Swapped my AC filter schedule after 3 summers in the desert

I used to change my AC filter every 30 days like clockwork. But after my third summer in Phoenix, I noticed a ton of dust caked on after just 2 weeks. Last month I tried swapping to a cheaper MERV 8 filter every 2 weeks instead of a MERV 11 once a month. My electric bill dropped $20 that month and the air feels less stuffy. Anyone else adjusted their filter schedule for desert dust?

3 comments

3 Comments

maxl935d ago

You gotta run a MERV 8 in the desert, no question. The higher MERV filters just clog up way too fast here and choke your system. I tried the same thing last summer after my bill spiked and the airflow got weak. Switched to a basic MERV 7 or 8 every 10 days and saw a nice drop in my electric bill plus the house felt less like a vacuum. The dust here is brutal so cheaper filters swapped more often is the only way to go. Your AC unit will thank you too since it doesnt have to work as hard pulling air through a brick of dust.

the_claire5d ago

...and that's exactly what I was thinking too, maxl93, but I took it one step further last month. I was so fed up with the dust coating everything I just started rinsing my MERV 8 filters in the sink with plain water every 5 days instead of swapping them out. Worked okay for a week but then the filter got all mushy and fell apart on me, real mess. I had to vacuum out the whole air handler because the wet cardboard just crumbled into the blower fan. So yeah, cheaper filters swapped more often is definitely the way to go out here, nothing beats just tossing a dusty one and grabbing a fresh pack off the shelf.

olivermason4d ago

Wait is the dust really that bad where you live? I mean yeah filters matter but I've run a cheap MERV 4 in Arizona for months without it turning into a solid brick or anything.