Filters for your furnace serve an important purpose in your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system as a whole. In a world where so many experts give conflicting advice, keeping track of when to swap them out can be difficult. While there are guidelines to follow, they may cause you to replace your filters earlier than necessary or put unnecessary strain on your system. Find out how long your filters might survive and when they need to be replaced with this helpful guide.
A necessary first step is to realize that not all filters are built the same. Standard fiberglass filters are the most affordable option, but they also have the lowest lifespan. It’s recommended that you change these filters every 30 days.
Then, there are several kinds of sophisticated filters to choose from. Some claim to remove more toxins from the air, while others claim to last longer. If you want to know how long your filter is supposed to last, you should check the insert that came with it. The advertised or rule-of-thumb filter life, however, is just that—an average—and your experience may differ. You can increase or decrease the longevity of your air filters based on a number of factors.
AC Filter Care Boca Raton, Florida
Indoor air quality is one of the most influential factors in filter longevity. The number of pollutant particles in the air is a common measure of air quality. The filter will become clogged more rapidly when there are more particles in the air. Filters need to be checked after finishing a construction activity such as mudding and painting. These projects have a nasty habit of quickly clogging up the system’s filters.
Inspect the relative humidity. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends a humidity level of 30–50% within the home. If the relative humidity is lower, more particles will be floating through the air and contributing to filter blockage.
Keep an eye on the dust levels to see whether your indoor air quality needs to be improved. Dust accumulation around the vents of your furnace is a telltale indicator that impurities are building up in the filter and should be addressed immediately. Changing your filters is probably necessary, and there are other less subtle indications of this.
Mind the airflow from your vents. There is probably an obstruction in the airflow if you’ve noticed the air volume is lower than usual. The air filters are the most prevalent source of restriction and are also the simplest to replace. Take them out and examine them. You should change the filters if you notice a lot of dust building up on the inlet side. To make them last longer, consider vacuuming off the input side every so often.
What we mean by “short cycling” is that the heating system turns on and off repeatedly before reaching the set temperature. The failure to adequately circulate air within the furnace is to blame for this issue.
There are multiple fail-safe switches included in your furnace that will turn it off if something goes wrong. Overheating in the burn chamber will set off protective mechanisms. The lack of adequate ventilation is the most common cause of overheating in these. The result is that the system becomes heated from within by the burner’s waste heat. Freeing up the bottled-up heat requires increasing the volume of air moving through the system.
Some prolonged operation is normal just before a furnace begins short cycling. As a result, you’ll spend more money heating your home than necessary and put unnecessary strain on your HVAC system.
Long cycles might easily be missed if you aren’t paying attention. Some advanced thermostats keep tabs on your cycles and alert you to any potential issues sooner. If you just have to keep an eye on your bill every month, the underlying issue is likely to get worse over time.
For many years, Boca Raton, Florida locals have relied on Lucas Technical Air for all of their heating and air conditioning needs, both at home and at their place of business. Our highly-respected service staff is able to identify and resolve even the most unusual airflow problems. Please give us a call right away to arrange for heating system servicing.