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

One of the most common issues that we hear about at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning in Miami is dirty air filters. They may seem like a very insignificant piece of the whole home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us create comfort is a lot bigger than most homeowners recognize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a dirty air filter can cause a number of concerns for your heating and AC system.

So what exactly happens when you forget to change your air filter? Here are a just a few of the side effects you may encounter:

• Decreased airflow. This is easily the biggest headache you’ll recognize when your home’s air filter is badly clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being swapped out, the more dirt, dust and other particles build up. Of course, this hinders 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 because of a dirty air filter, you also run the danger of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s operating overtime to give you cool air.
• Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a possibility if your air filter goes unchanged 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 all the time. When your system short cycles, it can 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
• Lower energy efficiency
• Decreased air quality
• Increase in dust and debris
• Lack of comfort