Your furnace will emit unhealthy particulates into your home if you neglect the filter.

The filter, after all, is supposed to capture these particulates, but it needs to be cleaned or replaced when it gets dirty.

Otherwise the system loses efficiency because it must work harder. And particulates escape into the indoor air you breathe.

There are other problems, too.

• Energy bills rise as the furnace runs longer.

• Dust increases in the home or business.

• People in your home or business suffer more respiratory and allergy problems.

Filter facts

Filters come in a variety of sizes with a range of purposes. Your furnace manual or your furnace technician may recommend a specific filter based on its Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. (MERV is the acronym for a filter’s effectiveness.)

The MERV scale goes from 1 to 20, based on the size of particulates they capture.

Don’t automatically opt for the maximum; it can backfire. The highest-ranked filters – 13 to 20 – are designed for medical and industrial settings; in a home or business they will be so dense that they reduce airflow, which makes the furnace labor more.

The best solution may be to select a filter with a mid-range MERV filter depending on your specific needs. Just remember to clean or replace a filter when it gets dirty.

The Environmental Protection Agency has a detailed explanation of specific filters and their value for individual cases.

https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-merv-rating

For the best HVAC solutions in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Long Island, contact Premier HVAC. Available 24/7.