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

One of the most common issues that we encounter at Church Services in Houston is dirty air filters. They can seem like a very insignificant piece of the overall home comfort puzzle, but the role they play in helping us control 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 change your air filter? Here are a just a handful of the side effects you may encounter:

• Diminished airflow. This is easily the greatest headache you’ll note when your home’s air filter is very 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 a lot harder to leave you with the same amount of air.
• Frozen coil. If your system is working harder due to a clogged air filter, you also run the risk of having the cooling coil freeze inside of the system, because it’s running overtime to provide you with cool air.
• Total loss of cooling or heating. This is also a possibility if your air filter goes unchanged 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 more than it should. When your system short cycles, it can 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
• Lower energy efficiency
• Diminished air quality
• Greater dust and debris
• Lack of comfort