Air Conditioning Filters

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Air Conditioning Filters - A Step Closer To Clean Air

Summary: Air conditioning filters are important for a number of reasons. The most important is to keep your air conditioning unit operating for an extended period of time, thus providing you with a constant stream of filtered, clean air. This section discusses the right methods for filtering your air.

Changing your unit’s filter may be a mundane task, but it is something that should be done every month. Failing to do this will risk you having to purchase an entirely new unit several years sooner than necessary. You also risk germs and viruses continually spreading throughout your house. Someone’s child who has a cold all the time may not have anything medically wrong with them. This could well be a result of the air in their house being dirty.

You can find filter replacements in a variety of stores. Whether you shop at Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, or even online, you can easily get your hands on air conditioning filters. You will find filters from under $5 up to $10 and above. It is completely up to you as to which one you purchase for your home, but some statistics point to the fact that cheaper filters tend to work just as well as some of the more expensive filters as they are thinner, therefore allowing air to flow through them more easily. Also, depending where you shop, you can buy them in bulk. Many Wal-Mart stores do not offer this, whereas Home Depot does. Take your time to look around for the best deals.

A key question is how often do you clean or replace your air filter. The answer really depends on who you talk to. HVAC professionals will tell you to replace your air conditioning filters at least once a month. Some homebuilders however, will tell you to change them every couple of months. Some of this will depend on how many people you have in your home, whether you have pets or not, and how many pets you have.

Obviously, the more traffic you have, the more often you will want to change your filter. If your household has five people and three dogs for example, it is advisable to change the filter every month or even consider cleaning or replacing it every 2-3 weeks.

There are also many different types of air conditioning filters. Finding the right one to suit your specific needs may take some time as you try different types. One of the most important things to remember is buying a disposable filter, meaning you can throw it away with your normal trash rather than having to dispose of it in a special way. There are some that need to be disposed of in special ways, so you should be aware of this when making your purchasing decision. (Permanent filters exist, making replacement unnecessary, so this might be a viable option.)

What happens if you do not change the filter frequently enough, you might ask. When air conditioning filters are left to work over a long period of time, they hold the dirt and particles, making the airflow more difficult. When the filters get too full, air flow may become impossible. When the air can no longer flow freely through the unit, the actual unit can begin to clog.

Eventually, you will find that your unit stops working, resulting in an expensive bill for replacing or repairing it. If your unit fails due to negligence, the warranty will not cover such costs.