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

One of the most routine problems that we hear about at Pardee Service Experts in Charleston is dirty air filters. They might 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 bigger than most homeowners realize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a clogged air filter can cause a variety of problems for your heating and AC system.

So what exactly happens when you neglect to change your air filter? Here are a just a few of the side effects you might encounter:

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the biggest issue you’ll notice when your home’s air filter is severely clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being changed, 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 provide you with the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is working harder due to a clogged air filter, you also run the chance of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s running overtime to leave you with 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 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 more than it should. When your system short cycles, it can overheat or break down from the added work, possibly causing damage to your system.

In addition to these, you can also expect:

• A shorter equipment lifecycle
• Decreased energy efficiency
• Lower air quality
• Greater dust and debris
• Lack of comfort