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Gary Munson Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

The Role Air Filters Play for Your AC

man-installing-AC-filter-in-ceiling

Air filters aren’t just there for the benefit of your indoor air quality. If anything, that’s a byproduct of what they’re actually for: your air conditioner’s operability.

AC maintenance in Windermere, FL includes switching out your air filter, but this is something you should be doing in your own home every 30-90 days as it is. But why? How come this is something you have to do when you hire maintenance?

Because the air intake on your air conditioner needs more TLC than annual maintenance appointments. Let’s explain why.

Removes Dust and Debris From the Air

First and foremost, air filters help you breathe better. They pull dust, debris, and airborne particles toward the intake vent so you don’t end up breathing it in. However, this is a byproduct since the main function of the air filter is to bring air in for the condenser coils.

When you switch out your air filter every 30-60 days, you’ll see a substantial amount of debris trapped in the filter. That was all in the air you were about to breathe in. Just take that in for a second–air filters do an excellent job of improving your air quality.

Air Filters Keep Your AC Running

Without air filters, your AC would run into one major problem: insulation. No, we don’t mean the kind of insulation that keeps heat in–we’re talking about a thick coating of dust that would form on your condenser coils.

Warm air from your home gets pulled in through the filter, then runs over the condenser coils where it interacts with the refrigerant within the coils. However, a layer of dust can act as insulation on top of the coil.

The warm air doesn’t impact the refrigerant vapor inside the condenser, which can result in freezing. When your AC freezes up, not only does it stop working, but it can incur some pretty bad damage.

They Keep Your AC as Efficient as Possible

Your air conditioner needs airflow to function, but it’s not just the condenser coils we’re worried about. It’s the overall efficiency of the entire AC.

When your air filters are clogged and dusty, your AC has to work harder to pull in air, which causes additional (and unnecessary strain) on the entire system.

Your filter has to be good enough to let air pass through without letting dust and debris come in, but not so strong that it prevents proper airflow. It’s a tightrope act, but your air filter is up to the task.

Never Forget to Change Your Filters

After reading all this, you know just as well as anyone else that you can’t skip out on changing your air filter. It’s so imperative for your AC and your indoor air quality at the same time.

Set a reminder on your phone for the first of every month and inspect your air filter. If it doesn’t look too bad, you can go up to 60 days before replacing it, but no more.

Contact Gary Munson Heating & Air Conditioning today to schedule your next AC maintenance check. You will be more comfortable with the best!

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