There is a common misconception about the air filter that comes standard with your air conditioning and heating systems–that it is in place to protect your indoor air quality. It certainly doesn’t hurt your indoor air quality, but its purpose is actually to protect the HVAC systems themselves from dirt, dust, and other debris that can get inside and harm their sensitive components, causing friction, overheating, and airflow resistance.
That said, it’s important that you change the air filter on a regular basis, but how regular? A general rule of thumb is every 1-3 months, depending on the type of filter and the level of contaminants or particles in your home. We’ll elaborate more on this below, as well as just why it is so important to change that filter on a routine basis.