A clogged furnace air filter can have a major impact on the performance of your home's heating and cooling system. The lack of fresh air in the furnace will cause the heat exchanger to become too hot and shut off. Dirty filters can also cause short cycling problems and make it difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. In many cases, the answer is yes, a furnace will work with a dirty filter.During the winter months, your heating system keeps your home warm and cozy.
But sometimes problems with the furnace due to a dirty air filter will prevent it from generating enough heat when you need it most. Because the system depends on constant air recirculation, the fan performance of the heating and cooling system can have a major impact on your home's energy consumption. The harder this fan has to work to draw air into the entire house, the higher your energy bills will be. In fact, a clogged filter can consume 15% more energy, according to the Department of Energy. This inefficiency increases rapidly as the filter becomes increasingly clogged or until the filter is replaced.
Furnace filters separate dust and other dirt particles from the air that circulates around the house. Dirty or clogged furnace filters cannot perform this task. So more dust and debris will circulate around your house. If you forget to change or clean the furnace filter for an extended period of time, the system is likely to become so overloaded that it breaks down. When the air filter is dirty and clogged, the furnace must work harder than usual to compensate for the increased airflow obstruction.
Like replacing the car's engine oil and air filter every 3,000 miles, a clean HVAC air filter protects the furnace system from damage and ultimately from completely failing. Even if the furnace doesn't break as a direct result of a clogged filter, additional wear and tear on the system can cause it to eventually fail and require extensive replacement or repairs sooner than it would have otherwise. We recommend scheduling an HVAC set-up every fall to ensure that your furnace is in optimal condition before the colder weather arrives. It's not uncommon to think that it's time to replace a furnace because it finally stopped working. If you notice that your heating bills seem high and that your house isn't heating up as much as it should, the first thing you should check is the furnace filter. Running a furnace without a filter overnight, for example, isn't likely to cause problems, but you should never allow this to become a long-term solution.
The purpose of this basic furnace air filter is not only to improve indoor air quality throughout the house but also to protect its internal functioning from dirt buildup. An inefficient heating system caused by dirty furnace filters will increase your energy bills and put your health at risk. Either way, furnace filters must be changed periodically so that they can continue to perform their vital function and protect the furnace while circulating clean air. When it comes to changing your furnace filter, this is a simple way to prevent problems from occurring and maintain the health of your furnace. If your home uses another type of heating system, such as a boiler that uses water to heat the house, it won't have filters, but for a furnace or heat pump, a filter is a vital component.
According to the Diamond Certified organization, a clogged furnace air filter is one of the primary causes of equipment failure. If you find that your furnace has a dirty filter, but it's a disposable filter and you don't have a replacement one handy, you may be tempted to remove it and let the furnace run for a while without a filter. However, this is not recommended as it could lead to further damage down the line.
