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

One of the most common problems that we hear about at Wesley Wood Service Experts in West Chester is dusty air filters. They may seem like a very tiny piece of the overall home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us maintain comfort is a lot larger than most homeowners realize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a dirty air filter can cause a number of issues for your heating and AC system.

So what exactly happens when you neglect to change your air filter? Here are a just a handful of the side effects you might encounter:

• Decreased airflow. This is easily the largest issue you’ll recognize when your home’s air filter is severely 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 significantly harder to provide you with the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is running 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 provide you with 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 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 all the time. 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
• Decreased energy efficiency
• Lower air quality
• Greater dust and debris
• Lack of comfort