Which Way Does the Arrow Go on a Furnace Filter?
Most furnace filters have an arrow on one side of the filter that indicates how to place it in the furnace. If you put the filter into the furnace the wrong way, it will not work effectively and decrease the furnace's efficiency. Some filters don't have an arrow, but you can still tell which way to position the filter by looking at the filler. Does this Spark an idea?
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Function of a Filter
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A furnace filter captures airborne dirt and dust particles and keeps them from entering the furnace and being circulated throughout the home through the heating and cooling vents. When you run the furnace or cooling system without a filter, dirt particles can settle in the furnace and cause a buildup of dirt or dust on the coils, blower motor or the igniter. After time, the efficiency of the furnace drops, and it may stop working properly.
Types of Filters
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There are different types of furnace filters, including disposable and reusable ones. The cellulose or fiberglass filter has a pad with a cardboard frame that can capture large dirt particles but is not as effective in capturing small ones. There are washable filters that last for three to five years and pleated filters. Polyester pleated filters can capture small dirt particles, and the high-efficiency pleated filters are thicker than other filters but won't fit in furnaces with standard filter holders. These filters may or may not have an arrow to show you which way to put the filter into the furnace.
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Filters with Arrows
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If the furnace filter has an arrow on the frame of the filter, the arrow is telling you which side should be facing the blower motor or coils. The arrow will point at the furnace when you slide the filter into the filter holder. If you place the filter in the holder with the arrow facing away from the furnace, the filter will not work.
Filters Without Arrows
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Filters that don't have arrows are placed inside the furnace with the sturdier or denser side of the filter facing away from the filter and the thinner side facing the blower motor or coils. The sturdier side catches the dirt particles, and the thinner side allows the air to pass through to the furnace. Some filters without arrows have a wire mesh that makes them stronger. The mesh side would be the sturdier side of the filter.
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