Ducted air conditioners rely on several air filters to remove particulates like dust and allergens from the air that is circulated in your home. If these filters are not cleaned regularly, the dirt that accumulates will drive up your costs of using that air conditioning system. This article discusses some of the ways by which dirty AC filters increase costs. Use this information as a driving force to prompt you to clean the filters regularly in order to keep operating costs low:

Slowing the Fan Blades

When dirt accumulates within your ducted air conditioning system due to irregular filter cleaning, the fan blades can become impeded. This is because the dirt will build-up on the blades, making them heavier than they should be. The heavy blades will require more energy to move so your energy bill is likely to keep creeping up.

Reduced Airflow

When air filters are clogged with dirt, the airflow within the ducted air conditioning system will be negatively affected. This is because the vents in the system will also become clogged with dirt. You will change to higher AC settings in order to get better conditioning of the air within your home. Those higher settings mean that the system will have to work harder to deliver the results you desire. Higher operation means higher costs.

Parts Failure

Accumulated dirt can wreak havoc on several ducted air conditioner parts. For instance, the dirt can cause the dirty filter to be sucked into the blower assembly. This can lead the fan to jam, causing overheating in the blower unit. That overheating can destroy the blower unit components necessitating expensive repairs. A fire may even break out within the unit once overheating takes place.

Frost Build-up

Dirty filters create opportunity for frost or condensate to accumulate within the ducts of the AC system. That condensate develops because air pockets stand for long in some parts of the piping due to the system clogging up. The condensate will eventually damage the ducts and you will have to overhaul the system sooner than would have been necessary.

Each ducted air conditioning system comes with a manual that provides guidelines for the cleaning or replacement of air filters. Follow the given recommendations or ask your HVAC technician to advise you on the best way to keep the air filters working. Such preventive maintenance will save you from the high operational costs that result from dirty air filters.

To learn more, contact a company like Ridge Airconditioning.

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