Indoor air quality has a huge impact on your health and wellbeing. That’s why having a high-quality air purifier in your home or office is so important. However, you need to regularly replace the filter to keep your air purifier working at peak performance. Here’s a comprehensive guide on the common mistakes people make when replacing air purifier filters and how to avoid them.
Why Replacing Filters is Important
Before jumping into the common mistakes, let’s review why regularly replacing your air purifier filter is critical:
- Maintain air purification performance: Over time, filters accumulate dust, allergens, and pollutants, which clogs the air purifier filter and reduces airflow and effectiveness. Replacing clogged filters restores purification capabilities.
- Improve air quality: Clean filters maximize air quality by capturing more contaminants like dust, smoke, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, bacteria, VOCs, and more. Better air means better health.
- Prevent buildup in the system: Letting filters get extremely clogged can allow some contaminants to work past the filter and build up inside the purifier’s internal components. This buildup is difficult to remove and harbors germs.
- Reduce energy costs: Very clogged filters make your purifier work harder to pull air through. This increases energy usage and utility bills. Fresh filters keep energy efficiency high.
- Lengthen purifier lifespan: By preventing contaminant buildup internally, regular filter changes help your overall system last longer before needing repairs or replacement.
Now that you know why it’s important, let’s go over the common mistakes people make during the filter replacement process.
Read More: Reduce Your Energy Bill with These 6 Easy Home Tasks
Mistake #1: Not Replacing Filters Frequently Enough
One of the biggest mistakes people make with their air purifiers is not replacing filters often enough. Many folks replace them only once or twice a year. But depending on use, filters really need replacement every 3-6 months.
Here are signs it’s time to swap your filter:
- Decreased airflow from vents
- Higher sound levels from the purifier
- Unusual odors emitting from the vents
- Increased dust/particles in your home
- Filters that appear very dirty or clogged
Set reminders on your phone calendar to replace filters every 3 months. Write the replacement date on the filter with a permanent marker so you know when it was last changed.
Mistake #2: Choosing the Wrong Filter Type
Air purifiers use different filter types depending on the model. Picking the wrong kind reduces effectiveness. The most common are:
1. HEPA Filters: Extremely dense filters that capture 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns and larger. Great for allergens.
2. Activated Carbon Filters: Absorb gases, odors, smoke, fumes, and chemicals. Often used with HEPA filters.
3. Ionizing Filters: Electrically charge particles to pull them out of the air actively. Can produce trace amounts of ozone.
4. UV Light Filters: Use UV wavelengths to deactivate microbial growth on the filter. Do not actually filter air.
Make sure to choose the factory filter designed for your specific purifier model. Check the user manual or official product page to verify. Getting this wrong means poor filtering for your home.
Mistake #3: Using Non-Genuine Replacement Filters
To save money, some air purifier owners use cheaper, off-brand replacement filters not manufactured by their purifier brand. While less expensive, these filters often don’t fit right and have subpar filtration.
Some problems seen with off-brand replacement filters:
- Don’t create an airtight seal, allowing dirty air to bypass
- Made with inferior materials that filter fewer particles
- Wrong dimensions lead to air leakage around filter edges
- Fall apart faster compared to genuine filters
For peak performance, always replace filters with ones made by your air purifier’s original manufacturer. Yes, they cost more but also filter more from your home’s air.
Mistake #4: Not Preparing the Filter Area Properly
Before installing any new air purifier filter, the filter area itself needs to be cleaned out and prepared. This prevents new filters from immediately clogging with old dust and debris still lingering inside the unit.
Use these steps to prep the machine:
- Open the air purifier housing and remove old filter
- Use a small vacuum hose with brush to extract built-up dust/hair inside housing
- Wipe down interior filter slots with a microfiber cloth
- Vacuum surrounding room vents connected to purifier
- Clean exterior housing with purified water to remove surface dust
Taking those five minutes makes a drastic difference in how long new filters last in your purifier before needing replacement again.
Mistake #5: Touching Filters During Installation
It’s tempting to use your fingers for leverage when sliding new air purifier filters into the housing slot. However, this transfers dirt, skin oils, and germs onto the filter surface.
Filter contamination right out the gate forces your purifier to work extra hard to capture those particles. This prematurely ages the filter faster than normal operation.
Instead, use these clean handling tips:
- Avoid touching the filter surface at all times
- Hold filters gently around the edges only
- Consider wearing latex gloves while handling
- Wash hands thoroughly before filter replacement
- Keep used filters isolated in plastic bags until disposal
Careful, clean installation maximizes the usable filter lifespan in your purifier.
Mistake #6: Not Checking the Filter Fit
Air purifiers only filter as well as the filters fit snuggly inside them. Loose filters allow contaminated air to sneak by without getting cleaned. This gives residents less healthy air to breathe.
Before buttoning up the housing, carefully inspect filter placement from all angles checking for:
- Gaps between filter edges and adjoining housing walls
- Filters that seem to easily shift around when touched
- Bowed filter midsections not sitting flush against slot surfaces
- Airflow sensations coming from any areas besides filter material
Use flashlight views from darkened rooms to better see small gaps. Crumble up small pieces of tissue and place them at suspect leakage points. Turn the purifier on high. Tissue movements show unfiltered airflow.
Mistake #7: Assuming the Filter Will Last a Full Year
Air purifier marketing loves claiming their filters last a full 12 months before needing a change. But in reality, filter life spans highly depend on operational factors specific to your home.
Variables that reduce filter lifespan below 1 year:
- Homes with pets (dander/hair) or smokers (heavy particulate)
- Locations with bad outdoor air pollution
- Purifiers running 24/7 vs few hours a day
- Large rooms or high ceilings (more area to filter)
- Heavily trafficked rooms such as living spaces
- Improper maintenance like infrequent vacuuming
Test filters manually to see whether they still capture fine debris versus just blowing it around the room. Expect more frequent changes needed if any factors above apply to your space.
Mistake #8: Not Checking Energy Cost Differences
Some replacement air purifier filters have higher airflow resistance than others, especially more densely pleated HEPA variants. Models with internal fans must work harder pulling air through restrictive filters.
Hard-working motors use more electrical energy. That’s added dollars per month in higher electric bills. Check manufacturer specify sheets comparing old and new filters for:
- Initial resistance ratings: Pressure measurements for airflow resistance. Higher numbers mean harder fan work.
- Efficiency differences: What particle sizes and percentages get captured by replacement versus old filter.
Ideally, choose replacement filters with equal/less resistance and equal/better particle capture. This keeps energy costs from significantly increasing due to new filters straining internal fans.
Mistake #9: Buying More Filters Than You Need
It’s tempting to buy air purifier filters in bulk quantities to save cash long-term and avoid frequent reorders. But take care not to overbuy replacement filters. Inventory sitting in storage for years has problems:
- Shelf life degrading of filter media
- Advances in filtration tech make them outdated
- Companies updating filter sizes/types for newer models
- Risk of getting water/moisture damage in storage
- No warranty coverage after long durations
A safe buffer is keeping 2-3 extra filters on hand for each purifier. This allows you flexibility for early replacements while filters are fresh and still warranted. Reassess any extras when swapped out to prevent buildup.
Mistake #10: Not Properly Disposing Old Filters
Used air purifier filters contain a concentrated buildup of everything they captured for months from your indoor air. So they harbor:
- Mold and bacterial growth
- Allergenic and asthmatic dust/pet dander
- Grease particulates if located near kitchen areas
- Chemical deposits from household cleaners, VOC vapors
- In some cases even live pathogens like cold/flu viruses
Wash your hands after handling. Old filters should always be sealed in plastic bags before tossing in outdoor trash containers. This prevents collected contaminants from spreading into your home again.
Key Takeaways
Replacing air purification filters is essential for maintaining clean, healthy indoor breathing environments. Apply these lessons to avoid the most common mistakes people make during routine filter changes:
- Set calendar reminders for swapping filters every 3 months
- Double check choosing the factory filter made specifically for your purifier
- Use only genuine filters from the original manufacturer
- Fully clean out filter areas before installing replacements
- Handle new filters carefully without contamination
- Inspect closely that replacements fit tightly within the housing
- Adjust expectations if heavy use reduces lifespan below a year
- Compare energy usage between old and new replacement filters
- Avoid buying excess inventory that potentially degrades in storage
- Seal used filters in bags before responsible disposal
Knowing the proper procedures and what to avoid will keep your vital air purifiers always performing at their best year after year. Your home’s air quality relies on filters capturing contaminants before they enter the lungs, so be diligent in replacing them!