Did you know that you should have your HVAC air filter changed as often as once each month? Many St. Louis homeowners do not know this – causing them to pay higher energy bills, suffer from reduced air quality, and reduce the working lifespan of their systems. It is also the source of many complaints about the high cost of HVAC maintenance – because missing the key HVAC maintenance step of changing the air filter, often causes a cascade of other issues that results in an increased need for costly repairs.
HVAC systems work by directing airflow through the whole system. When airflow is impeded by a dirty air filter, everything else suffers. The efficiency of the system declines, the air quality goes down, and all the other components have to work harder – all for something that is relatively inexpensive to buy and easy to replace.
Buying your replacement air filters in bulk from your local home goods store can save you much more down the line. The prevention of keeping your air filter in good condition is far more effective than the ‘cure’ of an expensive HVAC repair visit.
Replacing the air filter can also prevent home damage, including fires, which can result from other issues that have the dirty air filter at the root. To learn more about proper HVAC maintenance, contact our St. Louis heating & air conditioning experts today!
The Havoc a Dirty Air Filter Can Cause
A dirty air filter can result in:
- Decreased efficiency and reduced performance: Does it seem like it is taking forever for your house to heat up or cool down? Is your home more expensive to heat than it was when you bought it? The air filter in your HVAC system could be the culprit. A dirty air filter can lead to the furnace overheating or can cause you’re A/C coils to freeze over. Both of these issues can result in expensive repair bills.
- Extra wear on your equipment: When the air filter is dirty, your furnace or A/C need to work overtime in order to get your home temperature to what your thermostat is set to. This also makes it so that your system is more likely to have to turn on multiple times to achieve the same result, putting increased wear on the equipment as well.
- Uneven air flow through the HVAC system: Missing this important – and basic – HVAC maintenance operation will often result in different rooms having different levels of air flow. This can mean that some rooms heat up much more easily than others. It can also lead to different air pressure levels in different rooms, which further makes it so that the system needs to work harder to meet the uniform thermostat temperature.
Stop HVAC Problems with Regular HVAC Maintenance
All of these problems can be avoided by regularly replacing your air filter. If you need help figuring out how to change your air filter, call us at Galmiche & Sons, your St. Louis heating & air conditioning professionals. We will be happy to walk you through what to do and check for other HVAC maintenance issues.
