When the furnace filter gets dirty, you have to change it. This is clear to everybody. What is not so exactly clear is what does a dirty furnace filter look like exactly. Let’s have a look at which furnace filters are actually considered “dirty”.
As you well know, the dirt from the air will inevitably end up in furnace filters. All sorts of particles including dust, pollen, smoke particles, and even bacteria, mold, and viruses can grow inside a dirty furnace filter. If we were to run a furnace with a dirty filter, we will risk dispersing all these unwanted and likely unhealthy filter pollutants all over our home.
That’s why we have this established rule of thumb on how often to change a furnace filter (based on filter thickness):
- 1-inch or 2-inch furnace filters should be changed every 3 months (90 days).
- 4-inch furnace filters should be changed every 6 months (180 days).
- 5-inch furnace filters should be changed every 12 months (once per year).
Now, these are just rough estimations. Finer MERV 11 and MERV 13 furnace filters will gather dirt slightly quicker than more open 6 MERV or 8 MERV furnace filters.
The recipe for when to change a filter in your furnace is quite simple:
You have to change the furnace filter when the filter is dirty. This can be below 3 months (for 1-inch, 2-inch filters), below 6 months (4-inch filters), or below 12 months (5-inch filters).
How to adequately figure out if the furnace filter is indeed dirty? How to determine when a furnace filter is dirty enough that it needs to be replaced?
Well, we need to know exactly what does a dirty furnace filter look like. Here are some photos of both clean and dirty furnace filters:
Photos Of Dirty Furnace Filters (4 Stages)
Now, we need to understand that there are several stages of how dirty a filter actually is, ranging from nominal dirtiness to very dirty (need for immediate replacement).
Overall, there are roughly 4 stages in furnace filter life. Here is this categorization for 1-inch and 2-inch furnace filters:
- New filter (Month 0). White, without dirt accumulation.
- Working filter (Month 0-2). Grey or brownish, visible thin film of dirt on the filter.
- Older filter (Month 3). Grey, with visible dirt all over the filter, and visible dirt accumulation. You can actually pick parts of dirt (dirt aggregates) off the filter with your finger.
- Filter that needs replacing immediately (Month 4). Dark grey filter with visible dirt aggregates, thick dirt cover, and even mold spores or insects visible.
We will start with the clean filter and see how the dirt is increasingly stained, smeared, and soiled over time.
- New filter. Here is the familiar look of a clean furnace filter being inserted inside the furnace:
A new clean furnace filter. You will notice that is completely white. The first thing that you notice when using a filter for some time, is that this white color will turn into a grey or brownish color.
- Working filter. When the filter is adequately gathering dirt, we will start to see a thin film of dust (usually grey in color) forming on the furnace filter:
This filter is starting to dirty up but that’s normal. It is accumulating dirt, dust, and so on, as it should. When we see this kind of dirt on a furnace filter, we don’t need to replace the filter. We will see this layer of dust in the 1st and 2nd month of use. - Older filter. In the 3rd month, we will start seeing the dirt layer thicken, and the dirt itself aggregate. This aggregated dust forms can become infested with bacteria and mold, and the airflow can detect them from the filter and bring them into our home:
Small accumulation of dirt is fine. When you start seeing bigger pieces of dust accumulate on the thick layer of the grey filter layer, it is time to replace the furnace filter. - Filter that needs replacing immediately. After the 3rd month, you will start seeing quite a thick dirt layer on the filter and the dust aggregates will grow bigger. Such a filter is a perfect living grown for bacteria, viruses, and mold. That’s why it needs to be replaced immediately in order to prevent your furnace from blowing out harmful air pollutants inside your home:
As a general rule, if you can easily pick the dirt off the furnace filter with your finger, you need to replace it immediately. These big dust pieces (possibly containing bacteria, mold, or viruses) can detach from the filter under high CFM airflow and is blown inside the home again.
This is what a dirty furnace filter stages look like.
When you replace a filter, don’t forget to clean the furnace filter housing:
Overall, keep in mind that you don’t need to replace a dirty filter immediately. Look for which stage of dirtiness the filter is in. Replace the filter only when starting to see bigger dust aggregates on top of the filter. We hope that these stages with photos adequately illustrate what a dirty furnace filter looks like and when you need to replace it.