Keep the Filter in Your Air Conditioner Fresh
What is the best thing that you can do for your home cooling system? If you said “schedule routine air conditioning maintenance,” then you are correct! Keeping your air conditioner tuned up is a great way in which to ensure that the system will be able to handle anything and everything that it encounters during the hottest time of the year. However, there is one vital maintenance task that cannot be left to your air conditioning maintenance sessions. That is changing the air filter in the system.
Yes, your AC technician will change the filter in your air conditioner as needed. However, the filter cannot only be changed once a year. In fact, these standard air filters typically need to be changed once every 1-3 months, depending on a variety of factors. It is a simple step to take, but one that can have huge benefits for your air conditioner in Apex, NC. Failing to keep up with it can also have huge consequences.
Yes, a Dirty Filter Is a Big Problem
Oh well, you may think. Changing the filter can’t be that important, right? After all, it’s not as though there are dust clumps floating around in the air throughout my home. Well, that may be true. However, the point of this type of filter is not really to boost the quality of the air throughout your home. They are primarily there to protect your HVAC system itself. That is not to say that a very dirty filter won’t also have some negative effects on your indoor air quality, though.
If your filter is very dirty, it may actually be easier for the air in your system to be forced around the filter, rather than through it. That means that the pollutants in that air won’t even be filtered out at all before entering the ducts. That can spell big trouble for the quality of the air that you breathe.
Keep in mind too the fact that a dirty air filter is going to wind up creating excessive airflow resistance in the system. This will cause the AC top work harder than it should have to in cooling your home. That, in turn, will drive up your energy bills — likely at the same time that your comfort is decreasing!
Plus, there is the fact that a very dirty filter puts your system at risk for serious damages. The system can overheat, and that will cause it to short cycle, turning off and on too frequently. That results in a lot of wear and tear. The restricted airflow could cause condensation to freeze on the evaporator coil, as well. That insulation will impede the cooling process, and ice melting off of the coil as it warms could overwhelm the condensate drain assembly and cause water damage to the area surrounding the unit.
These filters are cheap, and they are very easy to swap out. There is really no excuse for letting a very dirty filter negatively affect your system and your comfort. Let us know if you have any questions about buying or replacing filters.
Schedule your AC services with Raleigh Heating & Air.