Owyhee Air Conditioner Filters
During the summer months, the Idaho weather can be scorching hot, which means that keeping your air conditioner healthy and efficient becomes extremely important. There are several steps you can take to ensure that your AC unit is running smoothly, such as scheduling preventative maintenance and being proactive about getting any needed repairs. One crucial measure that many homeowners tend to neglect, though, is consistently replacing the AC filter. If you’re in the greater Nampa, Meridian, or Treasure Valley area, we at Owyhee Heating & Air Conditioning are available to help you with all of your cooling needs, including brand-new AC filters.
Why Are AC Filters Important?
Your air conditioner’s filter has one of the most important jobs of any of the AC components. As the appliance works to circulate cool air around your home, much of the air it pulls in will inevitably contain various contaminants. Things like dust, dirt, pollen, dander, and mold spores are just a few of the pollutants that could be floating around your household air at any given time. However, your AC filter traps these particles before they can get cycled into the system, which helps keep the air conditioner efficient and the air you breathe cleaner and healthier.
Benefits of Replacing the Filter Regularly
As the Idaho weather heats up throughout the summer, you’ll probably be running your AC unit more and more. And whenever it’s cycling, more and more contaminant particles will be getting trapped within the AC filter. Air filters only have so much space, though, and eventually, the filter will become excessively dirty or even clogged up. For this reason, it’s imperative that you periodically switch the filter out for a clean one to keep the system running at peak performance and efficiency.
With a clean air filter, the AC unit will have a much easier time pulling air through to circulate around your household. That means that the appliance will be able to operate more efficiently and without putting unnecessary strain on its equipment. As a result, you’ll save money on your monthly cooling bills, and you’ll be far less likely to run into a mechanical problem or system breakdown. The air in your home will also be cleaner, meaning it will be much less likely to cause you or your family any adverse health effects or discomfort.
What If You Don’t Replace the Filter?
If you procrastinate swapping a dirty or clogged AC filter out for a new one, it can have negative effects on your comfort and finances. The biggest problem with a clogged AC filter is that it causes the AC unit’s airflow to be restricted. That makes it much harder for the system to do its job, leading to wasted energy and an increased risk of malfunction. A dirty filter can also transmit dirt into the air conditioner’s evaporator coil, which will hamper the cooling unit’s ability to absorb heat. Suddenly, you may find that it’s much more difficult to effectively cool your home down during the sweltering Idaho summer.
How Often Should You Replace Your AC Filter?
Truthfully, there’s no hard and fast rule for how often you need to change your home’s AC filter. For one thing, it depends on which type of filter your air conditioner uses. If you have an older system, it may use fiberglass filters, and they should typically be replaced roughly every 30 days. However, if you have a newer appliance that uses pleated air filters, you may be able to wait about 90 days before the filter needs to be switched out. That said, there are other factors that should go into the decision as well. If any of the following describe your household, you should make a point to replace your AC filter more regularly.
- Someone in your home suffers from allergies or asthma
- You have young children
- You have pets
- You live somewhere with poor air quality/wildfires
- You notice an unusual amount of dust in your home
