Regular maintenance is an essential part of seeing that your heating and air conditioning system works at its energy-efficient best and with the least chance of suffering unnecessary repair problems. Most maintenance tasks require the work of HVAC professionals. However, there’s one important task that you can manage on your own, which is changing the air filter on a regular basis.
The air filter on most HVAC systems is located on the furnace/air conditioner/heat pump cabinet indoors at the point where the return duct connects with the cabinet. The filter can be slid out and replaced with a new one.
“How often should I change the filter?”
We often hear this questions from our customers, and the answer is “once a month.” And that’s regardless of whether the filter looks like it needs it or not. If you pull out the filter after a month and it appears as if it has little clogging in it, you should still replace it. The reason is that the filter also traps microscopic allergens and other minute particles that can negatively affect your air quality.
Most of the time, you’ll see plenty of evidence of obstructions built up in the filter, such as dust, pet hair, and carpet and furniture fibers. A month of regular operation is plenty of time to allow this debris to accumulate to the point it will obstruct the flow of air to the system’s air handler, forcing the system to struggle in order to perform at maximum capacity. This means higher bills and greater system stress. In the case of furnaces, it can even mean the system overheating due to extra heat trapped inside, which will trigger the limit switch to shut off the furnace early.
A helpful tip for air filter replacement
Make filter changing part of another task that you have to do every month, such a paying a power bills, giving monthly prescriptions to your pet, or renewing subscriptions to a streaming service. Date and initial the filter so you will always know when it was last changed (and also mark it on the calendar on your smart phone).
When you need assistance with your heating and cooling systems in Destin, FL or the surrounding areas, call Kool Breeze of Northwest Florida, Inc.