An air filter is an initial defense mechanism for maintaining your household’s health. However, an air conditioner will function less effectively if it becomes dirty, resulting in less efficient home cooling and potential cost increases. Moreover, having a dirty air filter will have several negative repercussions. Here we will discuss the causes of a filter being unclean and their lesser-known adverse effects.
What Causes Your Air Filter to Become Dirty So Quickly?
Your furnace filters greatly influence your ability to inhale clean air. It not only aids in capturing contaminants and particles that may affect the cleanliness of the air but also assists in extending the Air conditioning system’s lifespan. An air conditioner filter could easily become filthy for various reasons. Listed below are the things that cause this problem most frequently.
- Higher MERV rating: More nanoparticles can be trapped by your filter if their MERV value is greater, like Merv 8 or Merv 11. Since they are created primarily to capture the majority of airborne pollutants, these filters rapidly become filthy.
- Pet hair: No matter if your pet has fur or feathers, it will still shed hair and dandruff, microscopic bits of skin that fly around in the air. This may fall on the filters, which would cause clogging more rapidly and restrict airflow.
- Wrong HVAC settings: The fan’s “ON” setting is another possible explanation. If the fan on the AC is set to “ON,” it will run continuously, forcing air to repeatedly pass over the air filter, making it dirty very quickly.
- Large family: The more people reside in your house, the more dust, and airborne particles will be produced, and the filters will become dirty more rapidly.
- Dusty environments: If there is a lot of dust outdoors where you live due to construction, your air filters will soon become dirty since they absorb those nanoparticles.
5 Little-Known Side Effects of a Dirty Air Filter
Maintaining a clean air filter in your air conditioning unit is necessary to ensure the system’s proper operation. However, it is possible for a variety of negative consequences to occur if it becomes filthy. Some of them are severe, while others are not. However, you should be aware of these small negative effects to maintain a healthy environment. Here are 5 of the little-known side effects you may face from your dirty air filter.
Increased Energy Costs: Energy costs will be higher if you have an AC unit with a clogged air filter. The entire system performs harder than usual and consumes more energy to chill your home if the air filter has unclean. The U.S. Department of Energy indicates that a dirty air filter can increase power usage by 15%.
Furnace Failure: A filthy air filter can harm your furnace and result in an ineffective, poorly functioning air conditioner. A blocked air filter should always be considered the main reason for equipment failure.
Overheating Issue: Your AC unit might overheat if the 12x12x1 filter in your heating system is blocked or unclean. If the filter is clogged, your AC will operate harder to maintain proper balance. This increases the unit’s stress and raises the probability of overheating.
Frozen Evaporator Coils: If there is not enough airflow, your condenser coil won’t be able to remove heat as efficiently as it should. As a direct consequence, the coil’s surface will become subfreezing. In addition, because of the amount of moisture in the air, ice will form and begin to accumulate all around the coil.
Lower Air Quality: If your home’s air filter is unclean, it won’t be able to effectively prevent dust, pollutants, and other airborne particles from entering your home. This will be harmful to members of the family who suffer from asthma, allergies, or any other health problem.
Conclusion
You can stay warm during the winter months or cool throughout the summer with the help of an effective heating and cooling system. But, you will experience difficulties if the entire system cannot function as intended. So, you have to be careful about its functionality. Finally, if you face any of the abovementioned problems, don’t worry because you can quickly resolve them through routine inspections and maintenance. Besides, if you need a new replacement air filter, try buying it from a well-known company like Mervfilters.
