What is this metal frame from my filter cabinet? A media filter
That deep metal frame with a wire grid comes out of a media air cleaner, the thick cabinet that sits beside or under the furnace or air handler. The grid holds a pleated filter four or five inches deep, which lasts much longer than a thin one.
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From one of our jobs
A media filter frame pulled from its cabinet
Right now: Open the cabinet door, read the size off the old filter and check its date. Gray and older than a year, change it.
Here the frame is out of the cabinet and on the floor, ready for its new filter. Slide the old pleats out, fit the new ones in so the wire holds them evenly, and slide the frame back the same way, airflow arrow toward the furnace.
The size is printed on the old filter and usually on the cabinet door. Get the exact one: a thin filter in a media cabinet lets air go around it, and the dust ends up on the blower and the coil.
Quick answers
What people ask about media air filters
How often do you change a media air filter?
Every 6 to 12 months for most homes. Sooner with pets, construction dust or if it looks gray.
What is the difference between a media filter and a regular filter?
Depth. A media filter is four or five inches thick and pleated, so it holds more dust and lasts months longer than a one inch filter.
Can I put a one inch filter in a media cabinet?
No. Air goes around it instead of through it, and the dust lands on the blower and the coil.
Which way does the arrow go on a media filter?
Toward the furnace or air handler, the way the air flows.
Who services media air cleaners in Northern Virginia?
Call SwiftPro at (703) 997-9757. We change media filters and service the furnaces and air handlers behind them across Northern Virginia.
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SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
4230 Lafayette Center Dr N, Chantilly, VA 20151
44679 Endicott Dr, Suite 211, Ashburn, VA 20147
SwiftPro Plumber & Water Heaters
4200 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151
Virginia Class A contractor license #2705192276