This season, you’ll probably be using your air conditioning more than ever. As outside temperatures rise, you’ll want to keep your family comfortable and cool indoors. However, it’s important for everyone to make sure that your home’s air conditioning is operating the way it should be. One way is to maintain the air conditioning filters.
1. Not Changing It At The Beginning Of The Season
The first thing you should do before you use your air conditioning for the first time is to change your air conditioning filter. Even if you feel that your air conditioning filter was fairly new when you last used your air conditioning, a lot may have changed. Over the winter, accumulated dust and debris may have clogged the filter’s membranes. If there was any leftover condensation when you last used it, mildew or mold may have grown on the filter. If you don’t put in a new filter at the beginning of the season, you’ll be blowing dirty air into your home.
2. Putting the Air Filter in Backwards
Air conditioning filters—and all filters—are constructed in such a way that the air is designed to enter from one side and exit from the other side. If you install your air conditioning filter backward, the air won’t be properly filtered according to the manufacturer’s intent. Every air filter has a little arrow on its casing to indicate the direction of the airflow. Use these arrows as a guide to ensure you put your air filter in the correct way.
3. Not Changing the Filter Often Enough
Many homeowners make the mistake of not changing their air conditioning filters often enough. They may be trying to save money on replacement costs, or simply not remember to change the filter. With typical usage, the air conditioning filter should be changed once a month in seasons where the air conditioning system is being used frequently. To help keep track of when the filter was last changed, use a permanent marker to write the date it was installed on the filter casing itself. Another good tip is to change the filter on a certain date of the month, such as the 1st. These tips will help make sure your air conditioning unit always has a good, usable filter.
4. Not Understanding the Risks of Not Changing the Filter
Some homeowners don’t change the air conditioning filter because they simply don’t understand how much is at risk by not doing so. If you’re running your air conditioning with a dirty filter, there are many ramifications, including:
- Impure air circulating throughout your family’s home
- Higher risk of allergy symptoms
- Increased levels of airborne bacteria, viruses and mold and mildew particles
- Damage to the air conditioning unit itself
- Greater chance of an A/C unit breaking down
- Reduced life for the A/C unit
- Higher incidences of family illnesses
Many of the worst air filter mistakes can be easily avoided with these helpful reminders about the importance of changing air conditioning filters. For more information about keeping your home’s cooling system up and running safely and efficiently, contact us today.