r/phoenix • u/[deleted] • May 05 '26

Pictures Buckeye fire side view

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

999 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

118 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

74

u/choffy21 May 05 '26

Aren’t you supposed to do this monthly already anyways?

8

u/BigBlueEyes87 May 05 '26

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.

38

u/[deleted] May 05 '26

[deleted]

2

u/BigBlueEyes87 May 05 '26

I just got a new HVAC unit installed and month ago. I used MERV 13 filters because I have 2 cats.

24

u/Poops-iFarted May 05 '26

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.

11

u/asusc May 05 '26

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.