What you need to know about furnace filters

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With so many options, someone could get lost trying to pick a proper furnace filter.

TORONTO If youre like most people, you probably dont give your furnace much thought as long as its keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. But in order to keep it working to its optimal performance and help prevent a possible malfunction you need to either change or clean your furnace filter on a regular basis.

Sounds simple, but in reality there are so many options for furnace filters that choosing the wrong one can do more damage to your furnace than good and could potentially cause your furnace to break down.

A traditional forced-air furnace draws air in via return ducts, warms it over a heat exchanger then, with the help of a blower fan, pushes the heated air through a series of ducts that branch off into rooms throughout your home. The furnace runs until the temperature inside reaches your desired thermostat setting. (If you have whole home air conditioning the process is similar with the air being cooled in the summer by an outdoor compressor unit and a series of coils inside your furnace).

WATCH: Repair Clinic explains how a furnace works

The main purpose of a furnace filter is to protect the blower fan from all the dust, hair and other gunk the return duct pulls in. While it will also help the quality of your inside air (as it is removing contaminants from being recirculated), its job is not to actually clean your air as many people believe.

Curtis Wankel of Vesta Property Inspections in Calgary, Alberta snapped this photo of an extremely clogged filter. A filter this dirty blocks airflow and could damage your furnace.

Furnace filters are rated using the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV). MERV ratings range from 1 to 16. The higher the rating the moreparticles the filter can remove (check out the infographic below courtesy airfilterbuy.comto get an idea of what each MERV rating can handle).Higher rated filters allow less air to flow through though and can force your furnace to work harder and possibly malfunction. A MERV rating between eightand 11 is adequate for most homes. To be safe, you should check if your furnace manufacturer has a maximum MERV rating your model of furnace can use.

Some home improvement centres, such as Home Depot, use their own rating system on products sold in their stores. These ratings are similar to the MERV scale but do vary slightly. Its best to confirm what their rating converts to on the MERV scale to ensure youre using a filter safe for your furnace.

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What you need to know about furnace filters