The central air conditioning filter is one important tool that helps reduce your home’s allergens and keeps it dust-free so it is vital to change or clean as dust may affect your health in the long run. Not only this, but it’ll also harm your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system) equipment. To avoid this, clean your air filter as soon as you notice any discomfort or unusual run.
How often should I change my air filter? There is no actual day or month that says you should change your air filter because your air filter’s lifespan can be found on its packaging when you first bought it.
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In this article, aside from learning that there’s no specific day of replacing the air filter, you’ll also know how to change it. Plus, the importance of changing it.
Importance Of Changing Air Filter
Some owners don’t know it, but when your filter doesn’t have regular cleaning, it will affect your comfort. Filters, when not cleaned regularly, can lead too much, it’ll collapse, and has a bad cause that you might know. Plus, it could get lodged in your fan, or it can create a big gap wherein the air just goes around the filter. Meaning it doesn’t get filtered in at all.
If you have a dirty filter, it can’t capture the contaminants properly, causing you discomfort, making it for those people who have allergies or asthma to breathe. The air contaminants that remain in the air will make your house appear dirtier too. So if you don’t like it to happen, always maintain a clean air filter to keep out air contaminants.
Steps To Change The Air Filter
Changing your HVAC Air filter is a straightforward process, so it’s easier than you think. Here are steps when replacing your air filter.
1. First, you should make sure that the system is turned off.
2. Locate the air filter, which is usually found, it’s either on the wall, ceiling with a grille covering. But if not, it’s in a closet, attic, or basement where you’ll find a little box where the air comes into the unit.
3. The next step is to open the box or remove the grille, but it depends on the system you have. If you have a grille, mostly, it has tabs that you can pull up to open, easy access that doesn’t need a screwdriver.
4. Look for the filter inside, which usually has the size printed on it. Or at the very least, there’s a model number you can look at to identify it. That’s why it’s recommended that you buy a filter that has the same size.
5. Remove the air filter and determine if there are any other issues. If it’s usually dirty, then that’s the sign that you’ll consider replacing it. Look also for some gaps in the filter, which indicates that it isn’t big enough.
6. It’s time to put in the new filter and replace the grille of the cover. After this, you’re good to go, but don’t forget to mark in your calendar to know when to check it next.
Conclusion
To summarize, a dirty filter can cause many discomforts not only on the unit itself but also on your health. There may be no specific date when you should replace it, but a regular check-up is recommended to avoid any issues. If the situation needs you to replace it, you can do it on your own, follow those easy steps. Those steps are one reason too to save money instead of hiring a pro for replacing it.
