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

One of the most routine concerns that we hear about at Stevenson Service Experts in Columbus is dusty air filters. They may seem like a very small piece of the big home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us maintain comfort is a lot bigger than most homeowners recognize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a clogged air filter can cause a number of problems 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 couple of the side effects you may encounter:

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the greatest headache you’ll recognize when your home’s air filter is very 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 provide you with the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is running harder as a result of a filthy air filter, you also run the chance of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s operating overtime to leave you with 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 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 may overheat or break down from the added work, potentially causing damage to your system.

In addition to these, you can also expect:

• A shortened equipment lifecycle
• Reduced energy efficiency
• Lower air quality
• Increase in dust and debris
• Lack of comfort