"The cheapest furnace filters are the best?" Really?
The first Friday of the month is Furnace Filter Friday on Discover Columbus OH - a Columbus real estate blog. I was looking for a good home inspector furnace post... or ideally a home inspector writing about "change your furnace filter", for the second monthly Furnace Friday but no luck.
I am trying to do Furnaces on Friday, when many real estate bloggers are doing Foto Friday posts... the other three or so Friday's of the month less so furnace filters... just furnaces in general. Blowers, heat exchangers... furnace servicing etc. grasping for words here...
Perhaps as it gets colder across the US there will be more furnace posts. This was harder than I thought it would be.
What do real estate agents know about furnace filters anyway? The most recent advice I found was from a real estate agent who will be experiencing winter before we do here in Columbus.
In a post about Really Basic Home Maintenance on her St. Paul Minnesota (brr cold) real estate blog Teresa Boardman wrote "The cheapest furnace filters are the best" :
"Forced air furnace - Change the filter once a month. Furnace filters are cheap and in general the cheapest filters are the best because they do not constrict airflow. If you buy the more expensive filters that are supposed to last three months change them once a month anyway. Furnaces are expensive, gas is expensive, filters are cheap."
It's Furnace Filter Friday... Reuben Saltzman a home inspector in Minnesota... St. Paul's bigger twin is one of my favorite furnace bloggers, I wonder if he and other home inspectors would concur with Teresa's "The cheapest furnace filters are the best"
Why all the new and improved furnace filters available if "Furnace filters are cheap and in general the cheapest filters are the best because they do not constrict airflow."
Buy it?
More about furnaces and home maintenance
Get To Know Your Air Flow
Replace Your Air Filter Regularly! OR The Mystery Of the Rotting Door Trim
It's Furnace Filter Friday...
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Maureen while there is some logic in this----in terms of the health of the furnace----however, it falls a little short in terms of air quality. I always recommend REALLY good filters and change them as often as they need it. In some house, once a month is enough in others once or twice a year might be OK. The really good filters have tons more surface area than the cheapo ones and this helps compensate for them doing a better job.
Thanks for weighing in Charles... even with relatively expensive filters, filters have to be a lot less expensive than replacing a furnace or running air through a filter full of what furnace filters filter.
I have a 17 year old builder's grade furnace that gets mid-range, or better, filters.
Not buying the ones that you can read the newspaper through anymore...
maureen,Thank you for the post.I do not know much about filters except that they need to be clean and changed often.
Good morning Maureen,
I voted. Thanks for the opportunity..I do not agree with buying the cheaper filters. I've always been told it is better and helps the efficiency of your system to go with a better filter and change it monthly!!
Thanks...
Hi Maureen, I agree that you should not put the cheapest filter in the furnace, but there are limits. Some of the newest and most expensive filters don't offer any more protection for the air quality than some others. I suggest that the homeowner read the filter packaging before they buy and make sure that they get the appropriate filter for their needs. Hospitals use 99% filtration in their operating rooms and electronic filtration in conjunction. Unless you are doing some after hours surgery 99% filtration is a little over the top. Check to see if the filter is capable of filtering out what the homeowner needs filtered. The idustry MERV rating (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) can be used. I usually recommend a MERV of 10, but it really depends on the homeowners needs.
Maureen, people get all excited about Heppa filters as being soo wonderful besides expensive. I am not a filter expert, I would think if you put a cheap one in and change it often it would be better than having an expensive and never changing it. Just my two cents.
thanks guys!!!!