We have another follow up question from an earlier Asked and Answered on how often duct work should be cleaned. In that answer, there was a mention about types of air filters.


Question from Anne: Your May 26 article mentioned using the paper filters instead of fiberglass filters. Could you look into that. The person that I had install my A/C said to only use the cheapie filters because the papers ones don’t allow airflow. I’ve used both and find that my A/C is cleaner when using the paper filters but then my A/C doesn’t work as well. With the cheapie filters, my A/C doesn’t stay as clean but it’s much colder in my house. What brands give you the best of both?


Answer:


We turned to


Rosie Romero


, Arizona homebuilding and remodeling industry expert (and host of Rosie on the House). Here’s his reply:


“Generally speaking, we want everyone using the paper pleated filters, and changing them once a month during summer months and every 60 days in winter. The clean paper filter should not negatively impact your unit’s performance but they are such good filters, once they get dirty (and they get dirtier quicker than the cheapo fiberglass ones) that will cause a deterioration of performance. The only time we say use those fiberglass filters is if when the paper filters cause a air whistling noise, which is the sound of your unit suffocating. The root problem here is invariably poor duct design, and that can be expensive to correct.”