What Happens When You Don't Change Your Furnace's Air Filter

One of the most basic problems that we encounter at Peitz Service Experts in Pierre is dusty air filters. They may seem like a very small piece of the big home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us create comfort is a lot greater than most homeowners notice. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a filthy air filter can cause a variety of concerns for your heating and AC system.

So what exactly happens when you don’t remember to switch out your air filter? Here are a just a few of the side effects you could encounter:

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the greatest problem you’ll note 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 inhibits air from passing through the filter as it should, meaning your system is working a lot harder to leave you with the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is working harder because of a dirty air filter, you also run the chance 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 possibility 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 all the time. When your system short cycles, it could overheat or break down from the added work, potentially causing damage to your system.

In addition to these, you can also expect:

• A diminished equipment lifecycle
• Reduced energy efficiency
• Decreased air quality
• More dust and debris
• Lack of comfort