5 Potential HVAC Problems When You
Ignore Air Filter Replacement
Air filter controls the air quality in your house. But if you don’t replace your air filter regularly, you’ll face a lot more problems apart from air quality problems. In this article, I’ll tell you about the potential problems you’ll face when you don’t replace your air filter regularly.
1. Short Cycling
When your HVAC system turns on and off frequently – it’s called short-cycling. Short-cycling can happen for a number of reasons, and a dirty air filter is one of them. When short-cycling happens, you’ll notice a rise in your heating and cooling bill. Besides, you’ll have to bear the noise coming out of your HVAC system, and your overall comfort will be compromised.
2. Wear & Tear
The main function of the air filter is to block dust and small particles from entering your space. But when your HVAC air filter gets dirty, it cannot block dust and small particles. As a result, you’ll have poor indoor air quality. But apart from this, dust will also start to form inside your HVAC system. When this happens, friction will increase in your HVAC system.
Friction is important to run any machine, but too much friction can reduce the system’s capacity. That’s why friction is called the “necessary evil.”When there’s too much friction in your HVAC system, your HVAC system will have to run longer to produce the same heating and cooling and this’ll create more wear and tear. The average lifespan of an HVAC system is 10 to 15 years. But if you don’t replace your HVAC air filter regularly, you may have to change your HVAC system long before that.
3. System’s Efficiency will be Reduced
As I mentioned earlier, when you have a dirty or clogged air filter, your HVAC system will run longer to produce the same heating and cooling. That means your HVAC system will consume more electricity. As a result, the overall efficiency of your HVAC system will be reduced. If you’re holding up your air filter replacement to save money then unfortunately, you’re not going in the right direction. You’re actually wasting your money, which you could easily save by regularly replacing your HVAC air filter.
4. Uneven Heating and Cooling
Dirty or clogged air filter restricts the airflow in your HVAC system, and due to this, you’ll notice uneven heating and cooling in your space. As a result, your overall comfort will be compromised, and your HVAC efficiency will be reduced.
5. Allergen Problem
A clean air filter blocks all sorts of small particles, dust, and allergens. If you have someone in your home who has an allergy problem or asthma, you should change your air filter regularly. When you don’t change your air filter regularly, your HVAC air filter won’t be able to block any small particles from entering your room.
Asthma patients are sensitive to allergens and small particles. If you don’t change the air filter regularly, you’re indirectly hurting your family members.
Now, I’ll tell you about the possible causes of the wet air filter and how to repair it.
What leads to Wet Air Filters & Ways to Repair It
Since air in Dallas contains a lot of moisture, the chances of having a wet air filter are very high. Again, if you have a clogged drain line, you’ll have a wet HVAC air filter.
Your HVAC system removes moisture while cooling in your home, and sometimes moisture condensate on the evaporator coil. That moisture then drips into the HVAC drain line. But if there’s a blockage in the drain line, water starts to overflow, and your HVAC air filter absorbs that water.
Apart from this, moisture can directly drip into the air filter rather than the evaporator coil. As a result, your HVAC air filter will become wet. This is a rare case, if you haven’t installed your HVAC system properly, you’ll have a wet air filter problem.
To prevent this from happening, you’ll have to change your air filter regularly. When you have a dirty air filter, dust and small particles start to build-up on parts of the HVAC system. This dust and small particles can create a blockage in the drain line and you’ll have a wet air filter problem. It’s recommended that you should go for a regular HVAC maintenance checkup and replace your HVAC air filter every 2 to 3 months.