When you cool your home, you want to do so as efficiently as possible. Nobody wants to pay more than they should need to when cooling their homes, especially if they are seeing a decline in the overall performance of their air conditioners at the same time. So why might someone encounter such problems with their system? Sometimes, it is due to a repair need. Other times, however, it can be something as simple as the homeowner forgetting to change the air filter in the system.
While it is true that the vast majority of air conditioning maintenance must be completed by trained, experienced, and professional HVAC technicians, that doesn’t mean that you can’t help to keep your system in fine working condition. Simply changing out the air filter in your system is easily the best way for you to do this. It may sound like a minor issue, but failing to keep a fresh filter in your air conditioner in Arlington, VA can have some seriously negative consequences.
Decreased Energy Efficiency
It is easier to blow through a big straw that is free of obstructions than to blow through one that is very narrow or which has the wrapper stuffed up into it, right? The case is much the same when talking about your air filter.
If your air filter is very dirty, it is going to be harder for your air conditioner to force air through it in order to distribute the air throughout the rest of your home. Because of this added airflow resistance, your air conditioner is going to require more energy to do its job. That will leave you to pay more to cool your home.
Increased Wear and Tear
Your air conditioner is going to have to do a lot of hard work over the course of the cooling season. This will inevitably result in some wear and tear on it. However, if you are putting additional stress on your air conditioner by forcing it to operate with a dirty air filter in place, then your system is likely going to wind up suffering from even more wear and tear than it should have to. This increases the risk of serious problems and potentially costly repairs for your system.
Decreased Indoor Air Quality
The air filter that comes standard in your HVAC system is not really there to help improve the indoor air quality throughout your home. These air filters are of relatively low MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) and are really there to protect the interior of the system itself. However, if the filter is very dirty, then it can certainly contribute to decreased indoor air quality throughout your home. Air may actually be forced around the air filter, rather than through it, as the air seeks the path of least resistance. That will allow pollutants to be distributed throughout your house.
Contact Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. if you have any questions regarding the air filter in your air conditioning system.