5 Best Furnace Filters Consumer Ratings & Reports 2023

Air pollution is taking A huge toll on all of us. We are facing breathing issues like never before.

Not just the health, but our expensive gadgets are being the prey of severe air pollution. Take an example of HVAC installed in our home and business.

If not installed Furnace Filter, the blower due to high contamination of dirt, grimes, and viruses in Air can burn within a few days.

We think that polluted air filtering is the only use of the furnace filter but it is more than that.

A furnace filter is an important part of the HVAC system installed in our home. It makes the living space cozy, comfortable, and fresh.

Make the insides as fresh as outside and without impact, your life negatively makes the living space healthy.

If you are tired of using many different types of furnace systems and have almost given up, give this piece a read.

In this post, I am going to review the 5 best furnace filters according to consumer ratings and reports 2023. So without further ado, let’s get started. 

QUICK PICKS

Here are the top-rated products we picked out that you would be interested in, depending on your budget…

Best Furnace Filters Consumer Ratings & Reports

I have compiled a list of the 5 best furnace filters based on consumer ratings and reports for 2023.

1. AIRx ALLERGY 20x20x1 MERV 11 Pleated Air Filter

Features at a glance
  • Traps mold, pet dander, smoke particles
  • More pleats than others
  • Nominal size 20x20x1
  • 11-MERV rated

If you are looking into buying a Furnace Filter that comes with extra density to trap dust airborne allergens that trigger the allergic symptoms, get hands-on with one of the top-rated products designed by AIRx.

It is a MERV 11 pleated Air filter that shares the thickest density and can easily trap pollens, pet dander, dust, smoke, and many other small particles that not only impact your health negatively but burns the blower installed in an HVAC.

It comes in various sizes to fits your needs, you just pick the right size that fits your HVAC system and get it installed to change the indoor breathing positively.

It is an 11 MERV-rated filter, MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value which is an industry-standard to rate the efficiency of a filter, the higher is the rating, the better the performance will be.

Moreover, the unit comes can be reusable by rewashing. In that way, you will be able to use more pleats per square inch and filter media at the highest performance possible.

I am sure once you start using this, you would forget what is made of regular fiberglass.

It is made in the USA Furnace filter that you can surely use as long as for 90-days. Change it once in 90-days and get to breathe fresh air, removed and filtered with dust, grime, smoke, and other particles that surely impact your health negatively.

What We Like!

  • Budget price range
  • Easy to clean, can be used after rewashing
  • Easy to setup
  • Thick filter

Things to Consider!

  • Smaller than standard size

2. Filtrete 12x12x1, Smart Replenishable AC Furnace Air Filter

Features at a glance
  • 1-inch Thick
  • 3 in 1 technology to trap dust
  • Bluetooth enabled
  • 12 MERV Rated

Filtrete is another great name that produces quality filters. It is known for its quality, its tagline ‘track the life of your filter based on airflow not on the time made this one of the most selling Furnace filters in the market.

It is the first-ever Bluetooth-enabled HAVC air filter that makes a real difference to provide you quality air to breathe indoors.

It has a smart mechanism for gauging the life of an air filter. Its smart air filters detect the changes in air pressure using a 3m algorithm to calculate filter life by balancing optimal airflow.

Once you learn that the filter is not providing fresh air, notified by this air filter mechanism, do not wait too long to change the filters.

You do not have to worry about the filter changing, it tells you at the right time without you manually checking repeatedly.

It uses amazing 3-in-1 technology to trap dust, lint, pet dander, soot, pollen, and mold spores and help you enjoy breathing fresh air indoors. Not just that it prevents your expensive HVAC system from getting burned and damaged.

This 1-inch thick air filter is narrow enough to fit most of the walls and many slide-in filter holders.

You can install the application designed by the brand to monitor and receive alerts about the filter status and air quality.

In total it is worth spending money on a Furnace filter that traps molds and dust molecules to send an alert to your system.

What We Like!

  • Amazon dash replacement enabled
  • Bluetooth enabled filter
  • 3M algorithm to calculate optimal airflow
  • high-efficiency MERV-12

Things to Consider!

  • Not so great for the people with allergies

3. Aerostar 16x25x1 MERV 11 Pleated Air Filter

Features at a glance
  • MERV-11 rated
  • Comparable with MPR 1000-1200
  • Replace in 60-90 days
  • Captures microscopic level microbes

Furnace filters are dime a dozen getting those good for the people with allergies, a bit hard.

But it seems Aerostar learns the problem and offers a devised and well-thought-out formula that captures the smallest particles that trigger your allergy and make your life miserable.

It offers superior filtration at per efficiency. It is a solution for an entire family, a home that filters out dust mites, mold spores, pollen, pet dander, and much more.

Create a cleaner, healthier environment for your family, as air pollution is going to be the biggest problem in near future.

It is a USA-made air filter that shares MERV 11 rating and is comparable with  MPR 1000-1200 and FPR 7.

It is one of the thickest air filters that is known to filter microscopic scale particles that are hard to capture with any other filter.

This simple to install and the air filter is one step forward to a healthier life.

For healthier life replace the filter within 60-90-days in peak summer and winter months you may increase the frequency of replacing the Air filter to double-check the quality of air.

It is a 100% synthetic electrostatic media that offers impressive efficiency of air with low airflow resistance.

The airflow you receive is consistent unless it completes its life and at that point, you should replace the filter with a new one.

What We Like!

  • One of the most efficient Air filter
  • Made in the USA
  • Captures microscopic level microbes
  • Easy to change

Things to Consider!

  • Flimsy

4. Filter King 30x30x1 MERV 8 HVAC Pleated Filters

Features at a glance
  • Made in the USA
  • 8-MERV
  • Captures all microbes cause allergy
  • 1-3 months replacement

If you live in a humid environment and looking into buying a Furnace Air Filter because you know that what you put in your home for Air filtration directly influences the breathing quality of you and your home, get hands-on Filter King designed MERV 8 Rated HVAC pleated Air filter.

It is one of the top-rated and most followed brands in the USA that offers on par manufacturing raw materials from the USA.

It is the USA manufacturer and Air filter that accomplices all manufacturing guidelines implies in the country and states.

It is a MERV 8 rated Air filter that makes a perfect companion for your HVAC system installed in your home.

This rate assigns the air filter quality to determines the overall performance and effectiveness of the filter.

The higher the MERV rating the better performance that particular filter will be offering and capturing more airborne contaminants.

This filter is great to install if you are allergic to dust and pollen. It offers protection against allergens such as pollen, dust mites, textiles and carpet fibers, mold spores, and many more in the row.

You can check the chart to learn the range of microscopic airborne this filter captures and provides protection against.

The brand recommends changing this air filter every 1-3 months. The environment around you largely depends on the quality of the filter installed, but if the filter has passed its changing date, it could bring more bad than good.

It starts to release the captured microbes, the microscopic microbes can be dangerous to your health especially if you are allergic.

What We Like!

  • Great for Humid Environments
  • Lasts for a longer time compared to others
  • It is a USA manufacture product
  • Easy to install

Things to Consider!

  • Some users mentioned that it smells bad

5. Flanders PrecisionAire 20x20x1 NaturalAire with Baking Soda

Features at a glance
  • 1-inch depth
  • 8 MERV rating
  • Long surface area
  • Sturdy designed

If you like to barbecue indoors and scorch meals regularly, and odor is your biggest issue indoors, this is the air filter you should get hands-on.

It is also great for a home that has a wood-burning fireplace around, it absorbs the odor and makes the indoors as fresh as you can imagine.

It neutralizes and eliminates the odors of common households as it uses the natural baking soda powder to get you rid of bad odor produces in a home due to many reasons.

Its synthetic media reduces the harmful allergens, mold spores, dust, and much more others in the row.

It is a third-party certified air filter for purifying air insides. With an 8-MERV rating and compatibility with a wide variety of HVAC systems, it is surely one of the versatile air filters that you can rely on.

You already know that a higher MERV rating signifies more efficiency and increased protection against airborne particles, microbes, and many more others.

It is a reusable filter that you can wash and reuse. It comes with one-inch bordered recyclable clay-coated, moisture-resisting molding that lasts longer and offers an enhanced resistance.

Its sturdy wire’s backed and pleated synthetic media stands up to the environment and other elements and offers a supreme production to your family against microscopic microbes, molds, dust, and most importantly bad household odor.

As per the USA environmental protection Agency, you should change the Air-filters regularly to enjoy superior breathability and air quality indoors.

This Air filter has a longer life span of 90-days, it offers a longer performance compared to most of the Air filters we get to see around.

Its pleated construct has a large surface area that catches impurities, odors, molds, microbes, and others better than any other model.

It is a one-inch depth filter that can fit most of the HVAC system installed in our home.

Still, it is good for you if you measure the dimensions of your HVAC systems in length, depth, and height to buy an air filter that perfectly fits without bending over.

A bent-over filter can’t capture the microbes or other impurities as well as a perfectly fitted filter.

What We Like!

  • Eliminates the bad odor produced in households
  • It is a sturdy wire backed pleated synthetic media filter
  • It lasts longer than any other filter 90-days
  • Good for the space where a wood-burning fireplace is near

Things to Consider!

  • Not great if you have pets

Furnace Filter Buying Guide

A furnace filter might not be an exciting item that adds a visual impact to your decor. But what it does is improve the air quality you and your family breathe.

It directly impacts health, and if not taken great care of, things can go another way around and can cause damage.

The filters were initially not designed and used to improve the air quality. They were used to protect the system installed in our homes.

But with the advancement of technology, filter quality improved and we are there with the filters that improve air quality.

Size

Here size matters the most; in case you end up with a wrong-sized filter that does not fit with the furnace, there will be no use for it.

And if you install the wrong-sized filter, it bends over and would not be filtering the air as well as it should.

Air filter comes in variable sizes such as 16 by 20 inches, 20 by 20 inches and like that. Filter thickness varies from one inch to five inches.

The thicker the filter is, the more efficiently it will filter air. But you should check your furnace before buying a furnace filter.

Most of the furnace filters do not come with 5 inches thick filters as the furnace will have to do some extra work to pull air.

Rewash able or Disposable

Furnace comes in rewash able and disposable types. The disposable ones are lightweight, easy to use and once they get their job you can toss them off.

Rewash able filters can be used after washing them. They usually are made of a heavy aluminum frame with electrostatic fiber that makes them last longer.

There is an age even for a rewash able filter, after a specified period, you will have to dispose of it off.

Washing a filter is a job in itself. You have to separate them into parts, wash them one by one. And dry them off completely before reinstalling them.

Most of us think that once we install the system there is no need to change the filter. If you do not do that it can cause damage to the HVAC itself, it may burn the blower or fan installed in the HVAC.

And more importantly, this is going to have an impact on your health negatively.

MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value)

Furnace filters are given a Minimum Efficiency Reporting value considering their efficiency of blocking dust and airborne particles.

The higher the rating, the more an Air filter would be able to block contaminated Air. The rating is given from 1-20 numbers, most of the filters we see around in between 8-13 ratings.

And 6-12 range is designed for residential use. You must check your furnace system before you buy a filter with the MERV rating you like.

The system recommends a specified rated filter, and you should act upon it accordingly.

Environment

The environment is also a deciding factor that should be pondered upon when buying a filter.

For example, if you cook meals in homes, or do barbeque every weekend, or there is a wood firing place around, the thing you should check if, odor-absorbing or eliminating capacity of a filter.

In the same way, in humid environments, when it rains more than regular, mold build is the biggest issue, for that, you should buy a filter that protects against mold build-up.

Final Verdict

A furnace filter will surely improve the air quality indoors that is directly linked to you and your family’s health.

It blocks and removes the particulates that can trigger allergic reactions. Surely a top-rated air filter maintains a clean, and odor-free environment that perfectly aligns right with sensitive lungs and airways.

In this long guide, we have reviewed top Furnace Air filters. You can check them, behold their rating, and upon getting satisfied give any of them a shot.

One more thing, keep an eye if the air filter has reached its age. And change it frequently as per the recommendation of the experts.

FAQs About Furnace Filter

Can I use more than one filter in a Furnace?

Yes, if you have independent air conditioning and heating system installed in your home, you can use more than one filter.

For that event, you will have to check the specification of the furnace or Air conditioner, whether or not it allows installation of more than one filter in one system.

For someone with centralized heating and cooling system such as HVAC, there is only one filter that helps for cooling and heating at the same time.

For that you can’t install more than one filter in your Furnace, if you do, the blower or fan will have to do double work to push air.

Is It Safe To Use  A Furnace without Filter?

There could be two results for that; first, the system due to building up of dust and grime may burn out or crash, second you or your family face breathing issues.

As there is no filter installed, dust grimes and other contaminations are entering into your system and poured into your home as it is.

No filter means there is no filtration of dust, grimes, or pollen before pushing air into your home.

Which is MERV 8 or 11 better?

There is a rating given to every filter considering its efficiency to block contamination, dust, grime, pollen, and other microscopic microbes that is called MERV ( minimum efficiency reporting).

This rating gives a number to any filter upon its efficiency from 0-20. For residential places, it is considered that any filter should at least have 6-MERV.

11 MERV is better as it got the capability to block more contaminations than the 8 MERV rating.

But it is good to check your furnace before you install any filter or ponder upon MERV rating, and act upon it as per the recommendations.

What size air filter do you need?

First, measure the furnace space where you would be installing that filter. Measure in length, width, and depth in inches.

Then you can go out to buy a filter that fits right. Do not go without measuring or you will end up with a wrong-sized filter.

Read More: Consumer Ratings & See all Blogs here

David Sullivan

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top