The Impact of a Dirty Air Filter on Your AC in Sumter, SC

The filter on an air conditioner needs replacing every 30-90 days here in Sumter, SC, and homeowners who have pets or who smoke may need to replace their filter more often. We cannot overstate the importance of a clean filter in your AC’s return vent. Here’s how a dirty air filter can have a negative effect on your comfort and your HVAC equipment.

Impact on Indoor Comfort

Your AC cannot meet with any obstructions to airflow or else it will fail to reach your desired temperature. So, for example, a clogged filter may lead to low air pressure, which means that the rooms furthest away from the air handler don’t get so much cool air. The system may also short-cycle, shutting off before it achieves the set point and thus leaving you uncomfortable in the middle of summer.

Impact on the System and Your Wallet

The blockage that a clogged filter causes will put a strain on the AC’s fan motor, which will work harder to do its job. This could result in the need to replace your system’s motor or a variety of other critical components prematurely. Before that, you may find yourself facing a system breakdown.

How this will affect your finances should be obvious. You don’t want to request an AC installation until years from now. And you don’t want the AC to raise your energy bill as it struggles to cool.

Negative Effect on Indoor Air

Dirty filters let pollutants pass into the air handler and back into your home, which will make life miserable for allergy and asthma sufferers. The AC, in failing to cool your home, will also fail to remove excess humidity, leading to greater discomfort.

Our team at Air Solutions Heating and Cooling can provide annual HVAC maintenance for your AC in Sumter, SC, so call today. Maintenance will cover filter replacement and a host of other tasks that will ensure energy-efficient performance year-round.

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