The Dangers of Not Changing Your Furnace Filter

Your furnace filter is an important part of your home's heating and air conditioning system. It helps to keep the air clean and free of pollutants, and it also helps to keep your HVAC system running efficiently. But what happens if you never change your furnace filter?Without a new air filter, the oven will overheat every time you start up again. This is known as short cycling.

Dirty oven filters make your oven work harder than it should due to decreased airflow. The more your oven works, the faster your parts will wear out and need repairs. If the air filter is not serviced often enough, it will eventually become clogged to the point where air cannot pass through it. When the oven is working, the lack of air flow will trap heat in the system. As the temperature inside the system continues to rise, the limit switch will turn the oven on and off to prevent it from overheating.

This will temporarily mitigate the problem, but will not resolve the issue at the root. If the air filter is clogged and can't trap pollutants like before, those things can get back into the air that everyone in your home breathes. Immediate problems may include headaches, itchy eyes or throat, and dizziness. If air filters are not changed and problems continue, long-term effects could be respiratory disease, heart disease or cancer. Not changing the oven filter can be dangerous. Ovens are very important, but if they are not properly maintained they can become dangerous, and this may be the case if the filter inside is old.

Keeping your oven filter clean can change oven efficiency and even reduce utility bills. It can also prevent operational problems, which can lead to fire or other serious problems. A clean filter can better filter the air and prevent the circulation of dirt, allergens or dust in the home. Ensuring that the oven filter is changed regularly can avoid danger and exacerbation of health problems. A dirty filter reduces airflow to the HVAC system and makes it work harder, using more energy which costs you more money. Getting the most out of your home can be as easy as changing your air filters.

Homeowners who ignore filters in their heating and air conditioning systems risk increasing energy costs, damaging expensive equipment, and decreasing indoor air quality and personal health. See below to learn what can happen if you don't change your air filters. Probably the biggest danger of not changing your oven's air conditioning filter is that it can damage your HVAC system and reduce your life expectancy. In my opinion, as a licensed home inspector, if you don't change the filter regularly, you can reduce the life expectancy of your air conditioner from 6 to 12 years. Along with poor air quality, there are some dangerous operational problems that can be the result of not changing the furnace filter. Any overheated appliance is at risk of causing a fire or causing major problems, but ovens are especially prone to some of these problems.

Using an air filter with a higher MERV rating than recommended by the manufacturer of your boiler or air conditioner may impair its performance. Most manufacturers recommend that basic filters be changed every 30 to 60 days, but there are other circumstances that could affect that program. Some people have reported that rooms with low airflow can even change the color of walls and furniture. If you haven't changed your air filters in some time, it's time to call Miller Plumbing & Heating to have your system inspected and professionally cleaned. Usually, most air filter manufacturers and HVAC companies recommend changing your air filter every 90 days or 3 months. Failure to change the air filter can damage other parts of the system and result in a large repair bill later on. In addition to damage to your air conditioning system, not changing the filter frequently also results in a bad living experience.

Especially with gas ovens, this extra friction and heat could even cause a fire in a house. Fires are, in fact, the most common safety hazard in a house. Of course, the point of this post is to make it clear that you would save yourself a little frustration if you changed your air filter every few months. Let's just say that although changing your air conditioner filter is such a simple thing to do, it can have a huge impact on your HVAC performance, life expectancy, and possibly even your health. This is because when the filter is full or clogged with debris, the oven has to work harder to draw air into the system. You can hear it now: Your HVAC technician is giving you lessons on how to make sure you change your air filter.