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

One of the most routine issues that we come acress at Orangutan Home Services in Tempe is dusty air filters. They can seem like a very insignificant piece of the overall home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us maintain comfort is a lot bigger than most homeowners recognize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a filthy air filter can cause a number of concerns 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 may encounter:

• Decreased airflow. This is easily the largest headache you’ll recognize when your home’s air filter is severely clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being changed, 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 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 danger of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s operating overtime to leave 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 excessively. 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 shorter equipment lifecycle
• Decreased energy efficiency
• Diminished air quality
• More dust and debris
• Lack of comfort