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How Many Air Filters Do You Need Living in Florida

| Staff Report |

We rely on our HVAC systems to function correctly in the sweltering heat of Florida summers. A typical Florida house will have around 2 air filters in its intake vents, but in other cases, it can be more or fewer as it depends on the square footage of your home. If you live in an apartment, the central air system needs to support the number of floors and can influence the number of air filters.

Changing the air filter as needed is one method homeowners may ensure their HVAC system is in excellent operating order. But this raises the question of how frequently the air filters should be replaced. Is it consistent throughout the year, or does it alter with the seasons? The answer to that question depends on several things.

Changing Air Filters

If you think you need more air filters in your Florida home, you should first inspect the air filters that you already have. Changing your air filter regularly is one of the simplest methods to keep your AC running efficiently and your family comfortable. A clean air filter keeps dust and particles from circulating in your house.

So, how frequently should you change your air filter to ensure peak system efficiency and home comfort? It’s a good idea to change it every 1-3 months. The more regularly you alter your filters, though, the better.

However, depending on the conditions listed below, you may need to change your filter regularly. The MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating of an air filter, which runs from 1 to 20, measures its capacity to trap undesirable particles. The higher the efficiency rating of your filter, the more frequently it must be changed.

High-efficiency air filters often have a MERV rating of 17 or higher, and they must be replaced regularly since they gather dust, debris, and dirt particles more quickly.

How can you find out what the MERV rating of your air filter is?

The MERV rating of the filter is printed on the side of the filter by the manufacturer. Instead of “MERV 17,” the MERV rating might be shortened to “M17.”

To determine when to change your air filter based on its MERV rating, follow these basic rules:

  • Filters with a MERV rating of 1-10 should be changed every three months (or every other month during the summer when your AC system is extensively used).
  • Filters with 11-16 MERV ratings should be changed every 1-2 months (or monthly during summer)
  • 17+ MERV Rating Filters: Check monthly and replace if unclean.

If You Have Children or Pets, You Need To Change Your Air Filter More Often

The guideline for changing your air filter differs depending on who lives in your home. If you live alone and don’t have any pets, you should be able to change your air filter every six months. If you have dogs or children, you should update your air filters at least every three months.

Anyone who owns a pet knows how much fur, hair, and pet dander they may shed. And the accumulation worsens as the seasons change. Shedding may aggravate allergy symptoms, but it also causes air filters to clog faster. We recommend using a high-efficiency air filter and replacing it every 2-3 months if you have a pet and once a month when the seasons change. If you have more than one pet, the filter should be changed once a month.

If you have a small child (under five years old), changing filthy air filters more regularly is suggested since they are more vulnerable to poor air quality and their immune systems are still developing.

The filter aims to capture as much dust, pollen, pet dander, and other pollutants as possible before they enter your machine and are recycled back into your house. When a large amount of air is drawn through the air filter due to the A/C operating often, the filter naturally catches more particles.

Final Words

A good rule of thumb is to inspect your filter once a month. During peak seasons, such as the summer, you’ll probably need to change your filter every time you check it. During low-use periods, such as the colder months of spring and fall, you may be able to spend two to three months without changing the filter.

The important thing is to make monitoring and updating your filter a habit. Typically, air filters are “out of sight, out of mind.” Running an HVAC system with a badly clogged filter, on the other hand, requires the system to work harder. This consumes more energy and causes your machinery to wear out faster. Regularly cleaning or changing your filters enhances the life of your HVAC system and can even save you money on your energy costs. The best way to check if you have enough air filters in your home or if you need to change the ones you have is to call in an HVAC professional.

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