The temperature outside, blooming plants, and teaming animals can also signal seasonal change. While nature gives us signs to prepare for seasonal changes, your HVAC system does not. When the heating and cooling needs within your home change and you’re switching from your heater to your air conditioner, you should also be performing some basic maintenance on your systems.
Easy DIY maintenance like cleaning or switching out your filters can protect your systems and lower your overall energy consumption. If only we remembered to change our filters as easily as we remember to prepare for the changing seasons. When we pull our heavy bedding out of storage and put away our swimwear, we should also check our HVAC system’s filters and ensure they’re in good condition for the upcoming winter season.
Clogged and dirty filters can leave your system compromised in more ways than one. You could experience problems like:
- System Failures: Dirty filters block airflow into your HVAC system, which means your system must work harder to heat or cool the air in your home. When your system works harder than necessary, it puts additional strain on your unit, which ages your system faster.
- Poor Air Quality: When your filters are filled with dirt, dust, and debris, your HVAC system can’t filter pollutants and dust from the air. Additionally, the dirty filter in spreading dirty air throughout your system.
- Increased Energy Spending: If your filters are clogged and your system is forced to work harder, it means your HVAC system is using more energy than normal – which translates to increased energy costs on your utility bill.
Now that you know the potential problems you could face by failing to change your filters regularly, you need to determine how often the filters in your home should be replaced. The frequency you change your filters is determined by lifestyle choices and the age of your system.
How Often Should You Change Your HVAC Filters?
How often you will need to replace the filters in your HVAC system depends largely on outside factors unique to you and your lifestyle. For example, do you have pets? Do you have children? Is your home in a busy area with heavy traffic and outdoor pollution? These lifestyle and environmental factors will impact how often you need to change your filter. You should adhere to a lifestyle schedule rather than the suggestions of an arbitrary manufacturer standard. Some people need to change their filters every 30 days, while some people only need to switch theirs out twice per year. If you don’t have extenuating circumstances impacting your filter usage, it may be helpful to contact our HVAC maintenance experts for guidance.
Here are three reasons you may need to replace your HVAC air filter more often:
- Respiratory Challenges: If you or someone in your household has chronic breathing issues, your air filters need to be as clean as possible. It would also be in your best interest to use high-quality filters made for allergy sufferers. Experts suggest people with respiratory challenges change their filters every six weeks.
- Children: Young children need clean air to thrive, and while poor quality has been linked to breathing issues, it’s impossible to avoid all pollution. Ideally, the air a child is exposed to should be as clean as possible. Poor air quality has been linked to a greater likelihood of childhood respiratory illnesses like asthma. Parents should change their filters every 30 days to limit exposure to polluted air.
- Pets: Indoor pets are a wonderful addition to any household, but they can present challenges to your home’s HVAC system – especially if your pet sheds. Pet dander, a known allergen, irritates the respiratory system of some people. Additionally, a filter clogged with dust, pet dander, and other particles can leave the air in your home with a stale odor.
As you may have noticed, changing the filter in your HVAC unit is one of the most important things you can do to extend the life of your system, improve the air quality in your home, and curb excess energy spending.
The HVAC Team You Can Count on All Year Long
If you’ve discovered the air filters in your home aren’t being replaced as frequently as needed, the HVAC maintenance experts at All Pro Plumbing, Heating, Air and Electrical can help remedy the situation. Our knowledgeable and skilled HVAC experts can schedule regular maintenance to fit your household needs, and once we schedule a time to meet and inspect your home, we will work to keep your HVAC filters clean and your system in good shape.
When you call us, you can count on the job being done right the first time. Call our HVAC specialists today at (909) 500-8193 or contact us online to schedule an appointment.