Okay, so your furnace doesn’t really feel strongly about anything, what with it being an inanimate object and all. That being said, your furnace does need a fresh air filter, even if it lacks the cognitive awareness to truly prefer one. In fact, leaving a dirty air filter in your furnace is one of the very worst things that you can do for your system! Sure, it may be a relatively minor maintenance task, but that does not make it any less vital.
Air filters play a very important role in the furnace—and, truth be told, in any forced air heating system. A very dirty air filter in your furnace in Columbia, SC can result in a number of different problems, and those problems can really start to snowball the longer that you leave that dirty air filter in place. Air filters are cheap and easy to change out, so don’t let a dirty air filter cause the following furnace problems in your home!
Increased Airflow Resistance? Increased Problems.
When you blow through a straw, it’s not exactly a difficult task, right? What if someone were to pinch that straw nearly shut, though? It suddenly becomes much more difficult to force air through that narrower passageway, right? Well, that difficulty is essentially what you’re dealing with when you have a dirty air filter in place.
The air filter in your HVAC system is not really there to boost air quality throughout the home—designated air filtration systems are what you need if that is your goal. As such, these filters are not terribly efficient, and it is pretty easy for your furnace to blow heated air through a clean one. If the filter is clogged up and dirty, though? It’s much tougher. That increased strain on the system is what leads to many issues.
Efficiency and Performance Quality Suffer
One of the primary victims of a very dirty air filter is your energy efficiency. If you have a dirty air filter in place, then you are going to be paying more than you should have to in order to heat your home. It’s just that simple. The system requires more energy to force heated air through the clogged filter, and your wallet takes the hit.
Plus, there is the fact that your system is not going to be functioning as effectively to consider. Overpaying for heating is bad enough. Overpaying for subpar heating is even worse. Changing your air filter as needed, typically every 1-3 months, is one of the easiest ways in which to optimize system performance and efficiency.
If your filter is really dirty and your system is really straining to heat your home, then short cycling may even occur. Basically, the system is going to be so overstrained that it is going to overheat and shut down prematurely. Then it is going to have to start up again, then it will cycle down again, over and over. Not only does this waste a whole lot of energy, but it also leads to a lot of wear and tear on the system that can increase the risk of encountering operational problems.
Schedule your furnace services with the pros here at Fulmer Heating & Cooling.