Problems Caused by Dirty AC Filters

June 22, 2020

man-with-filterChances are that you rely on your central AC throughout a good portion of the year. It can be oppressively hot and humid in our area, a subpar performance from our home cooling systems amounts to much more than a “minor” inconvenience. It only makes sense that you should be doing everything possible to ensure that your system functions precisely as intended. That simply cannot be the case if you do not keep a fresh air filter in your system.

Any true HVAC professional in St. Charles, MO, will tell you that routine AC maintenance is the key to a system’s success. That is entirely true. However, there is one vital maintenance step that you yourself must take. That is changing your air filter as needed, typically around once a month. That’s much more frequently than you’re scheduling maintenance, of course, hence the need to do it on your own. Today we’ll take a look at some of the issues that dirty filters cause.

They Ruin Energy Efficiency

Think about blowing through a straw. Now think about blowing through that same straw with the wrapper all crumpled up in it. It’s harder to do when the straw isn’t clear within, right? Of course. You’re hitting airflow resistance due to the wrapper that’s crumpled up in it! The same is true when your air filter gets too dirty.

If your filter is too dirty, the dust and other pollutants clogging it up will make it hard for air to pass through the filter. That makes your air conditioner work harder than it should have to in order to cool your home, since airflow will be restricted. That is going to drive up energy costs, leaving you to overpay for your comfort.

They Ruin Performance Quality

Overpaying for your comfort is frustrating. You know what’s even worse than overpaying for your comfort, though? Paying too much for too little comfort. And that is exactly what you’re going to wind up doing if you fail to change your air filter as needed. You just are not going to be setting your air conditioner up for success.

When you change your air filter before it gets too dirty, you make it easier for your AC to do its job. You won’t run into the uneven cooling, long run times, and even short cycling caused by overheating that you would if you left a dirty filter in your air conditioner.  That results in overall better performance.

They Ruin ACs!

Look, we’re not saying that your air conditioner is going to break down and need to be replaced the first time you forget to change its air filter. You do need to understand that serious problems can develop over time if you habitually leave a dirty filter in place, though. The added stress on the system can and will take its toll eventually.

It may not be something as dramatic as a sudden, unrecoverable breakdown. But you may well find yourself in the market for a new AC prematurely. And even if your system is still running, it may not be functioning at peak performance levels due to the neglect. It’s a lot more cost-effective just to keep up with changing your filter.

Schedule your AC services with Fresh Air Heating & Cooling.

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