July 22, 2024
Are Reusable HVAC Filters Better?
If you own a home in St. Louis, MO, keeping its indoor air quality as high as possible is important. To do that, you must maintain proper ventilation and make sure to vacuum and dust on a regular schedule. It also means remembering to replace your HVAC air filter every three months or as often as its manufacturer specifies. When you do this, however, you may encounter a type of HVAC filter in the store you’ve never seen before. They’re called washable or reusable air filters, and plenty of homeowners are replacing their disposable filters with one. Just because others are doing this, however, doesn’t make it a good idea for you. To help you make the right decision, here’s everything you need to know about disposable and reusable HVAC filters.
How Your HVAC Filter Works
Your HVAC air filter serves as your home’s primary defense against the recirculation of dust and dirt in its air. In reality, however, that’s not why your HVAC system includes an air filter. The air filter’s job is to keep those substances out of your HVAC’s indoor unit. The buildup of dust and dirt within your HVAC blower fan and evaporator coil could damage your HVAC. It can also lead to inefficient operation, making your HVAC more expensive to run.
As a result, HVAC air filters must strike a careful balance. On the one hand, they must capture as much dirt and dust as possible. And on the other, they must avoid restricting airflow through your HVAC system. As a result, most residential HVAC systems feature air filters that aren’t more than one inch thick. They also typically have filters with MERV ratings between 8 and 12. A MERV rating is a measurement of how effective an air filter is at capturing particulate matter. The higher a filter’s MERV rating, the more effective it is. Most residential HVAC systems can accommodate filters with a MERV rating as high as 13 without modifications.
The Advantages of Disposable HVAC Filters
There are plenty of reasons why disposable HVAC filters are a de facto industry standard. One is that they’re inexpensive to produce and thus to purchase for homeowners. Most disposable HVAC filters cost around $15 and only need replacing roughly every three months. So, keeping a clean filter in the average home’s HVAC costs about $60 per year. Their relatively lengthy useful life also makes disposable filters a low-maintenance option. It only takes a minute to swap out a disposable HVAC filter, and it typically requires no special tools.
Disposable HVAC filters are also very widely available. You can find them in supermarkets, hardware stores, and big-box home improvement outlets. They’re also available in a near-endless array of MERV ratings, thicknesses, and sizes. That means you never need to go far to find a replacement filter that fits in your HVAC system.
The Disadvantages of Disposable HVAC Filters
Disposable HVAC filters have some disadvantages, too. One of the biggest disadvantages is that the majority of disposable HVAC filters don’t get recycled. Most are made primarily using fiberglass, which most municipal recyclers won’t even try to process. In fact, there’s only a single company with a viable process for recycling fiberglass, and it’s based in Norway. As a result, more than 250 million disposable HVAC filters end up in landfills each year.
Also, while disposable HVAC filters aren’t expensive individually, their costs add up over the lifespan of an HVAC. You could easily spend $1,000 or more on disposable HVAC filters in the 15-year average lifespan of an HVAC system. And that’s assuming that nobody in your home has allergies or respiratory issues. In those situations, you could end up needing a replacement filter every month. Or, you might need a more expensive, higher MERV filter.
The Advantages of Reusable HVAC Filters
Reusable HVAC filters, by contrast, offer a buy once, use forever HVAC filter experience. The average reusable HVAC filter can last for up to 10 years with proper care. That’s because they’re made of things like synthetic fibers and wire mesh. They can stand up to repeated washings without suffering any damage whatsoever. Plus, a reusable filter typically costs between $25 and $75, which is about what a year of disposables costs.
Reusable filters are also easy to clean. Most models only require that you use a vacuum to remove built-up dust and dirt, followed by a quick rinse. You can also clean reusable filters as often as you wish. That can come in handy in homes with pets or that are especially dusty. And by using a reusable HVAC filter, you’re preventing the addition of countless disposable filters to your local landfill.
The Disadvantages of Reusable HVAC Filters
Unfortunately, reusable HVAC filters require a few trade-offs for those using them. One is that the average reusable HVAC filter isn’t nearly as effective at trapping dirt as disposable filters. Most reusable filters feature a MERV rating between 1 and 6. That’s far lower than the average disposable filter. While they’ll still do a fine job at keeping your HVAC relatively clean, they won’t do much for your air quality. Experts estimate that most reusable filters only catch about 75% of common large-particle residential pollutants. Most disposable filters will capture up to 95% of those pollutants.
You will also need to devote a little more time to HVAC maintenance when you use a reusable filter. Unlike with a disposable filter, washing a reusable filter can take between 30 minutes to an hour every time. Most of that time is spent allowing your filter to dry before replacing it in your HVAC. If you fail to do so, you could damage your HVAC.
Making Your Decision
While there’s certainly nothing wrong with using a reusable filter, disposable filters remain a better option for most homes. They’re the easiest option as far as ongoing maintenance and offer the best performance. There is an exception, however. If your home has a whole-house air filtration system, switching to a reusable HVAC filter won’t present a problem. In that configuration, your filtration system does most of the air quality heavy lifting. Therefore, your HVAC air filter doesn’t need to excel at capturing pollutants, and a reusable filter will work fine.
Your Trusted Indoor Air Quality Specialists
Since 1978, Scott-Lee Heating Company has offered indoor air quality solutions to St. Louis residents. We sell and install air filtration systems, as well as humidifiers and dehumidifiers. We also offer complete HVAC services, including installation, repair, and maintenance. Plus, our team of HVAC technicians is NATE-certified, so they’re the best in the business. We’re also Better Business Bureau-accredited with an A+ rating. We even offer financing on approved credit to help you pay for your HVAC and air quality needs. So, if you need an HVAC air filter or want another air quality solution in St. Louis, call Scott-Lee Heating Company today!