What Happens When You Don’t Change Your Furnace’s Air Filter
One of the most common issues that we encounter at McKinley Heating Service Experts in Edmonton is dirty air filters. They can 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 realize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a filthy air filter can cause a host of concerns for your heating and AC system.
So what exactly happens when you neglect to swap out your air filter? Here are a just a couple of the side effects you might encounter:
- Reduced airflow. This is easily the biggest headache you’ll notice when your home’s air filter is very clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being switched, the more dirt, dust and other particles build up. Of course, this prevents air from passing through the filter as it should, meaning your system is working a lot harder to provide you with the same amount of air.
- Frozen coil. If your system is working harder because of a filthy air filter, you also run the risk of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s working overtime to give you cool air.
- Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a threat if your air filter goes neglected for months and months on end. In essence, you will have worked your system so hard that something breaks or wears out and needs to be replaced or serviced.
- Short cycling. Short cycling means the heating and cooling system turns on and off all the time. When your system short cycles, it could overheat or break down from the added work, which could end up causing damage to your system.
In addition to these, you can also expect:
- A diminished equipment lifecycle
- Decreased energy efficiency
- Diminished air quality
- Greater 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 avert any potential damage that might 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 number of air filters we carry, give McKinley Heating Service Experts a call at 780-800-7092 or schedule an appointment online.
