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

One of the most routine problems that we encounter at Aramendia Plumbing, Heating and Air in San Antonio is dusty air filters. They may seem like a very insignificant piece of the overall home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us control comfort is a lot bigger than most homeowners notice. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a dirty air filter can cause a number of issues for your heating and AC system.

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

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the biggest headache you’ll recognize when your home’s air filter is badly clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being changed, 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 significantly harder to provide you with the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is operating harder because of a dirty air filter, you also run the danger 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 probability if your air filter goes unattended 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 may 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
• Lower energy efficiency
• Diminished air quality
• More dust and debris
• Lack of comfort