Are More Expensive Furnace Filters Worth It

Hither'southward Why (and When) More than
Expensive Air Filters Are Worth It

It's like shooting fish in a barrel to wonder why certain air filters are so expensive. When comparing the $2 air filters and the $30 air filters, you may not know the divergence just past looking at the packaging. In that case, $2 sounds like a expert deal, correct? Unfortunately, like many things, its likewise good to exist truthful.

FilterBuy deals in more than expensive air filters for a reason - they're worth it for the quality and convenience. Read about the differences beneath:

Differences in Cheap vs Expensive Air Filters

More than expensive air filters apply more than fabric of a higher quality to better filter your air

The cheapest filters are made of spun fiberglass, which does very little to filter your air compared to materials like paper, cotton or polyester. Materials similar paper, cotton wool and polyester do a much better job of cleaning the air in your home. In the aforementioned way that those materials hold onto sweat and dirt when y'all wear clothing, they besides concord onto airborne dust and dirt better than fiberglass. The flipside is that woven materials cost more than spun fiberglass

Expensive air filters give you more surface area to filter particulate matter

If yous've wondered the divergence between pleated air filters and their non-pleated counterparts, here's your reply. Putting more pleats (sometimes called folds) into air filters increase their surface area, and more surface surface area means more room to trap particulates in the air. Additionally, pleated filters don't take to be changed every bit often — only one every 3 months compared to the once a month frequency of not-pleated filters. When cost comparing a pleated filter to a non-pleated filter, you have to triple the cost per filter of the non-pleated filter to get an authentic comparison.

You lot'll read elsewhere that pleated filters will restrict air period, leading to a harder working furnace or AC unit of measurement that raises your free energy costs and burns out the motor. That'southward a myth - the actress surface area lets more than air through, so that your primal HVAC unit doesn't take to work as hard to push air through it. All dimensions being equal, a filter with a higher MERV rating and more pleats per inch will have the same or better air flow than the aforementioned filter with a lower MERV rating and fewer pleats.

When is an expensive air filter not worth it?

Don't buy washable air filters

You'll pay more for a washable air filter because it should last you years, rather than months. While it'southward a nice thought in theory, information technology has multiple problems, such equally lower MERV ratings, frequent maintenance requirements, and the possibility of attracting mold in your air unit.

Don't blindly buy the highest MERV rating

While a higher MERV rating seems better at first, know that it may not be all-time for your specific furnace and AC unit. Bank check your manual to see the recommended MERV rating, and don't exceed information technology. Doing so will likely create air flow bug that raise your utility costs and decrease the life of the blower in your cardinal air unit. This is especially true in homes with older HVAC units, which weren't built to conform thicker air filters.

Larn more: Which MERV rating should I choose?

When is an expensive air filter non worth it?

If you're newly converted to spending more on your filters but want to lessen the sticker shock, here's a few tips below:

Purchase online

Again, we're a niggling biased here, only we chose to sell straight-to-consumers for a reason - it costs less for usa, so nosotros can help information technology cost less for you. When buying in large quantities, yous could save 4O to sixty dollars a year ownership online compared to a big box store.

Speaking of buying in bulk, that cost saving strategy yet applies hither. Retail stores will lock you into preset packs of goods, which ways you may end upwards with more or less of what you need for your domicile. When buying air filters online, look for places that let yous customize your quantity to become exactly what you demand.

Finally, expect for online retailers that offer discounts for setting up recurring shipments of air filters (ours is 5%, for case).

Know your MERV needs

One time yous've determined the maximum MERV rating your furnace or Air conditioning unit can handle, you can make up one's mind how close you need to be to that higher rating. Our MERV rating guide goes into greater detail, merely in brusk, if you are in a home that checks one or more of the boxes below, you lot likely demand a higher MERV rating. If you don't, yous can become lower and salvage some money:

Ahome with one (or multiple) shedding pets
Ahome with one (or multiple) kids
Ahome with frequent guest activeness (once every calendar week or two)
Ahome with residents that have allergies, emphysema, or other conditions that make them particularly sensitive to air quality