Be honest.
When is the last time you changed the filter in your air conditioner?
I get it. It’s one of those details that gets lost in the shuffle of daily life. But let me tell you this. If you’re not changing them regularly, you may be a victim of dirty air filters. Dirty air filters can damage your health, increase your utility bills, and shorten the lifespan of your air conditioning unit.
You don’t want that, do you?
Which brings up the perennial question:
How often SHOULD you change your air conditioning filters?
Everyone always asks me this, and my standard answer is this:
Your air conditioner will function at its best if you change filters every 30-45 days, but bear with a moment.
If you live in a small, one-person home with no pets or smokers; if you don’t have any respiratory ailments; if you keep the windows closed, you may be safe to go as much as 60-90 days without changing your air conditioning filters.
But the truth of the matter is that most homes have multiple residents with a varying number of pets and larger square footage. Often, someone in the home has allergies or respiratory problems. If windows are open, pesticides, dust, and pollen may come in from outside.
Most homes benefit from a monthly change of filters.
Consider the purpose of a filter
The filter in your air conditioner serves a very specific purpose.
As air is pushed through the system, the filter’s purpose is to pull out all the bad stuff in the air and hold it in one place, keeping it from being released into the air you breathe and being sucked into your lungs.
A filter has only so much space for collecting the dust and debris, pet hair, germs, and bacteria stuck to particles.
When a filter gets clogged with all the bad stuff it’s collected, there is no more room for those nasty contaminants that exist in the air. No one is immune to the particles, both seen and unseen, that float in the air around us. Without clean filters, those particles don’t get contained and get sucked into our lungs instead.
Don’t be a victim of dirty air filters!
Here are three definite reasons for changing them more often:
Number One: Dirty filters are bad for your health!
As I said, dirty filters hurt the air quality in your home, allowing you to breathe in free-floating contaminants.
WORSE than the fact that dirty air filters can’t effectively filter the air anymore is that they can then breed bacteria and mold spores, spitting them back out into the air you breathe.
Picture it this way.
You’ve got a filter that is jammed with the dust and junk that your air conditioner has pulled out of the air. Over time, because the air can’t circulate, moisture builds up within the filth. Moisture and darkness breed bacteria and mold spores.
These germs and mold spores get pushed out into the air you breathe because there’s no room in the filter to hold them.
Mold spores cause runny noses, headaches, wheezing, sneezing, itching, and difficulty breathing. Sometimes, they even cause skin rashes.
And if you’ve already got respiratory issues, imagine the health risks!
Number Two: Dirty filters cost you more money
If air can’t properly circulate, your air conditioner must work harder. The harder it has to work, the more energy it takes.
The more energy you use, the more money you spend cooling our house.
Get this.
The United States Department of Energy reports that you can reduce your energy consumption by up to 15% by changing those dirty air filters for clean ones.
Do you know what the biggest cost of your utility bill is?
Air conditioning and heating systems!
In fact, your HVAC system makes up 50% of your utility bill, so reducing the energy used by your air conditioner adds up to significant savings.
Number Three: Dirty filters reduce the lifespan of your air conditioner
If your air conditioning filter is filthy and prevents air circulation, dust can build up in the parts of your air conditioner, like the fan and the vents, making the system work harder.
What happens to your body when it has to work way harder than it has to?
It breaks down sooner. Muscles stiffen. Joints ache. Back injuries happen.
The same thing happens with your air conditioner.
If it has to work extra hard every day to make your air cool, parts will break. Your repair costs will go up and the lifespan of your unit is shortened.
All of those results can be avoided by changing your air filter often.
Easy ways to remember when to change your air filter:
· Pick a day of the month. The 1st. The 15th. The date of your birthday. It doesn’t matter. But every month on that day, change your air filter.
· Set a monthly reminder on your calendar on your phone.
· Change your filter on the day that you pay your utility bill since the two things go hand in hand.
Even easier still….
ServiceOne Air Conditioning and Plumbing is happy to announce that you can now order whatever filter from our website. Choose what you need and get it delivered to your door. No more running out to stores and searching building supply places only to find out that the filter you need is out of stock.
Go to this “Shop Online” link on our website. Type in the name of your air conditioner or the size of the filter you need. Order the filter for your air conditioner. Get it delivered.
You’ll be ready to change your dirty filter with a clean one, improving your health, reducing your bills, and lengthening the life of your heating and air conditioning unit each and every month!
Let us know if you have any questions or need any help knowing which filter will be best for your system.
We're here to keep you in comfort.