There are a variety of heating options for homeowners available in today’s HVAC market. While they may operate differently, there are several shared components when it comes to the homeowner’s maintenance.
Whether your home has a furnace, heat pump or even a ductless mini split – these are all considered a forced air heater and they all require filters. The simple and inexpensive habit of changing air filters can make a huge difference in the performance of your heating system and could help you avoid a costly heating repair.
How Often Should I Change My Air Filters?
How often you should change your filters depends on several factors. For instance, if you have pets, your furry friends may cause more air pollutants and require more frequent changes. However, at the very least you should change your filters every 3 months, or at the change of each season. If you’ve got pets or other air pollutants to worry about, you can change your filters every month.
Why Are Dirty Air Filters So Bad?
We’ve had numerous calls for both heating repair and cooling repair where the system was just not able to reach the number set on the thermostat. The culprit? A dirty air filter. And the cost to have an HVAC contractor come out and diagnose that for you is much more than changing it out yourself.
Even if you don’t have any noticeable problems yet, a dirty air filter will cause your system to run inefficiently – which has its own consequences.
- Higher power bill. If you fail to keep up with filter changes, it will cost you more than discomfort. When your system runs inefficiently, it uses a lot more power. This will be reflected on your power bill. What’s more, because your system is working harder than it needs to, this may lead to more costly repairs.
- More breakdowns. If your heater is working overtime to keep your home warm due to a dirty filter, it’s much more likely that a part will fail and need replacing. In order to avoid a costly breakdown or the need to call in for HVAC repair, maintaining a clean air filter is a simple preventative measure every homeowner can do.
- Poor air quality. While the air filter’s primary function isn’t indoor air purification but rather to protect the HVAC system, having a dirty air filter will definitely decrease the air quality in your home. So not only will pollutants be flowing into your ductwork, it will be circluating in the home as well. For increased air purification within the home, we suggest having an air purifier (aka an air scrubber) installed.
In summary, keeping a clean air filter is an inexpensive way to save money and make sure your HVAC system is running effectively. We’ll remind you of this during a preventative maintenance visit, which we typically do twice a year. However, it’s better to change the filters more often than that – especially if you have pets!
If you need service for heating repair or preventative maintenance, contact us to schedule an appointment today.
