Hey, good morning folks. This is Ron Nelson with Mission Comfort. I just wanted to stop in with a quick tip. A question that we frequently get asked all the time is simply when changing air filters, which way should the arrow point?
So while we’re here doing some service here for one of our clients today, we’re going to replace their air filter. I thought it’d be a great time to put a quick tip together for you. Hope you enjoy it.
All right. And let’s see what we got here. Make our way to the unit. In this case, the unit is located in the mechanical closet, just off the garage.
And so I’ve actually already taken out the old one. Let me step back here. You can see right here is the furnace indoor cooling coil. And right here is the slot for the filter.
Which way does the arrow go on a furnace filter?
The question that we get frequently is when changing an air filter, which way does the arrow go?
In fact, when I took this one out, the arrow was in this way, which would be incorrect. The simplest way to remember this is the arrow is always going to go in, pointing towards your system, just like that.
And if your filter happens to go in on the bottom, it’s going to point up towards your system. If you sit on the side, it’s going to point in towards your system.
Why does the direction of your air filter matter?
The reason for this is primarily, you’ll notice the material. Sorry, it’s a little tight in here. On the filter, which is designated as the backside of it, you’ll notice that it has this wire mesh on it.
That wire mesh is going to help retain this filter media in place as the airflow is going through it, which of course, without any support, would just suck it right out of it. Improper installation of your air filter can result in mold or rust inside your furnace as well.
The Arrow should point towards your Furnace or Air Handler
So you’ll notice the arrow pointing towards the system, make sure that we have the backing there to keep our filter in place. Now, this one is a little bit of a tight fit, and forgive me. I’m also trying to do it with one hand, but you see I’m sliding it in here now, an arrow pointing towards the system and then we’ll get her cover put back on and closed up, so she’s not sucking in any air from in here.
So I hope that helps answer which way should the arrow go? If you have any other questions, any other tips you’d like to see any advice on, visit Mission Comfort’s Blog.
Just shoot me a message and let me know what we can do to help you out. Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day.
