How To Replace Your HVAC System’s Air Filter

One of the simplest ways to keep the air in your home clean is by replacing your HVAC system’s air filter on a regular basis. It’s easy to do, and the filters aren’t very expensive, yet still many people forget to do it as often as they should. When you change your air filter, you are helping keep the air in your home clean, and improving the operation of your HVAC system. 

In my years of experience working with HVAC systems, the ones that are properly serviced, and have their filters changed regularly run better, and last longer. There are lots of times where we go to fix a broken system, and also find an air filter that is completely stuffed and clogged. 

Here's a comprehensive guide on why, how, and when to replace your air filter, along with some insights into understanding MERV ratings. If you live in Brevard, NC or Greenville, SC, or the surrounding areas, we can help you with your HVAC system. Give us a call or contact us online today! 

Schedule A Regular HVAC Service

Why Should You Replace Your HVAC System’s Air Filter?

We can tell you that it’s important to change your air filter, but here are a few more in depth explanations as to why it’s a good idea. 

1. Cleaner Air

2. Better Airflow

3. Improved Efficiency

4. Longer HVAC System Lifespan

Cleaner Air

The primary function of an air filter is to trap dust, pollen, pet dander, and other airborne particles, preventing them from circulating through your home. Over time, the filter becomes clogged with all these airborne irritants. It can fill up even faster in the winter and summer, when you run the HVAC system more often, and all the windows in the house are closed. 

Replacing the air filter on a regular basis will help you avoid a clogged air filter, and help keep the air clean and fresh, healthier to breathe. 

Better Airflow

A clogged air filter restricts the flow of air through the HVAC system, forcing it to work harder to circulate air. This not only leads to poor air distribution throughout your home but can also cause the system to overheat and shut down.

We recommend regular filter changes. You can even slide the old one out, and take a look at it to see if it’s time for a change or not. If the air isn’t properly distributed throughout the home, rooms that are further away from the HVAC system may not get the air needed to stay comfortable. 

Improved Efficiency

When your HVAC system has to work harder due to a clogged air filter, it consumes more energy, leading to higher utility bills. A clean air filter allows your system to operate smoothly, with improved energy efficiency. This allows you to save money on energy bills, and also make less of a carbon footprint. 

Longer HVAC System Lifespan

Regular maintenance, including changing the air filter, can significantly extend the life of your HVAC system. If you have a dirty air filter, and there is dust and debris getting into your furnace or air conditioner, you are more likely to run into problems. This leads to breakdowns, and your HVAC system potentially dying prematurely. 

Read More About The Benefits Of An Air Filter Change

How To Replace Your Air Filter

1. Locate Your Air Filter: The air filter is typically found in the return air duct, near the HVAC system, or behind a return air grille on a wall or ceiling.

2. Check Size and Type: Before purchasing a new filter, make sure to check the size and type required for your system. This information is usually printed on the edge of the current filter.

3. Turn Off Your HVAC System: Always turn off your system before changing the filter to prevent unfiltered air from circulating.

4. Remove the Old Filter: Slide the old filter out of its slot or housing. Some systems may have a cover that needs to be opened or removed.

5. Insert the New Filter: Slide the new filter into place, ensuring it's facing the correct direction. Arrows on the filter's frame indicate the proper airflow direction.

6. Dispose of the Old Filter: Place the old filter in a garbage bag to prevent any trapped particles from escaping back into your home.

Check Out The Filter Store

How Often Should You Change Your Air Filter?

We recommend changing your air filter once every two months. If you have people in your home with asthma or respiratory issues, you may want to change the filter more often. A good move is to keep a few filters in storage for whenever you need them. In the winter and summer when the windows are closed and your furnace or air conditioner are running a lot, you may need a change once a month. 

Conversely, in the spring and fall when you have the windows open more and your HVAC system isn’t running all the time, it may be more like every 2-3 months. 

What Is MERV Rating?

MERV (Minimum Efficiency Rating Value) ratings measure the effectiveness of air filters. Ratings range from 1 to 16, with higher values indicating a filter's ability to trap smaller particles. 

While higher MERV-rated filters offer better filtration, they can also restrict airflow more than lower-rated filters. It's important to choose a filter with a MERV rating that balances air quality needs with your system's capabilities. You can ask your HVAC technician what they recommend for your system and home, usually a filter right in the middle of ratings. 

What Does An Air Filter Cost? 

An air filter usually costs anywhere between $20 - $90, depending on the size and MERV rating. We recommend buying a few at a time and having them stored for whenever you need a change! 

Air Filter Change With Regular HVAC Service

You should have your HVAC system, furnace, air conditioner, heat pump, etc., serviced at least one a year. This will help you get ahead of breakdowns and repairs, and ensure your system is running efficiently. During the service, we will also change the air filter in your HVAC system. 

We still recommend you change the air filter a few times on your own every year, and our technicians will be happy to show you how. If you live in North Carolina and are looking for an HVAC service, give us a call at 828.415.3335. If you are in South Carolina, you can reach us at 864.485.6509. You can also contact us online anytime and get your appointment set!

Schedule Service For Your HVAC System

Fixing A Basement's Heating And Cooling In Lyman, SC

Making a Finished Basement Comfortable Year- Round

The homeowners of this lovely ranch style home had recently finished off their basement, to provide more living space for the family. But like most basement spaces, managing the temperature and the humidity can be a challenge. Basements, built into the foundation of a home, almost always feel a little damp. While the surrounding ground can keep this space cool even in the summer, the dampness can make the spaces clammy and less than comfortable.

The homeowners gave us a call here at Blue Ridge Heating and Air, hoping to find a solution that would help them get the most out of their basement, and make it comfortable all year round.

Schedule A Free Ductless Consultation

---

Problem: Homeowners of this ranch style home in Lyman, SC had a newly finished basement that needed a way to keep the space comfortable.

Solution: A single zone of American Standard Mitsubishi Ductless heating and air conditioning will keep this space comfortable all year long!

---

Simple Fix - Ductless Heats, Cools, and Controls Humidity!

When we came out to the home, we knew right away that a single zone of Mitsubishi ductless heating and cooling would make this newly finished basement a great space for the family to spend time. Mitsubishi ductless systems are high-efficiency heat pumps that can provide both heating and cooling, adjustable from a handheld remote, allowing you to set the comfort level you want, easily and conveniently.

The systems consist of two basic parts- an outdoor unit, like the one we installed here, and an indoor unit, usually attached to the wall in the area you need additional heating and cooling. The outdoor unit is a high-efficiency heat pump and condenser that connects to the indoor unit via lines with a special refrigerant that helps carry heat from outdoors inside, or from inside to outdoors, depending on whether you need to add heat to a room or want it to cool down! There are also drainage lines for condensation. At Blue Ridge Heating and Air, we also make sure we mount our outdoor units above the ground, helping them to stay free of debris and make them easier to maintain.

We were able to position the inside unit, sometimes called a cassette or head, on an outside wall to minimize the lines we needed to run. We stationed the unit up, out of the way, and in a perfect position to distribute the air evenly throughout the space. As you can see from the pictures, the indoor cassette sits neatly on the wall, with no visible lines or connections, making it more attractive than other options as well!

The indoor units are controlled by a handheld remote, but you can opt to have a wall mounted thermostat or even use a smart phone app to control the system remotely. That means that even if you are away, you can monitor the system from your phone and adjust it to save money on energy when not in use!

Check Out Our Specials

Inverter Technology - Your Instant Key To Energy Saving

The advanced sensors in the cassette monitor both temperature and humidity in the room and can make the adjustments needed to maintain a perfect level of comfort for you. The system is designed with inverter technology, so it can work at multiple speed settings, kind of like the dimmer switch on a light. By using just the energy needed to keep the room comfortable, you’ll get more consistent comfort using less energy than with conventional systems- and this can lead to big savings on your energy bills.

In fact, Mitsubishi ductless systems are up to 70% more efficient in heating and up to 30% more efficient in cooling than conventional solutions, meaning you’ll get more comfort while spending way less on your energy bills each month. In addition, the high efficiency ratings for these systems makes them eligible for rebates through your energy company and they qualify for tax credits, depending on the system, of up to $2,000 under the new Inflation Reduction Act. That helps make adding ductless comfort to your home more affordable than ever.

Learn More About The Cost Of Ductless

Best of All - Quiet Comfort

The homeowners were considering multiple uses for this finished basement space- a family room, or even guest room space. No matter what they want to do, the whisper-quiet comfort of Mitsubishi ductless will be appreciated! The system operates at only 32 db- barely a whisper, so when it turns on or off, the only thing you will notice is your comfort, not a noisy air handler. This means whether they are hosting a movie night or trying to get a good night’s sleep, they’ll be perfectly comfortable, not matter the season.

Adding HVAC When Renovating? Give Us a call!

Our team of experienced technicians at Blue Ridge Heating and Air can help you get the comfort you want in any of those hard to heat and cool areas of your home. Whether it’s a sun room, bonus room over a garage, basement, attic, garage or even a master bedroom that just isn’t comfortable, we can help design a system to give you the comfort you want at a price you can afford. Give us a call today!

Schedule A Ductless Consultation

Fixing The Heating And AC In A Sugar Creek, SC Great Room

Homes like this one throughout Greer are being built with open floor plans and great rooms. Great rooms are terrific places for families to gather at the end of a long day, watch TV, play games, and generally enjoy spending time together. For these homeowners, however, the great room was less than great.

The room always seemed to be too hot in the summer and too cold in the Winter, reducing the amount of time people wanted to spend there, unless they were cuddled up under blankets in colder weather, or trying to use a fan to make things more comfortable in the summer. They gave us a call here at Blue Ridge Heating & Air to see if we could solve this problem and help the family truly enjoy their home in comfort.

Schedule A Free Ductless Consultation

Problem: Owners of this Farmhouse style home in Sugar Creek in Greer had a great room that always seemed to be too hot or too cold. It was taking the “great” out of their enjoyment of this space.

Solution: A single zone Mitsubishi Ductless mini split for heating and air conditioning will help make this Great room the most comfortable room in the home!

Adding Heating and Cooling With Ductless Mini Splits

If there are parts of your home that never seem to be the right temperature, it can be really frustrating. If you turn up the thermostat to make one room comfy, the rest of the house can feel like a sauna; if you turn the thermostat down to make the problem room- in this case, the Great room cool, the rest of the house is an icebox!

When the homeowners gave us a call, our experts here at Blue Ridge Heating & Air knew that what they really needed to get the comfort they craved was a separate zone of heating and air conditioning. This would make this room comfortable, while not having to replace their entire HVAC system. We knew right away that a single zone of Mitsubishi ductless heating and air conditioning would do the job perfectly.

Ductless Mini Splits To The Rescue!

When you are considering how to heat and cool a space like a great room, there are lots of options to consider.  You could add electric baseboard heating, but this tends to be expensive to run and doesn’t evenly distribute heat throughout the room. You could add fans or window air conditioners for cooling, but these tend to be noisy and inefficient, so they are expensive to run and need a lot of maintenance- put them in every year, then storing them over the winter.  In contrast, a single Mitsubishi ductless unit can provide both heating and cooling for your space, giving you year-round comfort!

Mitsubishi ductless systems are high-efficiency heat pumps that can both heat and cool your home from the same unit. They are often called “mini-splits” because they have two main parts- an outdoor heat pump condensing unit and an indoor air distribution unit, that usually sits up on the wall, out of the way. The two parts are connected by thin lines filled with a special refrigerant that can transfer heat from outdoors to indoors, heating your home, or removing heat from your home and sending the heat out, leaving your home cooler!

The indoor unit is typically mounted up on a wall, where the state of the art sensors measure both the heat and humidity in the room. The system is easily controlled by a handheld remote, or you can even use an app on your smartphone! (You can also choose a wall mounted thermostat, as an option.)

When the room feels chilly, all you have to do is adjust the temperature on the remote, and the system will deliver the heat and distribute evenly throughout the room, eliminating any cold spots. When it reaches temperature, it will then turn on as needed to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the space, using just the energy needed.

The same is true for air conditioning as well. All you need to do is set your comfort level, and the system will distribute cool air throughout the room. You can even add an optional IQ sensor that will sense where people are in the room and focus comfort on them, and also go into standby mode when there is no one in the room, helping you to save money every month on your energy bills!

See Some Examples Of Our Work!

Quiet Comfort Meets Efficiency

For rooms like a great room where families gather, having a quiet system is important. Mitsubishi ductless systems are whisper-quiet- only 32 db, meaning the only things you’ll even notice is your comfort, not the system turning on or off.

These systems are also super efficient- up to 70% more efficient in heating and up to 30% more efficient in cooling than standard heating and cooling systems. This means you’ll be spending less money each month on energy bills while enjoying more comfort throughout your home.

Efficiency Leads To Savings

Best of all, the high-efficiency of these systems means they qualify for rebates from Duke Energy and tax credits through the Inflation Reduction Act. Qualifying new systems can receive tax credits up to $2,000, helping to make this solution even more affordable for homeowners in our area.

Learn More About The Cost Of Ductless Mini Splits

Smaller Energy Bills for the Win!

The real benefit for a Mitsubishi ductless system is that the great room will be comfortable at last- and the family will be saving money every month on their energy bill as well. That’s something every family can appreciate.

If your home has hot and cold spots that keep you from enjoying your home to the fullest, give us a call here at Blue Ridge Heating and Air. We can help make your basement, garage, hobby space, attic, sunroom, bonus room or great room the most comfortable room in the house with a high-efficiency Mitsubishi ductless heating and cooling system- give us a call today!