Don’t Let a Dirty Furnace Filter Cause Trouble

October 29, 2018

filter

Modern heating systems, when professionally installed and serviced, are incredibly reliable. That does not mean that they’re 100% reliable,  though, or that any heater ever can be. If you encounter a salesman or service technician telling you otherwise, we recommend that you reconsider doing business with that individual. Just because no heater is 100% reliable, however, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take every precaution in order to keep yours as reliable as possible. That’s where changing the filter comes in.

It may not sound like that big of a deal, but a dirty air filter can actually lead to a lot of different issues with your furnace. In fact, it can even lead to issues requiring furnace repair in St. Charles, MO. The good news is that changing your filter is really simple, and the filters themselves cost very little. For some reason, unfortunately, many homeowners still fail to keep fresh filters in place. By the time you’ve read this post, we think you’ll understand why that’s such a bad idea.

It’s All About Airflow

Imagine, if you will, that you have to blow through a tube for some reason. Pretty easy to do, right? Provided that the tube is not too small? Now, imagine that you’re blowing through that same tube, but some jokester has shoved some wadded up paper into it. You may be able to force your breath through it still, but it’s going to be harder to do so long as that blockage is there. The same concept holds true with your furnace and its air filter.

Okay, But Why Does That Matter?

Because restricted airflow and the added effort that goes along with it is behind many different furnace problems. These include:

  • Reduced energy efficiency, because the furnace is going to be working harder than it should have to in order to distribute heated air throughout your living space.
  • Increased wear and tear on the system, as it struggles to do a job that it was once capable of doing effectively and efficiently. This wear and tear increases the risk of damages.
  • Subpar performance quality, as the system is simply incapable of operating at peak performance levels due to restricted airflow. It may even overheat, causing it to short cycle. This will increase wear and tear while reducing efficiency and performance quality further.

Why Change My Own Filter?

It is true that your furnace maintenance technician is going to change your air filter as needed during your annual tune-up. It is also true that you really do need to have your furnace tuned up on an annual basis. However, the fact remains that once a year just is not enough. The typical air filter is going to need changing every 1-3 months. We recommend that, if you are not changing your filter monthly, you at least check in on it that frequently. When in doubt, it is always better to replace a little early than to wait until a dirty air filter begins to take its toll on your home heating system.

Schedule your furnace services with Fresh Air Heating & Cooling.

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