# Which is better to have on our funace ... a permanent filter or replaceable ones?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-to-have-on-our-funace-a-permanent-filter-or-replaceable-ones/481621
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 16, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-to-have-on-our-funace-a-permanent-filter-or-replaceable-ones/481621 "2009-01-16T17:46:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-to-have-on-our-funace-a-permanent-filter-or-replaceable-ones/481621/1 "2009-01-16T17:46:10Z")
Our furnace has a filter that’s meant to be cleaned and re-used, but does anyone know which is better for the life of the furnace / cleanliness of the air? No one has allergies in our house, so we’re not worried about HEPA-clean air. Just wondering if someone can give me the pros and cons of each type of filter. Do they affect the performance of the furnace? Which type cleans the air better? That sort of a thing.
FWIW, our house is about 10 years old.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-to-have-on-our-funace-a-permanent-filter-or-replaceable-ones/481621/2 "2009-01-16T17:59:36Z")
My Wag is that if you actually clean the permanent filter they are about the same but cheaper in the long run.
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### Author:  [@ThePylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThePylon)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-to-have-on-our-funace-a-permanent-filter-or-replaceable-ones/481621/3 "2009-01-16T19:30:15Z")
IANAHVACP (I am not a HVAC Pro 😉 ), but a while back was advised that the electrostatic ones are good for a few days, then require cleaning to have the same effectiveness as a replaceable one. They are dishwasher safe, but that would be a pain in the butt. The replacement filters (last 6 months) that fit in an electrostatic filter holder are ~$40 each.
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-to-have-on-our-funace-a-permanent-filter-or-replaceable-ones/481621/4 "2009-01-16T22:32:10Z")
You can get nice pleated disposable filters that have pretty high efficiency. I was seeing merv10 filters at Home Depot the other day. These will help allergy sufferers (I’m jealous of you) and will also help make housecleaning easier. If I had a HVAC system, those are what I’d be putting in it.
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### Author:  [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-to-have-on-our-funace-a-permanent-filter-or-replaceable-ones/481621/5 "2009-01-17T06:32:40Z")
Cleaning those filters is a pain, I buy disposables.
One of the primary causes of forced air furnaces problems is the failure to change out the filters often enough. Every part of the furnace gets over heated and the house keeps calling for more heat. If you replaced the filter at the beginning of the heating season **NOW** might be a good time to recheck the filter(s) especially if you have pets.
a $5.00 filter could save hundreds in service costs:eek: