Find My Furnace Filter Size – Please! Part 2

In my first article on sizing furnace filters, we talked about how to determine the height, width and thickness of the furnace filter you’ll need to fit the duct in your home. This article will already assume that you have the correct dimensions in hand, and will go on about how to find a furnace filter in your size. We won’t go into what type of filter to buy for your home; there are many fine websites that can talk to that.

The supermarket

Yes, many times you can find furnace filters at the supermarket. This is an option if you work late every night and you are not oriented to doing much maintenance in your home. Many supermarkets are open late at night, so you can get what you need on your time. The drawbacks of buying your furnace filters there are that the prices of the disposable filters there would be higher than in most other stores, and the variety of sizes is severely limited. If you are lucky and happen to find one in your size, consider yourself blessed. Otherwise, you will have to move on to other venues.

Other retail stores

Wal-Mart and Target are similar to supermarkets, but their selection is a little larger and their prices a little lower. Better still, if you have time, head to Home Depot or Lowe’s, where their variety is greater still and you should be able to find even better prices.

You Need To Change Your Measurements

Matching your measurements to the ones written on a disposable filter can be a little tricky. Filters are marked with nominal measurements, which means in essence that they are rounded up from their actual size. For example, if the filter is marked as 20 inches long, it’s actual physical length may be 19 3/4 inches or even 19 1/2 inches. This is quite strange and off-putting when you first encounter this type of measurement system, but you get used to it after a while because other things in your life that need measurements also use nominal measuring, and you learn to adapt.

So for example, if you measured your duct to be 19 3/4 inches by 19 7/8 inches, look for a 20 x 20 furnace filter.

Go Directly To The Source

Finally, if you looked in all the above stores, it’s quite possible you did not find your size. Now, you’re in for a bit of work. You can locate your local HVAC dealer or repair outfit in your area, and they are likely to carry a wide variety of sizes. Prices vary – you may get a high detail price, or he may cut you a deal on buying in bulk.

The best place for odd sizes is the Internet. You often can find great prices. Don’t count out ebay, either; I get my filters from a seller there. The only caveat to buying on the Internet is returning it if it is the wrong size. For this, I really recommend that you buy from a store a filter, bring it home, and make 100% sure it fits in your duct. Write down the measurements in a permanent place, then next time look on the Internet. This will help minimize problems. To be doubly sure, check the return policy of the Internet vendor. Some of them go out of their way to help you return things, such as free return shipping.

Got your furnace filter bought and installed? Good! One less thing on your mind, for a few months at least.

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