How many hours is a furnace filter good for?

[MuskieJunkie]

The programable thermostat I have at my house logs the number of hours the furnace has ran so that you can keep track of changing your filter. How many hours can you go on a filter? I know there are some varibles but any ball park figure would help, I don't have any idea. 100 hours, 1,000 hours?????

[IFallsRon]

I try to change the filter on the first of each month. A 31-day month would be 744 hours.

[MuskieJunkie]

Thanks Ron, I have always heard 1 month too. But I am looking for running time on the furnace.

[Steve Foss]

The conditions within your house can vary so much that even a ballpark estimate may be off. Different houses have different levels of particulate matter floating around the air, and that varies as well with the region and the season. For example, spring and fall in farm country means LOTS of dust hanging around to cling to your filter.

Furnace filter are cheap. When my thermostat says change it, I do.

[pikechaser]

everyhouse is different...best thing to do is check it once a month...hold it up to a lite, can see what its holding pretty well...when it looks dirty/starting to get hard to c thru change it....or just change once a month when your running the heat/ac....

[LovenLifeGuy]

I just changed mine. The heating guy that put in our furnace last year said they are good for 6 months and thats what the filter says. I change mine every 3 months anyway. Ours are $25 a shot.. I don't think that is too cheap! I know our last furnace filters were very cheap and had to be changed every month. I guess it all depends.

LovenLifeGuy

[Northlander]

It all depends on the filter you buy. Some are only good for a couple winter weeks and some will last 3 months with regular vacuming of them. There are so many out now you cant tel someone how long they are good for unless you have seen it.

Go to Menards or Home Depot and check them all out. I couldnt believe how many brands and types there are now.