Short answer, of course! Air filters are a vital part of any home air system that keeps the inside of your home clean and free of airborne irritants. Your HVAC air systems cannot tell the clean air from the dirty, so they will consistently pump in airflow that could be contaminated with all kinds of kites, pollens, smokes, and viruses. You’ll want to avoid this, which means you are going to need air filters in your air systems and they will need to be contained. But what do air filters actually do?
The Purpose of Air Filters
The air filters you have in your home function as automatic security for a home against nasty airborne pathogens. The filters are made of a tight mesh weaving made of different materials like cardboard, fiberglass, and cloth. Together, this mesh allows air to flow through while larger particles are trapped and prevented from circulating inside of your home. The filters will continue working constantly until either they grow too filled with capture particles to work properly or they are replaced. They also help with airflow coming from inside a home as well.
It is not uncommon for a home to be filled with airborne issues like dander or smoke that tends to linger. These particles get sucked up by your air systems and, unless filtered out of the airflow, circulate from room to room. These particles can then either be breathed in or land on open spices create layers of dust or grime that become a hazard for your breathing. Your air filters clean out the particles before they can become a real issue for anyone inside of a home.
There are also furnace filters made to make sure the blower fans in a furnace system do not get covered in particles coming in from the return ducts. The furnace remains clean as it is heated but these filters, like the others in your home, will grow dirtier over time. But it is important to note that all the filters in your home will require consistent maintenance.
Keeping Your Air Filters Working Properly
The benefits of having air filters in a system do not really matter if they are not working properly. This is exactly why you will need to maintain your systems and have new filters swapped in periodically. The filters start to become filled with all the pollutants they have been capturing. When the filters become too full, they start to block airflow and this becomes a problem for the entire system. Blocked airflow causes a strain on the system and may even cause costly damages if not handled in time.
When figuring out “how long do air filters last” you’ll need to pay attention to their rating on the MERV scale. This scale tells you just how effective your air filters are and the higher the rating the faster the filters get dirty. Plan accordingly and swap out old filters to make sure they keep benefiting your home so long as they are being used.
