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

One of the most routine issues that we encounter at Stallion Heating Plumbing Air Conditioning in Philadelphia is dusty air filters. They may seem like a very insignificant piece of the big home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us create comfort is a lot greater than most homeowners notice. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a dirty air filter can cause a variety 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 couple of the side effects you could encounter:

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the greatest problem you’ll notice 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 a lot harder to give you the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is working harder as a result of a filthy air filter, you also run the risk of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s running overtime to provide you with cool air.
• Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a threat 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 could overheat or break down from the added work, which could end up causing damage to your system.

In addition to these, you can also expect:

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