The air filter does more work than you would believe. Dust, smog, and pollen in Los Angeles always put your HVAC system to the test. A dirty filter makes your house and health worse in every way.
Your Utility Bills Keep going up
Do you see your electric bill going up every month? That dirty filter could be the problem.
When dirt and other things get stuck in your filters, your AC system has a hard time pulling air through. It’s like trying to breathe through a dirty piece of cloth. Your system has to work harder to transport the same amount of air, which uses more energy.
Running unclean filters makes homeowners’ energy bills go up by 15% on average. That extra $30 to $50 a month adds up quickly. Your system works at normal levels of efficiency when the filters are clean.
Compare your most recent bills to the same months last year. Your filter probably needs some work if you detect a constant rise without any big changes in usage.
Dust settles all over the place, even if it is cleaned often
You cleaned the coffee table yesterday. It seems like you haven’t touched it in weeks. Does this sound familiar?
A full filter can’t catch particles anymore. It doesn’t catch dust, pollen, and pet hair; instead, it lets everything blow right through your vents and into your home.
This makes things much more frustrating. You clean more often, but the dust comes back in a few days. No matter how much you vacuum and wipe down your furniture, devices, and surfaces will always have a small film of dirt on them.
Keep an eye on the surroundings around your vents. When filters quit operating correctly, these locations usually display dust buildup first. If you have to clean the same surfaces twice a week, your air filter isn’t working right.
Family Members More Coughs and Sneezes A lot of the time
People have become a little more stuffy lately. The youngsters wake up with sore throats. It looks like your partner’s allergies are worse than normal.
The air quality inside your home can make your family uncomfortable and sick. When filters can’t get rid of allergies, those particles keep moving about your home. Every time the system operates, it moves about dust mites, pollen, and other things that make you feel bad.
The air quality outside in LA makes this problem worse. Throughout the year, we have to deal with smog, wildfires, and pollen that comes with the seasons. Your filter is the key thing that keeps dirt and other pollutants from getting into your family’s lungs.
Keep track of when your breathing problems started or got worse. There is often a link between when you need to replace your filter and when the air quality inside your home gets worse. Most folks see a difference after a few days of putting in new filters.
Your vents don’t let in enough air
While your system is running, put your hand near a vent. Does the air feel feeble or hard to notice?
Blocked filters stop air filter from moving through all of your ducting. A continuous stream should turn into a soft puff. This makes it harder to manage the temperature and feel comfortable in every room.
Some parts of your home could seem stuffy, while others might be overly hot or cold. When filters get clogged, your system can’t spread conditioned air evenly.
During the busiest times of year, this problem gets worse. Cooling systems have to work harder in the summer in LA. A clogged filter makes hot days much worse and makes your air conditioner run longer cycles.
Go around your house and check the airflow at different vents. If there are big variances between rooms, it could be because of problems with the filtration system.
Your vents smell weird
When your AC is working right, it shouldn’t smell like anything. Musty, stale, or dusty smells are signs of problems.
Mold and germs love to develop in dirty filters. When moisture is caught with other particles, it generates bad scents that spread throughout your home.
Sometimes you could discover that pet smells, cooking aromas, or other household smells stick around longer than usual. New filters assist in getting rid of these particles before they spread and settle into fabrics and furnishings.
AC Filter Replacement Services Los Angeles professionals see this problem a lot in homes that haven’t changed their filters in a while. The stench usually goes away within a few hours of putting in clean filters and turning on the system.
Don’t ignore smells that keep coming from your HVAC system. They usually mean that the air quality is bad, which makes your family uncomfortable.
How often should you change the filters?
You should change the most common filters every 30 to 90 days. There are many things that will affect your specific timeline:
- Pets shed hair and dander all the time
- The number of people in your family impacts the amount of particles in the air
- The air quality in your neighborhood can be different(Air Filter)
- The kind and quality of the filter are important
During times of heavy use, check your filter every month. Put it in front of a light. It’s time to get a new one if you can’t see through it well.
People who live in LA often need to make changes more often than people who live in other places. Because of our particular environment and air quality problems, filtering systems have to work harder.
Put reminders on your phone or note the dates on your calendar for when you need to verify the filters. This one action stops most problems with air quality before they start.
Final Words
Cleaning your air filter is good for your family’s health and your wallet. Don’t wait too long between replacements if you see any of these five danger indications.
Your HVAC system will work better and cost you less money in the long run. More importantly, every day your family breathes cleaner air.
If you’re not sure, check that filter. A brief look can keep you from having greater problems later ( Air Filter ).
