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

One of the most routine problems that we hear about at Stark Services in Fort Worth is dirty air filters. They might seem like a very tiny piece of the overall home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us control comfort is a lot greater than most homeowners recognize. Regardless if it is cooling season or heating season, having a clogged air filter can cause a host 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 could encounter:

• Reduced airflow. This is easily the biggest headache you’ll recognize when your home’s air filter is very clogged. The longer the air filter goes without being switched, 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 significantly harder to give you the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is working 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 running overtime to give you cool air.
• Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a probability if your air filter goes neglected 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 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 shortened equipment lifecycle
• Reduced energy efficiency
• Diminished air quality
• Greater dust and debris
• Lack of comfort