Can You Cut Air Filters To Fit

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If you accept a custom-shaped vent, then yous don't need to purchase a custom-shaped filter only to keep your domicile'south air clean.

Below, I'll discuss how cut-to-fit air filters volition do good your home, when you lot should employ them, and how easy information technology is to install them.

I'll testify you how to put a filter in any vent– without breaking the bank.

When you should use a cut to fit air filter

Cut to fit air filters bring the same benefits that normal air filters practice– with ane improver. Not only practise they go on your domicile's air clean, only y'all can as well cutting them into any size or shape you need.

Here are a few common situations where a cut to fit air filter comes in handy:

Using cutting to fit air filters for a custom size vent

Unfortunately, many older homes take vents that are irregular in size or shape. Vintage homes have all sorts of weird air vents. Besides normal rectangular-shaped vents, I've seen circular, half-circular, and even center-shaped vents!

It's pretty obvious that for a circular air vent, you'll demand a custom filter shape. But in that location are also rectangular-shaped air vents that have an irregular size. Even though the shape is correct, you lot'll be hard-pressed to find an air filter that fits deeply into these vents.

Besides erstwhile homes, I've also seen irregular-sized air vents in apartments. If yous rent or live in a place where you lot can't install a normal return vent, then a cut-to-fit air filter is your only choice.

Vent Filter & Vent Register Filters Kit

These air filters cut and stick easily with included velcro. They are efficient plenty to filter out common household particles, just likewise lightweight enough to take minimal touch on airflow.

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Using cut to fit air filters for Window ACs

Window air conditioners always come with their own built-in air filter. But what if that filter breaks or gets lost? You definitely don't desire to run your window AC without an air filter.

Some people would tell you to get rid of the Air-conditioning and buy a new one. Window ACs are pretty cheap, and this is definitely a valid option. Merely you're going to pause a sweat swapping out what is otherwise a perfectly practiced air conditioner.

A better solution would be to use a cut to fit the air filter instead. Merely open up your window AC'due south render grille on the front, and measure out the filter slot to find the filter'southward dimensions.

After you get the length and width of the AC'south filter slot, cutting out a piece of filter media and identify information technology in the slot. Shut the return grille and boom, that'south all in that location is to it!

One matter to continue in mind when using a cutting to fit air filter in your window AC is the thickness of the filter. The built-in filters that come with window ACs are sized to perfectly fit in the AC'south filter slot.

So yous'll want to make sure that your cut to fit air filter is not too thick. If your air filter is besides thick, so you won't be able to shut the filter grille.

Using charcoal cut to fit air filters

What's that odour? Is it your pets? Concluding nighttime'due south cooking? Or maybe it's just ane of those foreign household smells that seemingly comes out of nowhere?

Whatever information technology is, a carbon or charcoal air filter can help get rid of information technology.

Charcoal cutting to fit air filters on your return vents might be the one thing you need to go rid of those stagnant odors that plague your home.

Using a charcoal cut to fit air filter is the aforementioned process as any other cut to fit air filter– except it also gets rid of smells.

My favorite use case for charcoal cutting to fit air filters is in a window Air-conditioning that's in a work area such as a garage or workshop.

In a work area, foreign smells are a natural occurrence from the various materials and things that are stored in there.

Things get pretty smelly in a workshop full of y'all and your closest buddies while wrenching on a motorcar.

Charcoal air filters volition brand quick piece of work of those smells– leaving your garage without any odors.

How to install cut to fit air filters

Installing cut-to-fit air filters is a niggling more complicated than just swapping out air filters equally y'all would normally. At that place are two additional steps– measuring and cut.

Measuring your air filter

In social club to get the correct size air filter, you'll need to get the correct measurement.

The first step is to get the measurement of the place that you're going to install the air filter– whether it be a return vent, filter holder, or something else.

If you need a rectangular filter, detect the length and width of the place that you want to install the air filter.

The measurement doesn't need to exist verbal. In fact, you might want to go a little bigger or smaller depending on where y'all demand to identify the filter.

For case, if you are installing the filter on a return vent then it doesn't hurt to overlap the sides of the vent.

On the opposite, if you lot are replacing the filter in a window AC, you might desire to get a little smaller so the filter fits in the unit without having to force it in.

If y'all have an irregularly shaped air vent, then you'll accept to think outside the box. Most times it'southward helpful to trace out the template of what the filter's shape needs to exist.

To do this, place a piece of newspaper over the vent and draw a rough shape of what the vent's shape is. Leave a good corporeality of extra space around the edges (you can cut off any excess after).

Cutting your air filter

The adjacent footstep is to cut your air filter. Simply earlier yous make the offset slice, yous need to take your measurements and mark them on the filter material.

Yous also demand to make a filter a little bigger if you're using air filter installation tape to secure the filter. Add together most an extra inch to each side of the filter to requite it more space to attach to the tape.

If you lot're cutting a rectangular filter: Yous can employ a straight edge to draw a line so y'all know exactly where to cut.

If you're cut an irregular-shaped filter: Use the template that you made earlier and trace it on the filter material.

Afterward you put your markings on the filter material, it's time to brand the cutting. For this role, you'll want to apply a sharp pair of scissors.

In one case you start cut, don't worry about cutting things too small– you can ever go back and trim information technology downwardly afterward if the filter is too large.

Installing your air filter

Finally, installation of the air filter will follow ane of these steps:

If your air vent has a place to securely hold an air filter, so yous're ready to install it. But place the filter in the holder.
If your air vent doesn't have a place to concord the filter, then you'll demand to secure the filter to the vent. Most cut to fit air filters come with installation tape. Installation tape is used to concur the air filter in place.

How to use air filter installation tape

Air filter installation tape goes effectually the perimeter of the air vent where you desire to install the filter. The installation tape is made of small plastic teeth that grab the air filter material and hold it in place.

After the tape is installed, put the air filter on the vent and secure it to the tape. Now, the filter will hold in place while it's on the air vent.

Can you cut down regular air filters to fit?

A lot of people ask: Why can't I but cut down a regular air filter to fit the size of my grille? That seems easy, correct?

The truth is that regular air filters aren't fabricated to be taken apart and cut downwardly.

First of all, most pleated air filters are made of polyester or cotton wool sheets. These sheets have folds in them that won't allow them to lay apartment on a return vent.

Worse yet, pleated filters have a wire mesh that holds them together. If you lot want to get to the filter material, you lot'll need to remove the mesh. It's like fighting with barbed wire to go it apart.

In the end, using a cut to fit air filter is a much better solution.