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

One of the most routine issues that we come acress at BW/Cook Service Experts in Elkhart is filthy air filters. They might seem like a very insignificant piece of the whole 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 clogged air filter can cause a number of issues for your heating and AC system.

So what exactly happens when you forget to swap out your air filter? Here are a just a handful of the side effects you might encounter:

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the biggest problem you’ll note 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 quite a bit harder to give you the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is running harder due to a clogged air filter, you also run the chance 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 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 can 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 diminished equipment lifecycle
• Lower energy efficiency
• Decreased air quality
• More dust and debris
• Lack of comfort