The pleated part of the air filter should be facing you when you install it and the other side, which usually consists of a metal mesh or cardboard frame should be pointed towards the return.
Not every furnace filter has an arrow stamped on its side. Changing furnace filters regularly provides great impacts on home comfort and indoor air quality, as well as energy efficiency, and the longevity of your system.
Considering how important a furnace filter direction, it is a good idea to ask your HVAC technician to explain the best filter, when to change and how to install. Have been in the heating and air conditioning HVAC industry for over 20 years. He is person that will grow and thrive to learn more about the HVAC industry throughout his career. Mas Broto is also a blogger, who's dedicated to bringing you the best knowledge to get ahead in the game of life.
I am still not sure which way to insert the filter. My filter is inserted horizontally. The air from my central air conditioner blows upwards through my furnace, so should I be inserting the filter so the arrow is pointing in the same direction up or the opposite direction that the air is blowing down? Retired Electric Motor Person with over 30 years experience. It entirely depends on the filter.
It will definitely have some measurable effect on CFM. Measure with on in the unit before the coil in the supply plenum and one outside the unit before and after you replace.
It also wouldn't hurt to take a reading before and after on the return side before the coil in the supply plenum. You will still likely want to have your ducts cleaned. See this link for more details. If you don't want to go through the expence and trouble then I would recommend erring on the side of caution and not install two filters.
Keep reading to see why. As well as other helpful info, assumes two regular filters at unit. The reasons to replace the filters in central air systems is because they either become too restrictive on airflow CFM or they begin to not work as well by letting in the very things they are trying to filter if not replaced overtime. Putting in two filters might temporarily address the 2nd factor but it will have a negative impact on CFM and may, in fact, require that you replace the filters more often.
Assuming it is a PSC motor in your unit, the actual amp draw on the motor will be reduced with a reduction in CFM 1 , the net effect of a reduction in CFM from the return air will cause your Central Air Unit more wear and tear as the motor will have to spin more RPM's to move less air throughout the house putting more wear on the brushes if it has any and bearings, and using, in total, more power because it is running longer. Also most blowers run the risk of overheating if CFM is reduced too much.
The lower the CFM the more the heat the blower unit generates and this reduces life on the blower as well 1. Bottom Line: Putting two filters will not make it last longer but may make you have to replace it earlier, assuming it doesn't already reduce air flow too much with just the filters.
See picture above: Reducing CRM on the return air, will reduce the force of the air coming out of vents as well, making your entire system have to work longer to heat or cool your home to the desired temperatures.
Overtime this will put more strain on your entire central air unit including your blower, cost you more money on your utilities, and may cause premature failure. When there is not enough airflow through the evaporator the suction pressure is below normal because the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator picks up less heat than normal resulting in lower pressures.
Liquid could be returning to the compressor through the coolant lines which overtime will eventually cause the compressor to fail 3. These compressors are not cheap and neither will the labor to replace!
Bottom Line: Putting two air filters on a central air system will only have the net effect of producing a higher utility bill and reducing the lifespan of your central air unit. In short, the use of two air filters is just a BAD idea! I would strongly recommend against using two filters at once, especially if it is just by reason of convenience. You'd be much better off resolving the reason why you have Pet hair in you unit.
I'd recommend having your ducts cleaned and if your return air is near the floor, then make sure to keep that area a clean as possible. In any case, replacing these filters is going to be much better than premature failure of any part of your system. I have to disagree with Electric Motor Man.
Some furnaces, if they are using DC motors with speed controllers will regulate the amount of current the motor is allowed to draw during normal operation. Then when this is placed into a furnace by a furnace manufacturer, they are expected to by good engineering practices to rate the furnaces load capacity taking into consideration the MTBF mean time between failure rated usually in hours rating of the motor manufacturers blower hours. Placing more and more and more back pressure on a motor absolutely draws more current, as noted in the previous post, heat is generated!
Heat is a by product of conversions, and physically restricting airflow to a motor is actually equivalent to holding the motors fan blades, or the shaft from turning at all that is an extreme condition, but "slowing it down" is not.
So the point here is, the more the motors operation is hindered, the more current is drawn, up to a point, because eventually the ever increasing heat from aforementioned HIGHER current draw causes the motor to burn out or a protection circuit, either thermistor or speed controller safety to shut down. Some motors have brushes, some don't, some have RPM controls, some dont, but in all cases, if a motor shaft is restricted from turning, it amounts to more current drawn, and as previously noted, less cooling too, in both cases, shortening the life of the motor and raising your electric bill.
Now lastly - placing a few filters in a air cleaner is not likely going to be significantly noticeable in electric usage, or strain on the motor, but there is a mathematical impact its not free. My thoughts on the OP question,try it, but it might be useful to pay for a duct cleaning. Unless you try it, you wont know if the content truly shortening the filters lifespan is "big" particulates or high density of more microscopic particulates.
If the latter, then it wont help. Multi stage filtering is not a bad idea, and is done in many environments especially commercially for the same reason you asked, bringing only the pre-filtered air with whatever remains to the more expensive staged filter. There's another approach that doesn't require multiple filters or replacing filters, and that's to use a permanent filter. The options are initially more expensive than replaceable filters, but they last many years.
You do trade the convenience of simple replacement for the need to wash them regularly, typically on the order of every month to every few months. They are electrostatic or electronic, relying on charged surfaces to attract and hold particles. There are a number of grades, and you pay for effectiveness. The first several grades are passive filters. They're based on layers of charged plastic fabric or foam that physically block big stuff, like pet hair, and attract and hold small stuff.
The bottom of the line filters won't meet your needs, since you're using a cheap filter to keep big stuff out of a pleated filter. The bottom of the line permanent filters are roughly replacements for your cheap filter, they filter out birds and small children.
They cost in the range of one to several decent pleated filters. An example would be something like this. The middle grade passive filters are much better than a cheap disposable filter, but not as good as a pleated filter. The upper end of the passive filters includes some that are claimed to be roughly equivalent to a pleated filter, but not in the range of a HEPA filter or good microparticle filter.
It then pushes the heated air through ducts into your rooms with the help of a blower fan. The furnace runs till it reaches the temperature of your thermostat setting.
During the summer, the air is cooled by an outdoor compressor unit and a series of coils inside the furnace. Air filters, usually located inside the blower compartment of your furnace, work hard to protect your HVAC system and prevent the blower fan from collecting the gunk that the return duct pulls in.
As a result, it removes contaminants such as dust, smoke, pollen, pet dander, bacteria, and mold dust mites from being recirculated.
Furnace filters work almost like air purifiers — keeping you safe from allergens and bacteria. Not changing your furnace filters timely can be extremely harmful to the furnace as well as your indoor air quality. Moreover, you can save money on energy bills if you replace your home air filter regularly. The reason is that your HVAC will have to work twice as hard to push air through a dirty filter.
Minimum efficiency reporting value or MERV rating is the measure of the efficiency of furnace filters. This rating system is standard across the industry. It ranges from 1 to The higher the rating the more particles the filter is able to remove. And, the higher will be the price. Generally, a MERV rating between 8 to 11 is adequate for most homes.
If in doubt, check with your furnace manufacturer regarding the adequate rating for your home. The most popular type is the disposable pleated filter. Keep in mind that such filters should be checked monthly for blockages and replaced every three months on average.
There are also disposable fiberglass filters that are the cheapest filters on the market. With a web-like appearance, they are more flimsy and have lower ratings than pleated filters.
Since they are of inferior quality, fiberglass filters must be replaced more frequently. Note that b oth disposable and washable filters are available as electrostatic versions. Electrostatic filters are especially helpful for homes with pets or people who smoke inside. These filters trap small particles and self-charge as air passes through them.
The third category is that of permanent reusable filters aka washable filters. These are constructed with either solid aluminum or plastic frame. And, they are more efficient than disposable filters. The best part is that these filters can be easily cleaned with water ideally after every 90 days and last five years on average.
Furnace filter sizes are measured by thickness, height, and length. Note: If you want to find out the size of your filter, simply look on the frame of the old filter, or refer to your furnace manual. Change your air filter at least once every three months. If you have pets or allergies — you can change them more often. And, your furnace will last longer. Planning a renovation for your house?
Read more: Home furnace maintenance tips. Ramona is a content writer for Kukun. This experienced blogger uses simple and succinct words to decipher the complex phenomenon called life. Please type your search. To sign up, Google and Facebook will share your name, email address, and profile picture with Kukun.
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