If you’re like a lot of homeowners, you have good intentions when it comes to taking care of your home’s heating and cooling system. Yet, you’re living a busy life, and it’s not easy to remember simple but essential maintenance tasks. One of the easiest to forget is checking the air filter in your furnace, A/C or heat pump system. Yet, allowing the filter to clogged with dust can reap negative consequences in wasted energy, eroded comfort, and reduced indoor air quality.
Why is the Air Filter Important?
The filter performs an essential job. It sifts out dust and other airborne debris that otherwise will coat HVAC components and make it difficult for the equipment to operate properly. Higher-efficiency filters also filter out airborne contaminants, protecting the health of home occupants with allergies and respiratory ailments. When the filter gets clogged with dust, however, your HVAC system must work harder to draw air into the equipment and circulate it throughout the home. This wastes energy, stresses parts and reduces home comfort as some parts of the house stay too hot or too cold.
Tips for Remembering to Check the Filter
Most furnace and A/C filters should be inspected monthly and changed when they look clogged. So how do you remember to check the filter every month?
- If it’s time for an upgrade, install a new HVAC system that comes with a “check-filter” light.
- Some programmable Wi-Fi thermostats will send a message to your smartphone or computer when it’s time to check or change the filter. You can also program monthly reminders into your phone or computer.
- Incorporate a filter inspection into other monthly household tasks. For example, place a reminder in your checkbook to inspect the air filter at the start of each month when you’re paying bills.
- Purchase several filters, and leave the unused ones in a conspicuous location as a reminder.
