All the air that passes through your central furnace or air conditioner passes through its air filter.
The air filter removes small particles like dust, pollen, and mold spores from the air, preventing them from coating the inner workings of your HVAC system, and removing them from your air supply, so you don’t breathe them in.
But this action clogs your air filter over time, which is why you need to replace your filter every month or so.
While annual air conditioning maintenance is the best way in which to keep your AC functioning at peak performance and efficiency levels, there is one crucial step that you should be handling yourself.
Changing Your Air Filter
It may not sound like much, but merely changing out your air filter as needed is one of the best things that you can do for your air conditioner.
Of course, you must use a filter that is right for your air conditioning system.
If you have any questions about how frequently you should be changing your filter, how to replace the filter, or what type of filter you should be using, do not hesitate to give our technicians a call.
Increased Airflow Resistance
When you leave your air filter in your air conditioning system for too long, it is going to get very clogged up.
The whole point of your air filter is to create enough resistance to filter pollutants out but to allow air to flow through that filter as well.
If the filter is clogged, then the AC is going to start to struggle to pump air through that filter effectively.
That will cause the system to work harder, driving up your energy costs.
Decreased Comfort Levels
This can be a real risk if you let your air filter get too dirty.
Not only will your system burn through more energy as it struggles to cool your home, but it will also fail to deliver cooled air throughout the whole house effectively.
You may notice that areas further from your air handler are not as comfortable as others.
Increased Risk of Damages
Perhaps the most significant reason for changing your air filter regularly even more than protecting your comfort and your budget is protecting the air conditioning system itself.
If your AC is trying harder and harder to force air through a clogged filter, that wear and tear can result in severe damages to the system.
The decreased airflow could also lead to ice on the system as the evaporator coil gets too cold, and this layer of insulation will only impede operation further.
Changing your air filter as recommended by the manufacturer and being careful to use only those filters designed for use with your specific system are some of the best ways in which to get the most out of your AC.
Do so, and you’ll be able to keep your cool this summer.
