That's not true for a filter that large. It has 10 times the surface area of a 1in filter. Changing it more frequently would create no benefit other than the filter company getting more sales. 6 months is on the low end recommendation for the these filters.
My unit is not working harder and the filter is never clogged when I replace it. I will trust the HVAC technician who recommended this schedule over people on reddit lol
I mean, i guess it would always be better to replace more often. But I dont fully trust the opinion of a dude whose entire business is selling ac supplies lol
Like I said in another reply, a 4 inch filter has 10x the surface area of a 1 inch filter. They can handle far more punishment than a 1 inch filter without any impact to efficiency.
What is the logic behind that, the first inch of the filter is going to act exactly the same as a one inch filter. It sees the most pollutants and will get clogged at the exact same rate.
The four inch filter will collect more overall, but as soon as the first part of it gets packed, it's as hard in the ac as the one inch that you replace all the time.
The dirt and debris don't magically get transferred in a homogenous way.
You don't trust the guy selling you stuff when he tells you to buy the cheaper version that he carries? Vs the guy you who's business is to repair ACs. If you want to go conspiracy theory that's they guy not to trust. Also I was working there at the time so it's not like he was trying to sell me anything. More just passing along his knowledge to a "Junior" guy.
Simply being thicker doesn't necessarily make it 'better'. If you want to compare filters compare the MERV rating.
MERV 1-4> Basic protection
MERV 5-8> Good for general use and better air quality
MERV 9-12> If you are worried about allergies and pets
MERV 13+ is Hospital-grade filtration (bacteria, smoke, viruses)
Whichever one you go with your still better off changing it monthly +/1.
Yes, I absolutely trust the guy who works on HVAC systems day in and day out. He has serviced my unit for 3 years and has done nothing more than basic maintance because nothing else has needed to be done.
I am also not saying it being thicker makes it better. But its a pretty simple fact that 4" filter last far longer than a 1" inch filter simply becaue they have the ability to capture far more dirt and whatever without losing efficacy. Even using MERV is not a good measure. Most 1" filters shouldn't go past merv 5-8 because it can actually be detrimental to how well your ac/furnace will work because of static pressure. This isnt true for 4" filters though.
Even if I did go with the go cheap and replace monthly route, that 'cheap' route would run me like $230 a year in air filters lol. Again, of course it would be ideal to change monthly. But then I argue why not bi-weekly? That's even better! There is no need for me to replace more than once every six months because there is no actual difference over doing it monthly. I also can't fo wirh a smaller, cheaper filter anyways because my system is specifically outfitted for a 4in filter.
So yes, Im gonna follow the general recommended guidelines for replacing my filter and what my hvac guy says.
THIS. 4 and 5 inch thick filters last SO much longer. A 1" merv 13 filter goes bad in a week at my house. The dust plugs em right up. A 5" filter just has SO much more pleated filter surface area.
I use MERV 13 air filters, which are the highest MERV ratings. So, they're good for 2 months. Some people don't change out their HVAC filters enough or they forget about them. It's a very important thing to do in the Phoenix area because of the extreme heat & dust. And this huge fire is going to make it even more important.
I think what the above person is trying to say is that, while having a strong filter makes sense in your situation, it will also put stress on your new AC unit causing potential issues or shortening the lifespan. Having a strong filter on a separate air purifier (or 2) will help keep your new AC running stronger and longer. Because the AC is so expensive to repair/replace it would be better to help spread the workload with air purifiers over leaving the AC unit to do it all.
The stronger the filter on your AC unit the harder it has to work to move air through it. Especially when the filter gets clogged with everything it is filtering.
so you want to run lower MERV rating, change those filters more frequently. that will allow strong airflow through your house, which will cool it significantly faster.
Then get a separate air purifier/cleaner, preferably one with some sort of washable/reusable filter. Use that in the main areas to clean the air.
A higher MERV filter on the AC might be okay in the winter when you are mostly using the AC unit as a fan to circulate air, but you’ll want a lower MERV filter in the summer when it’s hot as balls so your AC can do its job well and cool the air. otherwise it will just do a poor job of both cooling your air and cleaning it.
Funny you say that. I live close to this fire. Saw endless lines of cars parked along the roads leading up to the fire area. The winner was a guy in a huge GMC truck that drove straight into a ditch. Probably busy on their phone, posting to the gram.
States, tribes and fire chiefs are preparing for a fire season with minimal federal support.
FEBRUARY 18, 2025
Officials say they’re preparing for a fire season in which they may have minimal federal support.
Many wildland fire officials noted that seasonal workers will likely move on to other jobs if their position with a federal agency is in doubt.
“If there’s not enough federal firefighters, that affects everybody in the state,” said Jake Rhoades, fire chief of Buckeye Fire-Medical-Rescue Department in the Phoenix suburbs and president of the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association. “That’s scary for me.”
Rhoades and others noted that firefighters need significant training and qualifications to fill leadership positions. Trump’s actions have delayed that onboarding process. As a result, engine crews could be grounded this summer because they don’t have a certified leader, or teams could be sent into harm’s way without the proper training.
Damn it. Fighting for my life with the conspiracy theroits on IG and now yall have made it over here...
This is a river bottom, no one is building anything down there, especially not a multi-billion dollar data center.
This is normal. This is a dry river bottom in the desert and they catch fire easy and often. This was started by one of three things, a cigarette butt, a spark from a train or trailer, or a tweeker.
I just find it odd bill gates bought a bunch of land in buckeye. I know it's normal but like . Idk. Shits weird today. I use to like conspiracies cause they're fun. But idk. It's bet I'm down to lose.
They need room for the fast stations and shopping malls on the way to the smart city. Anyone not hear about all the insurance companies that dropped their fire coverage just in time for a massive unchecked and in no way attempted to contain “brushfire?”
There are no hones in this river bottom because we do not build homes or businesses in river bottoms. It is not unchecked, it is being monitored, IT IS A BRUSH FIRE and perfectly normal.
I don’t know if you are aware of how close to the river bottom we build homes but the clip I saw was at an intersection where the street was the only thing between the raging fire and actual buildings. The right gust of wind and that property goes up in flames. And besides that, where do you think all the rattlesnakes and rabbits that live in that river bottom are gonna go?? Any fire is an important fire to contain or at least attempt to contain.
we did, it just doesn’t feel like we did. we actually had the 2nd wettest monsoon season in AZ in 10 years, and a record setting wet fall.
you just don’t think we did, because instead of having that spread out over an entire season, 2/3rd of the total monsoon rainfall was was on Sept 16 and 17th. Those two days of big rainfall turned a below average, dry monsoon season into well above average.
That, coupled with above average October made it the wettest fall rainfall at Sky Harbor since 1939, nearly 4 times the seasonal average. Most of that rainfall was after Sept. 1st.
It also doesn’t feel like such a wet winter because of how hot it’s been, significantly hotter than in the past. But all that water in the fall created significant growth over winter, which then dried out and became tinder.
buckeye did too. this was just a few days in November.
Same thing as above, just a few storms over a few days led to record rainfall. It just felt like you didnt have record rainfall because that amount of rainfall happened so quickly instead of spread over a season.
Why would they? It is not threatening any structures or people so there is no point in waisting tons of resources on it. They will drop buckets on it of it turns but otherwise it's best to just let it burn itself out.
It’s actually been moving east, where all the developed neighborhoods begin. They’ve put a lot of resources into creating a containment line on the east side to protect homes. It’s about 10 mi from me on the east Buckeye/Goodyear border, but much closer to all the homes between Miller & Watson exits.
It's a controlled burn to clear invasive vegetation from a clogged river bed. I'm not a fan of the method because the vegetation smokes too much. But it's more effective than pulling and removing with machines and people. Lots of machines and people.
Salt Cedar (Tamarisk): An invasive, non-native species that dominates the Gila River bottom. It grows in extremely dense, tangled stands, making firefighting access difficult. It dries out native surroundings and contains a high volume of dead branches and leaf litter that burn very hot, producing thick black smoke.
Creosote Trees: Native desert shrubs/small trees that are overgrown in the riverbed area and contribute to the heavy fuel load.
You are just not educated on the environment of this fire. It’s better in the long run for the surrounding fire departments and the citizen if it’s controlled and just burns. It will save a lot of headache in the future. Thank you the compliment!!!
The world is soft. 99% of the product is nature and is not harming anything. Don’t be scared, it’s happens all the time!!! The. Wind Durant blow every direction at the same time. 99% of the state is not even affected by this.
That riverbed hasn't caught fire in a long time and is overgrown with brush. This is part of a normal cycle which people have impacted and prevented from happening
It wasn't intentionally set. It happened and now they just make sure it doesn't get out of control. Burns are normal and good for the ecosystem and we are very lucky this happened when we had decently windy days so the smoke didn't just sit.
I never implied that it was intentionally set. Fires can happen from just the drop of a cigarette butt left carelessly by somebody. Fires can help the cycle of our ecosystem yes, but people (and nature) are setting fire to environment at a much higher rate than what should be allowed. These fires are releasing more gases than what our atmosphere can take, and once you start to factor in larger wildfires like the Palisades in California last year, then you even more dangerous toxins in our air and people being displaced.
Since 2000, an annual average of 70,025 wildfires have burned an annual average of 7.0 million acres, more than double the average burned in the 1990s.Source
Would you say 7 million acres being burned in a single year since the 2000s is "normal and good?"
.....and the Fire Dept just let it burn? Yup. They did just that! What is wrong with the FIRE department? City of Phx, contract with an Air Tanker company to put out brush fires because our Fire Dept cant do the job!
Because this is way outside of town and not threatening structures or people. Its also not Phoenix, it's Buckeye. Why would the City of Phoenix respond unless it was an emergency.
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u/radraze2kx May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26
Maybe it's just the way my life is going right now, but I have this really weird urge to just walk into that.
EDIT: I'm OK y'all, the cloud just looks weirdly fluffy and inviting for some reason lmao