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

One of the most common concerns that we encounter at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning in Fort Myers is dusty air filters. They might seem like a very small piece of the big 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 filthy air filter can cause a variety of issues for your heating and AC system.

So what exactly happens when you forget to swap out your air filter? Here are a just a handful of the side effects you might encounter:

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the largest problem you’ll recognize when your home’s air filter is badly 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 significantly harder to leave 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 provide you with cool air.
• Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a possibility if your air filter goes neglected 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 excessively. 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
• Lower energy efficiency
• Lower air quality
• Greater dust and debris
• Lack of comfort