Venice AC: What Happens If You Neglect Your AC Unit Filter?

Did you know that in May 2019, Florida broke its highest-ever recorded temperature? Back then, the state experienced an average temp of 78.8 degrees, which was 3.7 degrees hotter than usual! The last time the Sunshine State had that kind of sweltering heat was over a century ago.

Fast forward to 2020, and most of Florida, including Venice, continues to break records. Miami alone had four incidents of reaching the peak temperature of 94 °F since the start of this year.

With that said, your home can feel much hotter without a clean AC unit filter. Dirt and debris build-up in your air conditioner will affect its cooling power, after all. Moreover, filth in the ductwork can add to the heat inside your home.

The big question now is, how exactly can a dirty air conditioner filter bring about all these issues?

We’ll answer this burning question below, so be sure to read on!

What Exactly Does Your York AC Unit Filter Do?

The A/C filter in your York air conditioning system cleans the air that enters your Venice home. Its main purpose is to capture and trap contaminants found in the outdoor air that the AC unit draws in. It does so to prevent filth build-up in the innermost workings of your air conditioner.

So, you can think of the filter in your York AC as a form of “defense mechanism.” It protects your air conditioner from the efficiency-reducing effects of air contaminants.

It’s also in this way that an AC unit filter helps keep your Venice home’s indoor air clean and pollutant-free. As the filter traps contaminants, the cooling unit blows out and circulates fresh air.

What Kind of Contaminants Does an AC Filter Catch?

Keep in mind that air is full of dust, dirt, pollen, mold, mold spores, fibers, lint, and other tiny particles. If you have pets, their fur and shed skin cells can also mix with the air.

Your York’s A/C filter can catch and entrap all these and prevent them from circulating in your home.

Life Without Functional Air Conditioning Filters

Without a filter, air contaminants would settle on the many parts of your air conditioner. The same thing will happen if you’ve never had an AC filter change. If you don’t replace an AC filter that has become too dirty, it will no longer be able to clean the air.

Over time, all that filth will act as an “insulation” on the sensitive parts of your air conditioning unit. Unfortunately, this is one kind of insulation that you don’t want, as it inhibits the AC’s cooling power. Layers of dirt on the air conditioner can render it unable to turn the warm Venice air into cold, comfy air.

When this happens, you can expect the following issues to arise.

Problems With Airflow

Without a functional air filter, dirt and debris will clog up the entryway of air into the AC. This blockage will then inhibit the flow of air into your air conditioner. This reduced airflow will then make the unit cool your home slowly (if it will cool at all).

Issues With the Fan

A slow-spinning AC fan often occurs due to dirt and debris build-up. Filth can creep into the fan’s hub, which is the middle section of the fan blades. It’s the part that connects the fan blades to the motor.

When there’s too much dirt in the hub, it can impair the fan’s rotational capacity. This, in turn, slows down the fan’s rotation. Left unresolved, this can burn out not only the hub but the AC motor itself.

At the very least, you’ll feel hotter since a slow AC fan won’t blow enough fresh air into your Venice home.

Leaking Air Conditioner

Failure to change the air filter in your home’s York AC can also cause its evaporator coil to ice up. This is the part of the unit that contains the substance called refrigerant. The coil is a loop of metal that should remain consistently cold.

Too much dirt on the evaporator coil, however, can affect its cooling power. From here, it can turn the condensation into actual ice.

If you notice your AC leaking or dripping water, that’s a sign that you have a faulty evaporator coil. It can also indicate the need to get your air conditioner lines cleaned. Either way, don’t take a leaking AC for granted, as it can cause water damage and even health problems.

Premature AC Breakdowns

With all the crucial roles that an A/C filter plays, forgetting its upkeep can make your unit break down early. This, in turn, not only causes inconvenience but unnecessary repair expenses too. Worse, it can cause a considerable reduction in the overall life span of your air conditioner.

Health Problems

Filthy air conditioner filters can pave the way for filth build-up in your ductwork. Either way, both can affect your health by circulating polluted air inside your home. This can then lead to the development of allergy- or asthma-like symptoms, cough, and colds.

Also, remember that air filters catch and trap mold and mold spores. If they can no longer do this job, then your home is at a higher risk of mold invasion. Homes in Florida, including Venice, are especially at risk, what with the kind of humidity we have here.

What You Should Do

Fortunately, Venice doesn’t have too big of a problem when it comes to outdoor air pollution. However, you should still check your AC filter at least once a month to see how clogged up it is. If it’s already showing signs of dirt build-up, it’s time to get it changed or washed.

If you don’t have pets and if you vacuum regularly, you may change or swap the filter once every two or three months. In doing so, you can prevent your AC from developing cooling issues or breaking down early. Moreover, you can avoid many of the health problems associated with filthy filters.

To top it all off, a fresh filter can help you reduce your AC’s energy consumption by 5% to 15%!

You should also consider updating or upgrading your attic insulation. This way, you can have better control over the heat, which also allows your AC to perform more effectively. Bowersox offers such services for only $1 per square foot.

Get Your AC Filter Cleaned or Replaced Now

As you can see, an AC unit filter is so crucial that you should never overlook its upkeep. It protects not only your York air conditioner but your home and your health too. So, make inspecting it a once-a-month habit to ensure that it’s still working as it should.