What Happens When You Don’t Change Your Furnace’s Air Filter
One of the most common concerns that we hear about at A1 Chesney Service Experts in Calgary is dirty air filters. They might seem like a very insignificant piece of the overall home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us maintain comfort is a lot larger than most homeowners notice. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a dirty air filter can cause a host of issues for your heating and AC system.
So what exactly happens when you neglect to change your air filter? Here are a just a couple of the side effects you might encounter:
- Decreased airflow. This is easily the largest headache you’ll recognize when your home’s air filter is severely clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being switched, the more dirt, dust and other particles build up. Of course, this hinders air from passing through the filter as it should, meaning your system is working a lot harder to give you the same amount of air.
- Frozen coil. If your system is running harder because of a filthy air filter, you also run the chance of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s running overtime to give you cool air.
- Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a probability if your air filter goes unchanged for months and months on end. In essence, you will have worked your system so hard that something gives out or wears out and needs to be replaced or serviced.
- Short cycling. Short cycling means the heating and cooling system turns on and off more than it should. When your system short cycles, it may overheat or break down from the added work, potentially causing damage to your system.
In addition to these, you can also expect:
- A shortened equipment lifecycle
- Lower energy efficiency
- Decreased air quality
- More dust and debris
- Lack of comfort
If you’re not sure when you last swapped out your air filter, it may be a good time to do so in order to get around any likely damage that could come with a filthy air filter. If you don’t know where your home’s air filter is located or you simply have a question about the various air filters available, give A1 Chesney Service Experts a call at 587-315-5271 or schedule an appointment online.
