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

One of the most common concerns that we encounter at Strand Brothers Service Experts in Austin is dirty air filters. They may seem like a very small piece of the whole home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us maintain comfort is a lot greater than most homeowners realize. 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 switch out your air filter? Here are a just a few of the side effects you might encounter:

• Decreased airflow. This is easily the greatest problem you’ll recognize 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 inhibits air from passing through the filter as it should, meaning your system is working quite a bit harder to leave you with the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is working harder because of a dirty 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 probability if your air filter goes neglected for months and months on end. In essence, you will have worked your system so hard that something quits working 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, possibly causing damage to your system.

In addition to these, you can also expect:

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