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Article: The Dirt on Furnace Filters
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 19, 2006
- Author:
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Copyright informationThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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QHow often should I change the furnace filter? My furnace guy says
every month. What do you think?
AThe answer is a lot more complex than you might imagine.
For decades, many heating experts recommended changing, or at
least inspecting, furnace filters monthly. The filters at that time,
like those that still come standard on many furnaces, were generally
inch-thick fiberglass pads with so much space between fibers that you
could almost see through to the other side. These filters do
virtually nothing to stop the tiny particles that cause lung damage,
but they are effective at blocking larger particles that could harm
the furnace. "We call them 'sticks and stones filters,' " says Robert ...