Dust storms affecting air filters

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Pasoans have experienced dust storms week after week in 2025.

That blowing dust and sand can have a big effect on your air filters in your home. ABC-7 spoke to Rick Bacchus, the owner of The Air Conditioning Company here in El Paso.

"Certainly every time you open up the door, dust comes in and that can be sucked and sucked around and moved around your system." 

Bacchus said there's a few different type of filters you can use in your home. Fiberglass and pleated filters are common in El Paso, but Bacchus said that electronic filters are the best ones to keep inside.

"We've had people tell us that the electronic filters, before their children would miss months of school with asthma and different, different ailments. But after the change of electronic filters, they didn't miss at all. It's a lot healthier not breathing dirt."

You should be changing your air filters 4 times a year. Bacchus said it should happen 3 times during the summer and then once more around October to prepare for winter. But the dust can put extra strain on the filters and you may need to change it more often.

"You can change the filter in 30 seconds, and check it and see, because if you have lots of animals, or you have different things in the house, then those will affect how often you need to change the filter."

Bacchus detailed some preventative measures that you can do in your home, with the most important one being caulking, tightening up any cracks that dust can come in through.

"If you do do a good job of that and tighten up, putting weatherstripping under the door so that when you're closing in, keeping the door closed helps a lot, too."