And more

Without the right filter, all these irritants are blown throughout your home. This affects your air quality and adds duct cleaning to your maintenance list more often. Investing in the best furnace filter for your home means you can breathe easy—literally. But before you can buy the filter you need, you should consider these four things: size, air quality concerns, air flow and budget.

4 Tips To Help You Choose The Best Furnace Filter For Your Home.

Buying a furnace filter sounds like it should be simple until you walk into your local hardware store and see how many options there are. Brands, sizes, ratings: what does it all mean? When it comes down to it, these four things will help you find the best filter for your furnace: 

Size

If your filter isn’t the right size, it cannot effectively filter the air flowing through it. If the filter is too small, everything from pet hair to pollen is being pushed past or around the filter, through your ducts and into the air you breathe. If the filter is too big, it won’t fit into the filter casing and can even force it apart, creating leaks and gaps.

Air quality concerns

Every furnace filter has an MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating that tells you how well the filter traps particles. The higher the rating, the more particles the filter can trap. If the people in your household have no particular air quality concerns, a lower MERV-rated filter will likely be all you need. However, if you or your family members have asthma, allergies or own pets, you will want to remove as many irritants from the air as possible and may benefit from a filter with a higher MERV rating. 

Airflow and Furnace Capacity 

Higher MERV-rated or HEPA filters can restrict airflow. That means your furnace has to work harder to push the air through the filter and around your home. If you choose a filter that restricts airflow too much, you can put strain on your furnace, reducing its efficiency and potentially overworking the motor. Knowing your furnace's capacity before choosing a filter is a must. 

Budget

Just because you are on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t get an effective filter for your furnace. If the size and MERV rating meet your needs, the name on the packaging doesn’t really matter. 

Make sure to replace your furnace filter regularly (every 1-3 months during periods of heavy use and less frequently over the summer when your furnace is taking a break). Before you head out to buy a pack of furnace filters, check your furnace guide. It will let you know what capacity your furnace has and what size filter it needs. Or, if you aren’t sure, talk to an HVAC expert at British Empire Fuels. We’re happy to help you find the best furnace filter for your home. 

Let British Empire Fuels Make Choosing The Right Furnace Filter Easy

With more than 60 years of keeping families warm in Kawartha Lakes and the surrounding areas, we know a thing or two about furnaces and filters. When you let the team at British Empire Fuels take care of your filter needs, you are guaranteed:

True Fit

As one of our HVAC experts likes to say, “A 5" filter is not always a 5" filter.” The size indicated on a filter package is not always accurate. But when you get your filters from British Empire Fuels, you can be sure they will fit your furnace just right. 

Quality You Can Count On 

The filters we use ensure better air flow and a better fit for your furnace, every time. 

Customer Service 

We like to make life easy for our customers. When you buy your furnace filters from British Empire Fuels, we record the right filter size and model for your furnace in your customer file. Next time you need a filter we can pull up the information and get you what you need fast and without any hassle. 

Skip standing in the aisles at your local hardware store, scratching your head and trust British Empire Fuels to handle your furnace filter needs.