What Happens When You Don’t Change Your Air Filter

What Happens When You Don’t Change Your Air Filter

November 21, 2018

What do you think would happen if, one month, you just decided not to change the air filter? Every time the 30-day cycle comes back around, you may roll your eyes and get up in a huff. What’s the point? Does leaving an air filter in for more than a month even matter, or is it just a scheme concocted by Big Air to make you shell out money for more filters every month?

Here’s the short answer: it does matter. It matters a lot. That flimsy little filter can be the last and sometimes only line of defense between nasty contaminants and the sanctity of your home. To help drive home the importance of changing your air filter, we at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric have compiled a list of the very worst things that will happen if you neglect it for too long!

Dust Builds Up – And Leads to Bad Things

The first thing that probably comes to mind when you think about negative air problems is a buildup of dust and dirt. Obviously, this happens when a filter clogs, and it’s generally why we recommend a 30-day life on your air filter. But what happens when you leave it too long?

• It restricts airflow, which leads to a whole mess of other problems. We’ll get into that here in a second.
• It erodes the delicate parts of your HVAC unit, which causes more issues. Eventually the parts will deteriorate past the point of no return, and you’ll have to pony up the money for a replacement unit!

It Disrupts the Heat Exchanger

Your heat exchanger is the component in your furnace that is responsible for introducing hot air into your home, and it needs clean air to work properly. Without clean, functional air that a good air filter provides, the heat exchanger can’t heat your air.

It Lowers Air Quality

As we mentioned, a clogged air filter restricts airflow. This means that your air not only has a harder time circulating, but whatever air does manage to wiggle through will likely be contaminated. Your air quality takes a dip, meaning you and your family are breathing yucky, allergen-and-irritant-filled air.

It Spikes Your Energy Bills

When the air filter clogs, your system doesn’t register the level of clear airflow it’s expecting from that specific setting. It knows how much it’s putting out, but the intake it receives doesn’t match what it should.

As a result, you’ll notice that your unit has to kick into overdrive to reach the temperature you’re setting it at. You may actually feel the same temperature that you’d expect, but it’ll take much more energy to do so. Your energy bill will unfortunately feel the effects of this!

 

Did that do the trick and convince you of how important your filter is? There are many more negative effects from a clogged filter, including having to replace the entire unit if you neglect it for too long.

Don’t let that happen! Whether you need information or advice, or if you need some speedy service from heating experts you trust, give Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a shout. Reach us at 800-937-6736 for the most reliable service in Tampa!

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