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

One of the most common concerns that we hear about at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning in Gainesville is dusty air filters. They might seem like a very small piece of the overall home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us create comfort is a lot greater than most homeowners realize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a clogged air filter can cause a number of concerns 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 could encounter:

• Reduced airflow. This is easily the greatest issue you’ll notice when your home’s air filter is very clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being swapped out, 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 a lot 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 risk of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s running overtime to give you cool air.
• Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a threat 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 more than it should. When your system short cycles, it could 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
• Lower air quality
• Greater dust and debris
• Lack of comfort