March 28, 2024

Home Comfort Starts with your Furnace Filter: Burch Oil

Posted by Burch Oil
PAX II
 
Photo: iaqsource.com

Photo: iaqsource.com

Let’s hear it for what may be the most underrated tool in your home: your furnace filter.

A furnace filter doesn’t lead a glamorous life. It does its job out of sight, devoted to collecting dust and dirt and keeping it out of your heating and cooling equipment. For its hard work, we express our thanks by tossing it in the trash and bringing in a replacement.

That is – if we remember to replace it. There’s the rub.

Forgetting to replace this removable part of your HVAC system can add hundreds of dollars to your energy bill each year and shorten the life of your HVAC equipment. A blocked filter causes your equipment to run longer, running up your energy costs without giving you any benefit, degrading air quality in your home environment, and by using more energy, taxing the general environment we all share.

As we move from summer to fall, and into winter, Burch Oil recommends taking these steps to ensure you have steady service throughout the seasons:

— Schedule maintenance. Residential systems should be checked at least once a year by a qualified technician. Burch Oil technicians can install your new filter during an annual tune-up; just make sure you have a new filter on hand.

—  Buy the best filter you can afford, a high-efficiency type if possible. But keep in mind that just because a filter costs more doesn’t mean you can leave it in place longer. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on replacement. A reasonable rule of thumb for replacement is every two months – three months at the outside– but timing the change out really depends on how many people live in your home, if any of them are smokers, and if you have pets. Not only are pet dander and pet hair leading allergens, they also clog filters quickly, so you will need to replace filters sooner, probably monthly. The National Air Filtration Association offers a quick look at how filters work here.

— Buy your filters in bulk. That way, you’ll always have one on hand when it’s time to switch them out.

—  Make a date with your filter. Put filter changes on your calendar along with other important dates. Better yet, set up a reminder system to track maintenance on your home and include filter changes in it.
At Burch Oil, our goal is to help our customers achieve maximum reliability with their HVAC systems, especially during the winter months when warmth is a critical health and comfort issue. We make “no-heat” emergency calls a No. 1 priority, but it’s best to prevent these breakdowns from occurring at all. Your filter is your first line of defense for equipment efficiency and air quality. Make it a priority to use it to your best advantage.

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