If you have checked out our blog before — and we hope you have taken advantage of some of the information found there — then you already know that air conditioning maintenance is essential. You also no doubt know that we urge homeowners to leave to trained professionals. If you try and tune up your air conditioner on your own, the results are at best ineffectual, and at worst, damaging.
That being said, there is at least one step that you can take to help keep your air conditioner in the best working condition possible — changing your air filter! It sounds like a minor issue, and it is straightforward, but that doesn’t mean that it is minor or that doing something simple cannot have incredible benefits! Don’t just take our word for it, though. Following are some of the benefits you can enjoy with a clean air filter in place.
You’ll Pay More to Cool Your Home
In certain areas of the country, homeowners dread the cost of heating their homes during the winter season far more than they do that of cooling their homes in the summer. Around here, though, it is the heat of the summer season that can sting the budget. Cooling your home does come at a cost, of course, but that doesn’t mean that you should be paying more than you should have to cool your home.
By leaving an air filter in your air conditioner longer than you should, though, this is exactly the issue that you are inviting. Your air conditioner has to force cool air through the filter if it is going to cool your home. When that filter is very dirty, it will be more difficult than the air conditioner to do so. This will result in the system using more energy than it otherwise reflected in higher cooling costs.
You’ll Put Unnecessary Wear and Tear on Your System
The harder your air conditioner has to work to do its job, the more wear and tear that system will accrue. Of course, your AC is going to suffer some general wear and tear over the course of a cooling season, but forcing it to work harder than is really necessary by leaving a dirty air filter in place is going to increase this wear and tear quite a bit. This can lead to an increased risk of damages and even shortened system lifespan.
You’ll Be Less Comfortable
When a system has a very dirty filter in it, that system may overheat. This leads to short cycling, in which the system turns on and off too rapidly, too frequently. When that happens, you are going to struggle to cool your home evenly and effectively. You may also notice that your air quality is dropping, as air travels through gaps between the filter and its frame, rather than the clogged-up filter media. If you don’t want to overexert your system while paying more for less comfort, be vigilant in changing your air filter as needed.
Contact Ideal Services Heating & Cooling with any questions that you may have.
