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06.11.2024
Brooke Kirshne
Your air conditioner's filter plays an important role in keeping your home's air clean and helps to ensure that your system works well. However, it can be frustrating if you notice that your AC filter gets dirty too quickly. There are a lot of people who deal with the problem of frequently clogged air filters. This quick accumulation of dirt can result in a number of issues, such as reduced airflow, higher energy usage, and lower indoor air quality, and it may even cause major issues to the other important components of your AC.
If your AC filters are getting dirty faster than usual, it's important to know why. Your AC filter may become dirty more quickly due to a number of reasons such as the quantity of dust in your house, the pollution outdoors, and the kind of filter you use. These factors affect the overall performance of your AC. In this blog, you'll learn about the main reasons why your AC filter gets dirty quickly.
Understanding The Role Of AC Filters
An AC is a device that is used to spread cool and clean air into indoor spaces. Its main task is to pull in warm indoor air from the indoor spaces, filter out dust and allergens, and then circulate cool, fresh air back into the space. The AC is used to improve the overall quality of air and helps your HVAC system to work well. So if you want the best results from AC, then you need to keep your air filters clean. Since clean filters are better at collecting dust and pollutants present in the air, this improves the quality of the air. Additionally, they help to make the AC system more energy-efficient, and it will definitely save you money on energy costs.
Common Reasons For Your AC Filter To Get Dirty Quickly
If you've noticed that your filters are getting dirty faster than usual, here are some possible reasons why this could be happening.
1. High Dust Levels
Your AC filter will become clogged quickly if your house is dirty. Dirt can come from both interior and exterior sources. For example, dust from outside can enter through open windows, while dust inside can come from your flooring or furniture. When there is more dust in your home, it collects on the filter faster, which can reduce the efficiency of your air conditioner. If your filter is dirty then your air conditioner will have to work harder to maintain a perfect temperature in your house.
2. Using Low-Quality Filters
Low-quality filters may not be good enough at capturing dust and debris as higher-quality air filters do. This means smaller particles can get through and clog the filter faster. A higher-quality filter works better by trapping dust and debris before they enter the system, making the air conditioning system more efficient. It also helps extend the life of your air conditioner by keeping it in good condition and working efficiently.
3. Leaky Ducts
Leaky ducts allow moisture, dust, and debris to enter your air conditioning system from places such as the ceiling and roof. These particles get collected in the filter making them dirty more frequently. Additionally, leaky ducts let warm air in and cool air out, wasting energy and making your air conditioner work harder. Repairing these leaks can help you keep debris out of your air conditioner, extending the life of the filter, and improving system performance.
4. Poor Indoor Air Quality
Poor indoor air quality can be a major reason why your air filters get dirty faster. When the air inside your home isn't clean, your AC filter has to trap more pollutants like dirt, dust, pollen, and allergens. This leads to the filter becoming clogged more quickly. Over time, a dirty air conditioner can harm your health, causing respiratory issues. Additionally, an unclean filter makes your air conditioner work harder and use more energy. To avoid this, it's important to change your filter timely.
5. High Temperatures
Usually in summer when the temperature is high, it will take more effort for your air conditioner to cool down your living space. So as your air conditioner operates longer, more dust and debris enter into the filter, causing it to become dirty more quickly. To keep the air conditioner operating efficiently in hot weather, you'll need to change your filter more frequently.
6. Construction Or Renovation Nearby
If you live in an area where construction and renovation work is going on, then there are high chances of dust being present in the air. Dust can enter your air conditioning system through open windows or poorly sealed ducts, which can cause the filter to clog more quickly. During construction or renovations, it's a good idea to keep your doors and windows closed and your ventilation system sealed. You can also use air purifiers to capture dust and particles before they reach your air conditioner, helping to keep the air clean and protect your system.
7. Frequent AC Usage
Frequent usage of your air conditioner causes it to work more and pull greater amounts of air into the system. As a result, the filter collects more dust and debris making filters get dirty more quickly. If you use your air conditioner very frequently then also there are chances for the air conditioner to get clogged more quickly. To ensure that the air conditioner is running well and not using too much energy, check and replace the filter on a regular basis.
8. Pets In The Home
A house with pets often experiences air filters getting dirty more quickly. This is because pet hair and dander can easily get trapped in the air conditioner's filter. These tiny particles build up over time, causing the filter to become clogged faster. To keep your air conditioner running smoothly, you may need to replace the filter more often if you have pets. Regular pet grooming and cleaning can help reduce the amount of hair and dander in your home, which can also help keep your filter cleaner for longer.
9. Poor Ventilation
If there is not enough ventilation present in your house, then this can also be a reason for dust and moisture to get collect in your house, especially in places such as the kitchens and bathrooms. This dirt can get into your air conditioning system, causing the filter to get dirty faster. Good ventilation helps keep your filter clean by allowing air to flow and removing dust and moisture. To prevent your filter from clogging too quickly, make sure air can move freely around your home.
Prevent Your AC Filter From Getting Dirty Fast
Below are some steps you can take to prevent your air filter from getting dirty quickly, allowing you to increase the life of your air conditioner while still maintaining excellent air quality.
1. Use High-Quality Air Filters
Good air filters that have high MERV ratings, such as MERV 11 and 13, are very efficient in capturing dust, pollen, and allergens that are present in the air. These filters work better and provide you with an extended life of air filters since these filters can capture even the smallest particles present in the air. Moreover, a high-quality filter extends the life of your air conditioner, reducing the frequency of maintenance.
2. Keep Doors And Windows Closed
When you keep your door and windows open, there are high chances of outdoor pollutants such as dirt, dust, and pollen entering your house. This means that your AC filter will have to collect more particles that are present in the air. So to prevent your AC filter from such problems and extend the life of your AC filter, you should keep the doors and windows closed when not required to prevent dirt from entering your house.
3. Avoid Smoking Indoors
When you smoke in an indoor space, then there are dangerous chemicals and smoke that get released, which makes your AC filter black and also can clog your AC filter very easily. Since the smoke particles are quickly pulled by the air filter, the chances of the AC filter getting clogged increase. So, to prevent this and maintain better indoor air quality, avoid smoking indoors
Signs That Your AC Filter Needs Replacement
Here are some clear signs that it’s time to replace your AC filter. Recognizing these issues early can help maintain your system’s efficiency and improve your indoor air quality.
1. Reduced Airflow
If you notice that the airflow from your AC is weak or not passing through properly, it could mean your filter is blocked. A dirty filter makes it harder for your air conditioner to cool your home effectively. As a result, you may experience cooling issues in different areas of your indoor space. Replacing or cleaning the filter ensures better airflow, helping your AC cool your home more efficiently.
2. Higher Energy Bills
A blocked AC filter needs to work harder to purify the air, and it takes time to push the air into the indoor spaces. Due to this, the air conditioner consumes more energy, and this leads to high energy bills. In such cases, it is advised to change the filter, as it will help function more efficiently and use less electricity.
3. Allergy or Respiratory Issues
If your AC filter is becoming dirty, then allergens such as dust and pollen may get collected on it very easily. Then these pollutants will pass into the air, causing allergy symptoms such as coughing and sneezing. If you find that you or your family members are getting sick more frequently, then this can be due to a clogged air filter. Changing an AC filter in such cases is important as it will improve the air quality and reduce the amount of allergens present in the air.
Conclusion
There can be several reasons for your air filter to become dirty, and this can lead to a lot of health issues for you and your family. Although there are multiple reasons for your AC filter to get dirty quickly, some of the major reasons can be excessive use, high dust, and allergy levels in your house, using an improperly sized filter, or ignoring routine maintenance. If you want to avoid such problems, then make sure your indoor space is dust-free, clean the air vents frequently, and use the correct filter for your system.
It's important that you check and change your filter at least once every one to three months, depending on usage and the surrounding environment. If you are looking for expert help to maintain your air filter and want to know the exact reason behind your air filter getting dirty quickly, then you can take advice from Custom Filters Direct. Our skilled team has good knowledge, and they guide you at each step. To know more about us, you can contact us at (877) 812-7983. You can even mail us at info@customfiltersdirect.com.
