A walk through of the filter replacement for the amazing IQAir Perfect 16 HVAC filter unit.

One of my favorite home upgrades has been the IQAir Perfect 16 central HVAC air filtration unit. We have installed this medical-grade air filtration unit in both of our last two homes. The units are a bit expensive – something around $3,000 for the unit and install, but if you appreciate ultra-clean air in your home, these units are probably the best you can buy.

This article provides a walk through of the filter replacement process and a look at the unit.

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The incredible medical-grade IQAir Perfect 16 HVAC air filtration unit.

If nothing else, the last few years has highlighted the importance of air quality. Covid-19, air pollution, and forest fires have been a recurring reminder of just how important clean air is. This heighten awareness and surge in market demand for clean air products offers a fairly amazing choice of air filtration and purification devices.

One of the best air filtration devices available for residential (and commercial) use is the IQAir Perfect 16 unit. Made in Switzerland, these units and their ultra-high performance filters offer continuous, central air filtration for your HVAC system.

IQAir is a Swiss company that has been making medical-grade air filtration units since the 1960s. In addition to the Perfect 16 HVAC unit, the company makes some of the best free-standing HEPA filter machines available. Customers and professionals rave about the IQAir units and units like the IQAir Health Pro are amazing for those who are interested in the best air quality without having to install a unit onto your HVAC system.

For the central, HVAC-mounted system, IQAir offers two unit sizes; a 3-ton size unit and a 5-ton size unit. Each unit uses 4 micro-fiber woven fabric filters. The filters are expensive ($350 for the 4 3-ton filters and $395 for the 4 5-ton size filters), but should last 1 – 3 years between replacements.

For me, I find the 1 – 1.5 year replacement schedule about right. The filter replacement is very easy, and can be performed by nearly anyone interested in doing so. The filters are available on the IQAir website or a few select retailers.

Overview | IQAir Perfect 16 HVAC Air Filter Replacement

Project Goal:

Difficulty: Beginner

Time: 20 Minutes

IQAir Perfect 16 HVAC Air Filter Replacement Cost: $350-400

Steps:

Order the IQAir Perfect 16 replacement filters, sized correctly for your unit.
Gather the replacement filters, a face mask, cleaning supplies and tools for the filter replacement. Turn off the furnace or air exchanger.
Remove the IQAir filter front panel.
Install the new filters, install the front panel and screws.

Supplies List | IQAir Perfect 16 HVAC Air Filter Replacement

IQAir Perfect 16 Filters (4)
IQAir HealthPro ( The best stand alone home air purifier. )

Steps | IQAir Perfect 16 HVAC Air Filter Replacement

Order the IQAir Perfect 16 replacement filters, sized correctly for your unit.

Order the IQAir Perfect 16 replacement filters. Make sure you order the correct filter size for your Perfect 16 unit. The smaller 3-ton size unit takes size 3 (ID-2225) replacement filters. The larger 5-ton size unit takes size 4 (ID-2530) size replacement filters.

Size 4 (5-ton, ID-2530) replacement filters for the IQAir Perfect 16 air filter unit.

Gather the replacement filters, a face mask, cleaning supplies and tools for the filter replacement. Turn off the furnace or air exchanger.

Gather the replacement filters and supplies and bring them to the unit to prepare for replacement. Prior to replacing the filters, get a good facemask (N-95 if you have one) and put it on. Remember that the filters are full of air pollutants (including bacteria and viruses) and should be treated as such when removing them and discarding them. Using a high quality face mask during the removal of the dirty filters is a good idea.

With everything assembled and your mask on, turn off the furnace or air exchanger that the filter unit is attached to.

Turn off the furnace before opening the IQAir filter unit.

Remove the IQAir filter front panel.

Once the furnace is off, locate the IQAir front panel and remove the thumb screws. The screws generally can be removed without a tool, but the proper size allen wrench or an adjustable wrench will work for tighter screws. Save and put aside all the panel screws and remove the filter box panel.

With the unit open, carefully remove the four dirty air filters. Place them into a plastic garbage bag or the box used to ship the new replacement filters.

Loosen the IQAir filter unit panel screws.

Remove the filter box front panel to expose the filters.

With the filters removed, clean the filter mounting tracks.

Discard the old filters in a garbage bag or the box that the new filters were shipped in.

Install the new filters, install the front panel and screws.

Install the four new filters paying attention to the airflow arrows on the filters. The filters install in a W pattern with the bottom edge of each filter resting on the bottom metal filter track within the filter box. Make sure to slide the filters all the way into the unit so they flush with the front of the unit and allow the front panel to fully seat. Insert and hand tighten the mounting screws. Turn the furnace or air handler back on and discard the old filters.