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

One of the most common problems that we encounter at Midland Air Service Experts in Columbia is dusty air filters. They can seem like a very small piece of the whole home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us maintain comfort is a lot greater than most homeowners realize. 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 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 biggest issue you’ll note when your home’s air filter is very clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being swapped out, 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 operating harder because of a dirty air filter, you also run the risk of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s operating overtime to give you cool air.
• Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a possibility if your air filter goes unattended for months and months on end. In essence, you will have worked your system so hard that something quits working 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 shorter equipment lifecycle
• Lower energy efficiency
• Decreased air quality
• More dust and debris
• Lack of comfort