There is nothing better that you can do for your air conditioner than scheduling annual air conditioning maintenance in Columbia, SC with a trained professional. Are you looking for something great that you yourself can do for your air conditioner, though? Something that you not only can do, but should be doing on a regular basis? Then look no further than your air filter. Specifically, look no further than the fresh air filter that you should be providing your AC every 1-3 months.
We have said time and time again that air conditioning maintenance is something that only tried and true AC professionals can handle. We meant it when we said it all of those times, and we are happy to reiterate that fact today. That being said, this doesn’t mean that you need to be completely hands-off when it comes to AC maintenance. After all, as mentioned above, that filter needs changing more than once a year! Here’s why.
Dirty Filters Degrade Efficiency
Nobody wants to live in an uncomfortably hot environment within the confines of their own homes. That means that you’ll have to pay to cool your home. ACs aren’t going to do the job for free. With a fresh filter in place, you help to ensure that you are not overpaying for your comfort, though.
The dirtier that your air filter is, the more airflow resistance it is going to create. The more airflow resistance it is going to create, the more energy it is going to use in order to cool your home. The more energy that it requires for doing so, the more it costs you to keep your home cool.
Your System May Start to Short Cycle
Another common problem with air conditioners using very dirty filters is short cycling. This is a problem in which the air conditioner does not run in its usual, even cooling cycles, but instead turns on and off more frequently than it otherwise would. The filter can create so much airflow resistance that it winds up causing the system to overheat.
Then, the system can wind up cycling down in order to protect itself from damages caused by overheating. However, all of that starting and stopping can result in damages caused by excessive wear and tear, too. Plus, a short cycling air conditioner is going to burn through a lot more energy than one that is functioning normally.
Icing May Occur
Your air conditioner is not a freezer, and it should never be cold enough, at any point, to cause ice to develop. Restricted airflow really inhibits the system’s heat transfer process, though, and that can result in the evaporator coil getting way too cold.
If the evaporator coil gets too cold, then it can wind up causing condensation that has collected on the coil to freeze up. When this happens, the ice actually creates an insulating barrier, and that only makes the issue of heat transfer even worse. So yes, changing your filter is definitely doing your system some good!
Schedule your AC services with Fulmer Heating & Cooling!