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

One of the most basic concerns that we come acress at Rob's Albertan Service Experts in Edmonton is dusty air filters. They might seem like a very insignificant piece of the big home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us control comfort is a lot bigger than most homeowners notice. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a clogged air filter can cause a host of issues for your heating and AC system.

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

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the biggest issue you’ll note when your home’s air filter is severely clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being switched, 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 running harder as a result of a filthy air filter, you also run the chance 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 probability if your air filter goes unattended 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, potentially 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