It’s human nature to forget. But sometimes forgetting can be very costly. It happens more than we’d like, too. Homeowners don’t give much consideration concerning their heating and air conditioning systems until something goes awry. Oddly enough, when something does go wrong (sometimes horribly wrong), the most prevalent cause is that they neglected to replace their air filter in time.
To promote awareness and educate our customers about air filters, and how they operate, we at Delaware Heating & Air have composed the following information. Read what occurs when you don’t replenish your air filter as frequently as you should.
HOW AIR FILTERS WORK
Air filters are manufactured from fiberglass or pleated paper. Encased by a cardboard enclosure, air filters are inserted in HVAC systems to serve as a shield to prevent contaminants and other particles from drifting throughout your home within the air you inhale. In addition to that, they also stop these pollutants from entering unprotected components of the system. Everything from pet dander, to mold, dust, lint, hair, fur, bacteria, and more are some examples of the sorts of things these filters stop from roaming around your residence.
WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO CHANGE MY HVAC FILTER?
The timing on when you should replace your filters varies according to the kind of filter you have. It also depends on what is going on in your house. Taking these two factors into consideration, you should have a fixed schedule to ensure the filter is continuously functioning at its optimal.
For instance, if you don’t have any pets or animals in your residence, you should replace your filter with a new one every 90 days.
However, if you have one animal or pet in the home, you should replace the filter every 60 days. For multiple pets, it is good to replace it anywhere from every 20 to 40 days, especially if someone in the home has allergies, as they can affect the frequency.
Homeowners who live by themselves and don’t have any pets can usually go with the same filter for six months to a year if they don’t have allergies, and the filter isn’t dirty before that. It’s always good to check between replacements. People who have vacation homes that don’t get used regularly can also go six months to a year.
WHAT IF MY AIR FILTER GETS CLOGGED?
Failure to replace your air filters on a timely basis can be a costly mistake. A clogged filter can suffocate your system. The heap of fragments and pollutants blanket themselves onto your filter and obstruct the flow of air. While the filter is designed to catch these tiny particles, the accumulation, if left unchecked long enough, can create a nearly impenetrable layer hindering the flow of all air. When this happens, it can trigger a host of problems for the whole HVAC system and health issues for those in the home. Some of those issues include:
HEALTH PROBLEMS
If your air filter is obstructed and is unable to clean out pollutants as it should, those pollutants will remain in the air you and your family breathe. Symptoms, as a result, are itching eyes or throats migraines, sneezing, wheezing, and more. If you still don’t get a new air filter and the problems continue, the long-term consequences could lead to respiratory illnesses, possibly even heart disease and more. Studies even link indoor air pollution to cancer and premature death.
COSTLY ENERGY BILLS
When your air filter is obstructed because it hasn’t been changed, the air is not able to circulate through the system adequately, if at all. This hinderance burdens the entire system making it difficult for it to administer heat and air where it is necessary. As a result, the strain also increases your utility bills with the unit is working harder to maintain temperatures. This subsequently leads to the next problem.
POOER TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Warm and cool air will not sufficiently reach where it is expected to reach when an obstructed air filter is forcing the system to strain to generate airflow. This problem leaves some rooms feeling too cold during the winter or feeling too warm throughout the summer months.
Bad air filters essentially have your valuable system spinning its own wheels.
FURNACE BREAKDOWNS
It gets worse than high energy bills.
If your system is struggling too hard to go around and through obstructed air filters, it can escalate into an all out furnace break down. If this occurs, you’ll need to replace the whole thing, when no one wants to face in the cold of an Ohio winter. A new furnace system will cost thousands, in some situations, more than $10,000. All because you didn’t change a little old filter.
Air filters are usually priced at less than $30-$40, so they are easy to replace frequently as opposed to replacing the entire system, a small fraction of the cost.
FROZE UP EVAPORATIVE COILS
Evaporative coils aid your air conditioner in eliminating heat from the air to make your home cool. They can freeze up if they are overstressed. With a backed-up air filter, the air won’t pass over the coils correctly, which makes them stop functioning and leads to a complete system breakdown. Here yet again, the cost to stop this expensive problem is simply buying a new air filter every few months. Protect your HVAC system and your budget by replacing the air filters on a regular schedule.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
If you have not substituted the air filters in your residence recently, heed our advice! Find out which type of filter you need and replace them ASAP. You can thank us later.
In the meantime, check the filter you are using. If you notice your current filters seem like nothing, not even air could go through them; it’s time to call an HVAC specialist. We can go to your home to inspect the system and discuss any issues caused by the old filters, therefore evading seriously expensive problems down the road.
GIVE US A CALL TODAY
For more information, or to schedule a money-saving appointment with one of our trustworthy technicians, call Delaware Heating & Air today at 740-227-8302 or schedule an appointment online now at https://www.delawareairandheat.com/schedule-now/.
