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

One of the most common problems that we encounter at Bryant Heating & Cooling Service Experts in Windsor is filthy air filters. They might seem like a very tiny piece of the overall home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us create comfort is a lot larger than most homeowners realize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a filthy air filter can cause a variety of problems for your heating and AC system.

So what exactly happens when you don’t remember to swap out your air filter? Here are a just a handful of the side effects you might encounter:

• Diminished 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 hinders air from passing through the filter as it should, meaning your system is working quite a bit harder to provide you with the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is operating harder due to a clogged air filter, you also run the risk of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s working overtime to provide you with 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 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 can overheat or break down from the added work, possibly causing damage to your system.

In addition to these, you can also expect:

• A shorter equipment lifecycle
• Decreased energy efficiency
• Decreased air quality
• Increase in dust and debris
• Lack of comfort