How to Keep Your HVAC Filter From Getting Dirty so Quickly
When you change the air filter in your oven, you expect the old one to be dirty. But let’s imagine that when you do your usual scheduled transition, you find that your old filter isn’t just a little dirty – it’s completely dirty. And it’s not that you left more time between filter changes so that it somehow got so dirty in a relatively short period of time.
Here are a few reasons why your HVAC filter gets dirty so quickly and what you can do to prevent it from happening again.
Your house is very dusty
Whether you’ve been deep cleaning a room or in the process of renovating, any action to disturb (or create new) dust can send more of it into the air and then into your oven’s air filter.
Solution : Try vacuuming more often. The dust and dirt that the vacuum cleaner sucks in means that less will get into the filter.
Your HVAC system is not set up correctly
Most thermostats have two fan settings : “On” and “Auto”. When it is in “auto” mode, the fan only blows when your HVAC system is actively heating or cooling your home. But if you switch to the “on” setting, it will run all the time, which means that air is constantly passing through the filter, making it more likely to become contaminated.
Solution : Switching the thermostat to “auto” mode will extend the life of the filter.
The filter has a high MERV rating.
Some high efficiency stove filters can capture significantly more indoor air pollutants than conventional filters. Some may even offer HEPA filter protection. But because it captures so much of what’s in the air (which is exactly what you want), these filters get dirty very quickly.
Solution : Look out for the MERV rating when buying a new filter and keep in mind that the more protection it offers, the faster it will get covered in dirt.
Hair and dander of pets
Have you got a new pet? Or has an existing pet started shedding more than usual? Both can cause your oven filter to fill up faster than usual.
Solution : Brush your pet more often (outdoors) and increase the number of vacuums per week.