Habitat for Humanity Manatee County

While it is easy to see when you need to dust or sweep your living or workspace, it is harder to know when the air in your home needs cleaning. Dirt and debris in your Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) System filter can obstruct air flow, increasing the workload of your cooling system. By replacing the filter regularly, you can reduce wear and tear on your air conditioner while allowing the free movement of air for improved indoor comfort.  Research has shown that air flow and ventilation can affect how diseases spread indoors. The more stagnant the air is, the more likely diseases are to spread.

Changing an air filter is an easy process and is best done on the first day of every month.  Locate the air return vent in our home.  It is the large vent in the wall, ceiling, or door where the air handler for your HVAC System is installed.  Usually two screws or push/pull clips hold the vent in place and when released will just drop the vent as a door down.  Remove the old filter and throw away or if it is a washable type filter then it can be cleaned.  There are many types of filters available with some rated as HEPA, however, the best filter for any system is the cheapest one you can buy that is a disposable pleated filter made of polyester or cotton paper sheets.  The paper frame around the filter normally will have the size of the filter you need and look for an arrow or airflow symbol indicating direction to install the filter in the vent frame. The arrow should point towards the air handler (into the return box).

There are air purifier systems that can be added to your HVAC system.  They use the HEPA filer that further traps smaller harmful air particles, bacteria, viruses and then there are Ultraviolet (UVC) light systems that kills almost anything in the air.  Unfortunately, these systems can be costly and difficult to add to existing systems.  You should think about adding them when it is time to change out your HVAC System. Do not let the air in your home threatens your family’s health, change your HVAC air filter on schedule.