How a Clogged Air Filter Affects Your Furnace

It won’t be long until the first wave of cold air arrives in Buffalo Grove, IL. Now is the time to make sure that your heating system is ready to keep your home warm. One of the most important actions you can take for furnace maintenance is to change the air filter every one to three months, explains the Department of Energy. Read on to find out how a clogged air filter affects your furnace.

Lower Airflow

When the filter’s pores fill with dirt, dust and debris, the warm air produced by your furnace can’t get through the material. This results in low airflow to your home’s living spaces. If you put your hand in front of an air vent, barely a trickle of warm air will come from the vents. This affects your home’s comfort, creating spots that are too cold.

Greater Energy Use

Since dirty air filters impede airflow, your thermostat won’t detect a change in your home’s temperature. It will keep triggering the furnace to cycle. The extra heating cycles lead to a greater level of energy usage. The more heating cycles your furnace goes through, the higher your utility bills will be.

Shorter Furnace Lifespan

When the hot air produced by your furnace can’t get through the filter, its heat exchanger may overheat. This triggers the safety limit switch, which turns off the furnace. If this keeps happening, the switch will stop working. This causes a furnace shutdown, which interrupts your comfort. Dirty air filters also allow dirt and debris to accumulate within the furnace, which may cause problems with sensors and the burner. In a worst-case scenario, the dirty filter causes a complete failure of the furnace. A typical furnace lifespan is 25 years, but running the furnace with a dirty filter significantly decreases it.

To learn more about the problems caused by clogged air filters, take a look at Assurance Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.’s furnace maintenance services, or call us today for additional details.