I had no idea what size our HVAC system required
I thought all air filters were the same. I thought an air filter was only an air filter and that there was nothing special about them. They were simply there to remove dirt and dust from our HVAC system and it didn’t seem like a complex item to make. All of the air filters I’d ever used were made of the same netting material and had the same cardboard around the edges. Of course the brands were different, but they all seemed identical in every other way. Of course, my husband was always the one to purchase the air filters and keep a supply at our house. All I had to do was go to the garage and unwrap the air filter from the plastic wrap before installing it. I never needed to go to the hardware store to purchase one and I was only judging air filters by what my husband picked out. When he left for a business trip though, I was forced to find an air filter myself. I went to the store and found the air filter aisle and was stunned by how many options there were to choose from. I looked for a similar brand that we’d used in the past, but upon finding one that looked familiar, I realized there were different sizes. I had no idea what size our HVAC system required. I had to call my husband and ask him about the sizing before I returned home. I thought picking an air filter would take 10 minutes but it took almost an hour!