About Me

Preparing for My Dream Home

My husband and I have spent a lot of time consulting with an architect. After living in our cramped, starter home for the past 11 years, we were finally ready to make some needed changes to it. We have added an extra 600 square feet of space onto our house. Before the construction began, we finalized the plans for our new heating and air conditioning unit with our HVAC contractor. Because our home was going to be substantially bigger than it is now, we purchased a larger HVAC system. We also installed a new, digital thermostat inside my home. On this blog, I hope you will discover the best types of HVAC units to buy for mid-size homes. Enjoy!

Search

Preparing for My Dream Home

Signs It's Time To Change The Furnace Filter

by Rita Richardson

The furnace filter cleans the air going into the furnace. This is beneficial both for the furnace and for your household members. However, the filter gets dirty with time and need to be replaced regularly. If you have not been keeping to a good filter replacement schedule, below are some signs that should tell you it's time to replace the filter.

Lengthy Runtime

Your furnace runs until your home temperature reaches the target temperature (as set in the thermostat). After that, the furnace switches off (during passive heating) until the temperature falls again. Thus, your furnace alternates between on and off cycles.

When a furnace filter gets dirty, it restricts airflow to the furnace. The restricted airflow means your furnace won't have enough warm air to heat up your house. As a result, your furnace will have lengthier than usual running cycles.

Burning Smell

As mentioned above, the furnace will have lengthy "on" cycles if the filter is clogged with debris. Unfortunately, furnaces are not meant to operate in such a manner. This means your furnace will overwork, and an overworked furnace tends to overheat. In extreme cases, you may sense a burning smell emanating from the furnace as it overheats.

Increased Energy bills

It is not just burning odors and lengthy run times that you have to worry about if your furnace is dirty. As your furnace runs in increasingly long cycles, overworks, and overheats, it also draws more and more energy. Thus, you should consider replacing your furnace's filter if you start to witness an unexplained hike in energy bills.

Respiratory Problems

The furnace filter system cleans the air not only for your furnaces benefit but also for your health. Don't forget that the air that keeps your house warm is the same air you breathe. Unfortunately, a dirty filter won't do its job properly; your indoor air will remain dirty and polluted.

The polluted indoor air can trigger a number of health problems in your house. This is especially true if the pollution is too much, if you have respiratory health problems, or if you are allergic to the pollutants in your house.

Lengthy Use

Lastly, you should also replace a filter that you have been using for a long time, even if you haven't started to notice signs of clogging. Furnace filters need to be replaced regularly because they all get dirty after some months of use. The frequency of filter replacement depends on various factors, such as how dirty your house is, whether you have pets, how many people are in the house, and the type of filters you use.

Hopefully, you will replace your furnace filter as necessary and avoid the complications that come with a dirty filter. Consult a furnace technician if you continue to experience furnace issues after replacing the filter.

Share