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The air filter condition determines the quality of the air distributed into your home through your AC. This is because the air filter functions as an air purifier by removing the dirt and dust in the air and allowing the AC to disperse clean air.
However, where the air filter is bad, it becomes less functional, and this causes the AC to distribute the air with dust. This can negatively impact your health and cause several health issues, including irritation of the eyes, dizziness, sore throat and more.
Because you are not required to change your air filter on a regular basis, it is natural that you want to know when it is bad and replace it at that time. But before we discuss that, let’s examine why your air filter can go bad in the first place.
Like every other compartment of the Air Conditioner, an air filter can also go bad, and when this happens, you need to replace it. The air filter is affected by the constant removal of dirt from the air drawn by the AC. However, the air filter sometimes collects too much dirt that it gets so dirty and clogged that you need to remove it.
So how exactly do you know that an air filter is bad? Below are 8 signs that your air filter is bad and needs to be replaced.
1. The filter is dirty
Yes, the filter can get dirty, which is a sign that it is bad and needs to be changed. Make pulling out the air filter of your AC a part of your monthly house cleaning. This way, you can see if the filter is becoming dirty and can immediately replace it. This will serve a great purpose in keeping the air quality in your house healthy and prevent you from any health problems that may follow.
2. Your house is becoming more dusty than usual
If you notice that your house is becoming dusty for no reason, you may want to check your air filter. An air filter helps remove dust from the air. However, it will fail to perform that function when it gets bad or becomes excessively dirty. Therefore, the AC carries both the air and the dust and disperses them into your house. So if your home is becoming unexpectedly dusty, it is recommended that you check the air filter and see if it is bad already.
3. You are getting a strange smell
When there is a strange smell at home, it is reasonable to check the kitchen and other appliances to know what could be wrong. Unfortunately, this happens so often that we usually forget to check the AC for the fault.
A strange smell can also be a result of a bad air filter, and this is because as the air filter gets dirty, it starts to accumulate mold, and this can create a strange smell that sometimes may smell like burning. Check the filter and see if it is dirty and needs to be replaced.
4. You’re experiencing allergy symptoms
As mentioned earlier, a bad air filter exposes you to certain healthy problems, including sore throat, running nose, and even headache. So if you suddenly start to feel any or all of these allergies, it may mean that your air filter is bad. The best way to resolve this is simply by checking your air filter.
5. The Air Conditioner is getting hot
It is ok for your AC to be relatively warm, but something may be wrong when it is hot to touch. A bad filter can cause this because a dirty and clogged air filter causes the AC to overwork itself and forcefully push out air from the filter. This causes more work, and the unit naturally becomes hot. You must check the air filter if you notice this before it leads to further breakdown.
Once you replace the air filter, you should check again to confirm if the unit has returned to its normal temperature. Where this is not the case, you should contact companies like https://directac123.com/ to check the unit further and help determine what else could be wrong.
6. Your AC didn’t pass the White Sheet Test
The white sheet test is a famous way of determining whether your air filter is bad or not. This allows you to check the filter condition without necessarily removing it. So if you do not want to remove your air filter, you can check its condition by hanging a white sheet in front of the AC air vent. Wait and see how dirty the sheet gets. If it becomes very dirty, it is an indication that your air filter is bad.
This works because the air vent serves as the air outlet, and when the air gets dusty, or the filter becomes less functional, the vent starts to become dusty as it collects parts of the dust in the air. However, it does not stop the dust, so the white sheet also accumulates dust.
Conclusion
Replacing your air filter should be a priority since it is connected to the quality of air distributed into your home. However, it is far easier to forget to check it even when we all know it is essential. This is why the issue with poor filters isn’t so much with replacing them as it is with recognizing that they’ve become bad in the first place.
Generally, your air filters should be replaced once every six months. However, replacing the air filter also depends on the area. If you stay in a very dusty place, the air filter naturally becomes more susceptible to dust, and can become bad faster. This means that you may even need to replace the air filter more often than once in six months.
