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

One of the most common problems that we encounter at Eveready Service Experts in Richmond is dusty air filters. They can seem like a very tiny 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 filthy air filter can cause a number of issues 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 could encounter:

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the biggest problem you’ll note when your home’s air filter is very 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 due to a clogged air filter, you also run the danger of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s running 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 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
• Decreased energy efficiency
• Decreased air quality
• More dust and debris
• Lack of comfort