Top 3 Signs of a Dirty HVAC Filter
More and more people are using HVAC systems, with almost 90% of American households having owned some kind of AC in 2020. With so many new users of air conditioning, many of them are asking the question, “How often should you change an air filter?” Well, what happens if they forget to, or things get dirty faster than they expected?
Below we list three of the most common ways you can tell if you have a dirty HVAC filter. Check each one against the state of your own AC unit, and see if you can improve your indoor air quality today.
1. Less Air Circulation
When your air filters become clogged with debris and dirt, your HVAC is not going to have the ability to push air through it. This means the rooms in your home will not receive fresh and clean air, leading to the whole location feeling stuffy.
As one of the most obvious dirty HVAC filter symptoms, this one is most likely to happen if you have an especially dusty house. You can avoid it by vacuuming once every week or two and ensuring the vents and ducts remain free from dirt.
2. Worse Air Coming Through
Unless you have air filters delivered when you need to change them out, they will often begin to fill with all sorts of particles. As the air can often still move through a dirty air filter at high speeds, it will pick up indoor air pollutants on the way through.
Over time, this can cause a significant reduction in air quality. If someone in the home suffers from allergies or asthma, this could trigger such issues.
Another sign of this happening is if you see a sudden build-up of dust or other particles in the area of the air conditioning ducts and vents. This means that the air coming out of them is full of these things and that you should act to remove them.
3. Short Cycling
The concept of “Short cycling” is when an air conditioning system turns on and off in quick succession compared to the time it usually takes. If you need to change the air filter or there is not enough air coming through, this can often lead to overheating. If the system detects it has gotten too hot, it will then turn off until it feels it is safe, leading to short cycling.
Over time, this not only impairs the ability of the system to function as it should but also starts to overwork the system. It can even be dangerous if it overheats too much, though this is why the automated shut-off exists in the first place.
After Cleaning a Dirty HVAC Filter
These tips are your best bet when it comes to working out if you have a dirty HVAC filter. Still, you might want to know more about your unit so you can maintain it if you need to. As such, you should check out our other articles.
We have stories and posts about all sorts of different topics, with a focus on teaching you everything you might need to know about your life. So, check out our blog and learn more today.
