Dave, Owner at Cypress Creek AC, a Local Woodlands AC Repair Company tells KSEV listeners it’s time to change your filters.
Can you remember the last time you changed your AC systems air filter? If you can’t then this bit of advice from your Conroe air experts is for you. If you’re like most homeowners, it’s on your maintenance list, but it’s often last on the list. The problem is it tends to get forgotten as other items are added. Whether it’s for your central air unit, window unit, furnace, or other air purification system, changing your air filter is paramount to your home maintenance and can be costly if you don’t do it regularly. Many of our Houston, Woodlands and Conroe air conditioning customers have lost thousands from clogged air filters. Don’t be one of them, follow our advice. Change your air filter monthly at the very least, and more frequent if you have pets or live in a dusty environment. Here are just a few benefits you get with a clean and efficient air filter.
1. Breathe Easy
This is of course the most obvious and most important reason to change your air filter. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE AIR YOU BREATHE! There’s a lot of dust, pollen, pet dander, chemcials, and other nastiness floating throughout the air that you absolutely do not want to inhale. The air filter’s purpose is to capture these contaminates so your lungs don’t. The more clean surface space on the filter there is the more it catches and the less you breathe in. According to research, the EPA and the American Lung Association recommend superior air filtration for people with allergies and asthma.
2. Cut Your Utility Costs Down
Try inhaling air from the paper tube of paper towels..pretty easy huh with all that open airflow? Now, try doing that with a coffee stir straw. The game changes drastically doesn’t it? The more restricted your airway is the less amount of air an move through it, creating blockage.
Now imagine the same thing happening to your furnace or air conditioner. When the air filter gets clogged over time with all of those unwanted particles, it becomes harder to suck the air through. The unit has to work harder and over longer periods of time to pull the same amount of air through. This means you will be spending more each month on your heating and cooling costs than you need to be. Whey you change your air filter, your system can work as efficiently as it was designed to.
3. Prevent Early Breakdowns
Go back to the coffee stir straw example. You could probably breathe through it for a few minutes, you may even struggle and push through a few hours, but after that you increasingly lose stamina and eventually you pass out or quit. Your AC system is no different. That’s right, if you stress your unit for too long, the results could be bad, thousands of dollars bad. Not only would your monthly utility costs go up but you could wind up with a system that decides to call it quits before it’s time. With dependable units costing at least 6 thousand, a clean air filter helps the air system to not wear out prematurely and cost you extra money you can’t afford.
4. It’s Simple
By now, you should at least be convinced that you really do need to change your air filter regularly. You may be thinking this means a service call from your air experts, AKA more money out of pocket. Here’s the good news: It’s not a hard DIY project at all, takes 10 minutes tops. The hardest part of the whole process is actually just figuring out where the filter is located. Many units have it located in the blower compartment of your furnace, in an attached filter housing, or in a ceiling or wall mounted air grille. From there it’s usually as simple as removing the cover, taking out the old filter, and reinstalling the correct size filter in the same direction, and replacing the cover. You’re done! That’s it!
Now, there are many styles of air filters, including fiberglass mesh, filters that are pleated, and some that are washable. Our Conroe air experts recommend a pleated filter for a balance of cost and function. Air filters might also have various ratings, often called a MERV rating. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. This is a standardized rating system to rate the effectiveness and application of different grades of air filters. MERV rating 8, is the normal for residential homes.
If you don’t remember how long it’s been since you changed your filter you can perform an easy test. Hold a used filter up to the light. When you can no longer see light pass through the filter, it’s time to toss that filter and get a new one on STAT.
5. It’s Affordable
The cost of an air filter can vary depending on type and material, but it’s actually a very affordable investment. Considering that NOT changing your filter could cost thousands in repairs, this reason is a no brainer. Even paying one of our Conroe air techs to swap out a new filter is a relatively low cost. As mentioned many times, the costs are especially low relative to the potential costs associated with having to replace a burnt out, overworked unit. Call it insurance for your HVAC system if you will.
Tips provided by Cypress Creek Air Conditioning.
