You would get several varieties of air filters for your air conditioner - like the HEPA, standard, pleated, electrostatic and electronic filters. The most common among these are the standard, pleated and the electrostatic filters. These filters are usually installed in the walls, ceilings, furnaces, or even in the conditioning machine itself.



The standard filters are made of spun fiberglass and cardboard frames, and are capable of filtering ten percent of the dust particles. These filters need to be replaced every month. The pleated filters are a more efficient than the standard ones. Their filter material is designed like a paper fan, and as they cover a larger area, they can remove about thirty five to forty percent of the air particles. They are supposed to have a life span of two to four months; at least, that is what their manufacturers say. Ranging between $5 to $20, the pleated filters are a little more expensive than the standard ones.

The electrostatic filters catch dust particles through an electric charge. The electric charge is either inbuilt, or is generated when the air passes through the layers of the filter. These filters are priced between $20 to $100 each. It would be sufficient for you to change the filter only once a year.

An electronic air filter has almost the same mechanism as the electrostatic filter. People suffering from allergies usually prefer this type of filter. The electronic filters are more efficient than the electrostatic ones as they do not impede the airflow inside the machine in any way. You can choose any type of filter according to your requirement, but make sure that you get the conditioner coils checked and cleaned by your contractor each month.

The only way to make your air conditioner work at its best is to change the conditioner filters at regular intervals. This is really important, because choked up or unclean filters would obstruct the proper flow of air. This would in turn abate the coils' capacity of absorbing heat and naturally, your air conditioner would simply stop functioning smoothly.