The Importance Of Changing Air Filters

07/13/2022

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Your AC’s air filters play a crucial role in household safety, comfort, and expenses. Routinely replacing the filters is an easy way to keep your family healthy and comfortable while reducing monthly spending.

Keep reading to learn more about the importance of replacing AC air filters.

Regularly changing your home’s air filters results in:

1. Improved air quality: Air filters remove allergens like dust, pet dander, and pollen while filtering out harmful bacteria and mold particles.
2. Reliable cool air delivery: When air filters properly remove particles from the air, your system can focus on providing a steady stream of cool air. Fresh filters also help prevent your system from overheating.
3. Increased energy efficiency: Dirty air filters are the #1 cause of HVAC system breakdowns. Regularly changing them helps prevent clogs, thus ensuring unrestricted airflow.
4. Greater cost savings: Swapping dirty air filters for clean ones produces lower monthly energy bills and puts less wear and tear on your AC over time. This means your system will require fewer part repairs and replacements.
5. System longevity: Changing air filters routinely is guaranteed to lengthen the lifespan of your AC.

Undesirable Effects Of Dirty Air Filters

You may be thinking, “but how important can replacing dirty air filters be?” After all, it’s one basic component in a complex system. We’re here to tell you that changing air filters is essential to household safety and comfort.

If you need more convincing, take a look at the effects of leaving dirty air filters in your HVAC system for too long.

• System breakdowns
• Reduced air quality
• Restricted airflow
• Higher monthly energy bills
• Costly repairs & replacements
• Inefficient heating & cooling
• Shorter system lifespan due to increased wear & tear
• Reduced home comfort
• Increased risk of overheating

5 Signs You Need To Change Your AC’s Air Filter

These Six Signs Are Good Indicators That It’s Time To Check Or Change Your System’s Air Filter.

1. Your air conditioner doesn’t produce enough cool air to keep you comfortable.
2. You notice a decrease in airflow.
3. The indoor coil or outside air conditioner “ices up,” meaning ice appears on the equipment or copper lines connecting the two components.
4. Your air conditioner breaks down
5. Your air conditioner overheats

Choosing The Rite Air Filter

Here’s How To Choose The Right Air Filter For Your AC:

1. Get the right size filter for your unit. Determine what size filter your system requires. Some common sizes include 14”x25”x1”, 16x25x1”, 20x25x1”, 16x25x4”, and 20x25x4”. Most filters are 1” wide, whereas better filtration systems can be up to 5” wide. It’s best to measure the exact dimensions—especially the width—to correctly match the replacement filter with the size of the opening.
2. Select a filter with an adequate MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values) rating. This number rates how effectively the filter removes airborne contaminants.
3. Choose a high-velocity filter for the summer season. Pleated air filters work well during the fall and spring months because they help remove allergens. However, pleated air filters aren’t as effective during the summer months.

When & How To Change Your Home’s Air Filters

Check out this beginner’s guide on when and how to change your AC’s air filters.

A whole-house humidifier is a device that’s installed in your HVAC and/or plumbing systems. They’re relatively large in size, more affordable, easy to clean, and require no maintenance.

When

We recommend replacing your air filters at least three to four times per year. Make the switch at the onset of each season to ensure optimal system performance year-round. It’s especially important to change air filters before and after heavy use seasons, such as summer and winter.

How

Unsure how to go about changing the air filters? Don’t worry; it’s a straightforward and relatively inexpensive task anyone can accomplish. Follow this simple two-step guide:

1. Find where your filter is located. Most filters can be found in a “slot” or cabinet alongside the indoor heating/cooling unit. Sometimes in condos and multifamily units, it’s located in a hallway inside a big wall/ceiling grille.
2. Once you have the replacement filter in hand, turn your system off either at the unit or at the thermostat.
3. Remove and dispose of the dirty filter. Be sure to place the old filter in a trash bag immediately. Doing so will prevent the dust particles your system worked hard to remove from re-entering the air.
4. Insert the new air filter, ensuring the arrow points in the same direction it did when you removed the dirty filter. The arrow should point to the equipment.
5. Close the filter cover. If your system isn’t equipped with a cover, it could be allowing unfiltered air to enter your HVAC system. Contact the experts at Air-Rite Heating & Cooling to help diagnose the problem and replace missing parts.
6. Turn the system back on. Take a deep breath and know that your system is back to providing whole home filtration.

Pro tip: Each time you perform an air filter replacement, write the day’s date on the filter’s frame as a reminder of when to replace it next.

Maintain Home Comfort With Air-Rite Heating & Cooling

Looking for reliable AC maintenance, repair, or installation services in Naperville? Contact the Air-Rite Heating & Cooling team today. All you have to do is request the service(s) you need online, and we’ll take care of the rest.

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