Your Aprilaire Media Cabinet, Explained
Model 1210 and Model 1410 specs, the right replacement filter for each, and how to change your filter. Don't want to change your filter? No problem! Our technicians will change it for you during an HVAC System Check for members of our Preferred Partner Plan maintenance program.
How to replace the filter.
The 1210 and 1410 use the same Interlock Rail System, so the steps match. The filter goes in as one piece and you need no tools.
- Turn the system off. Set your thermostat to Off, or flip the power switch on the side of the furnace. The blower should be still before you open the door.
- Open the cabinet door. Lift it off the front of the cabinet and set it aside.
- Note the arrow. Before you pull the old filter, look at the airflow arrow printed on its frame. It points toward the furnace or air handler. Your new filter goes in the same way.
- Slide the old filter out. Grip the frame and pull it straight toward you, out of the top and bottom rails. Expect a dusty frame; a trash bag held under the opening keeps the floor clean.
- Unpack the new filter. It ships compressed. Hold the frame and pull the pleats open until the filter stands at full width. Handle it by the frame, not the pleats.
- Check the arrow, then slide it in. Airflow arrow toward the furnace or air handler. Set the frame in the top and bottom rails and slide it all the way back.
- Close the door. Set it on the front of the cabinet and press until it seats.
- Power back on and write the date. Set the thermostat back to Heat or Cool. Write today's date on the cabinet door label (a strip of masking tape works) so you know when the next change is due.
If the filter will not slide in: the arrow is pointing the wrong way, or the frame is not sitting in both rails. Pull it out and start step 6 again. Never force it; a bent frame lets air bypass the media.
When to replace it.
Aprilaire rates the 210 and 410 at 12 months if you run heat only, and 6 months if you run heat and air conditioning. In St. Louis you run both, so plan on two changes a year. A good rhythm: one at your heating system check, one at your cooling system check.
Change sooner if any of these apply to your house:
- Two or more pets, or one that sheds hard
- Someone in the house with allergies or asthma
- An attic or basement project that kicked up dust
- A noticeable drop in airflow at the registers, or a blower that sounds louder than it used to
Pull the filter and hold it up to a light. If you cannot see light through the pleats, it is done.
Preferred Partner Plan members get two system checks a year. Keep a spare filter by the furnace and ask the technician to swap it in during the visit. Giving Peace of Mind Since 1969.
A: Yes. The 213 and 413 fit the same rails as the 210 and 410, and Aprilaire rates both cabinets for them. A MERV 13 filter adds a small amount of resistance; on a system that is sized and ducted correctly you will not notice it.