If you live in Alabama, you know full well how intensely the different seasons can impact us. From our bitterly cold winters to our sweat-drenched summers, there is always going to be a need for quality HVAC services in your own home. While most air conditioning and heating systems run well on their own, you do need to get into the habit of practicing an array of proper maintenance techniques. One of the most important things that you can do for the health and efficiency of your HVAC system is to simply get on a schedule to change your HVAC filters. Today, we are going to outline what an HVAC filter does, symptoms that show your filter is due for a change, and how a scheduled filter reminder service can help you stay comfortable year-round.
Impact and Importance of Regular HVAC Filter Changes
One of the most overlooked aspects of regular air conditioning and heating maintenance is that of the filtration system. Having functional filters will go a long way toward making sure that your AC services and heating services are never called into question when the time comes for you to fire them up. The main reason that people forget to pay attention to their HVAC filters is that they do not know exactly what’s at stake when the systems are ignored. Let’s go ahead and start our discussion on HVAC services by outlining a few potential problems that can arise from dirty or otherwise malfunctioning HVAC filters.
Lower Air Quality
When your HVAC filters begin to get clogged up, the air quality in your home is dramatically reduced. A clogged filter will fail to weed out problematic allergens and airborne particles that could impact your health in a negative way. If you have allergies or asthma, poor air filtration can cause flare-ups in your own home.
Lower Efficiency Rating
Whether you are changing your furnace filter or your air conditioning filter, a clogged filter can negatively impact the efficiency of your entire system. Talk to any Alabama HVAC technician and they’ll tell you that one of the leading causes of heightened utility bills is a clogged filtration system. If you want your systems working efficiently, get into the habit of changing your air filters.
Decreased Utility Lifespan
Finally, your HVAC system can run into problems that dramatically reduce the lifespan of the entire system. When clogged HVAC filters are ignored, you run into potential problems that can have a longstanding impact on your systems. You could even see your heating and cooling systems dramatically reduce their lifespan.
Potential Mold Growth
The final point that we want to highlight in relation to dirty HVAC filters is a relatively serious one. When your dirty filters are left alone and exposed to the elements, they can end up becoming the perfect conduits to produce mold within your home. Mold growth on your air filtration system is exactly as terrible as it sounds.
Best Time to Replace Your HVAC Filters
Okay, now that we have a solid foundation of information relating to the problems that can manifest from clogged HVAC filters, we can begin talking about tangible solutions. For most people, changing out their HVAC filters is a task that rarely pops to the front of their priority list. In fact, most people never even consider changing the filters until a problem arises or an HVAC technician tells them that they are due. With that being said, how can you make sure that your filters are being changed out when they need to be changed?
Scheduled Routine HVAC Filter Maintenance
With an HVAC filter maintenance plan, you can put your home on a routine that ensures that your filters are always in great shape. A routine HVAC filter maintenance plan will have a certified technician sent to your property every couple of months. So, do yourself a favor and schedule filter maintenance.
Tailor a Maintenance Plan to Your Home
While the general rule of thumb has most homeowners changing out their HVAC filters every two to three months, your mileage may vary. Depending on the size of your home, the quality of your system, and the intensity of your usage, you might not need to get on such an action plan. Conversely, if you are in a usage-intensive home, you might need to have filters changed more frequently.
While HVAC filters are a lesser-known aspect of your heating and cooling system, they are still integral to a healthy home. Make sure to get into a routine with your HVAC filtration replacement. You will want to do this so that your home can be as comfortable as possible.