How can air filter damage affect your heating or air-conditioning system? After all, the system filter’s a simple, replaceable product that merely removes particulates from HVAC airflow.
The blower in your system circulates more than a thousand cubic feet of air every minute through furnace or air-conditioner components. Excessively restricted airflow due to the filter can cause filter damage, as well as degrade indoor comfort and raise your heating/cooling costs. Here are some ways air-filter damage matters when it comes to an HVAC system:
A dirty filter.
A filter that’s not changed regularly — monthly during air-conditioning season and at least every other month when the furnace is running — accumulates dust, dirt, and other particulates. This ongoing process gradually reduces system airflow and temperature control, and indoor comfort become increasingly difficult to control. The HVAC system runs longer to maintain programmed temperature settings, increasing wear and tear and boosting monthly electrical or gas bills.
A clogged filter.
Once a dirty air filter totally clogs and obstructs system airflow entirely, filter damage escalates substantially. Strangled airflow can make a furnace or air conditioner run nonstop or until a safety sensor shuts down the unit. Lack of air circulation through the system can also damage the furnace heat exchanger, as well as the AC compressor, which are the most expensive components in the HVAC system.
A filter that is too efficient.
Air-filter efficiency can be too much of a good thing. Filter efficiency is rated by the MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) numeral between 1 and 20. The more efficient the filter, the thicker it is to remove minute particulates. However, a thicker high-efficiency filter obstructs airflow excessively and may cause filter damage to HVAC components. For most typical home applications, filter efficiency should be limited to a MERV range between 8 and 13.
Avoid potential filter damage to your HVAC system with advice on filter selection from the experts at Paitson Bros. We’ve been here for you year in and year out since 1922.
Jeff Paitson is a third generation business owner who continues to run the business with the same values that have been passed down from previous generations since 1922.
Jeff’s belief is that the business belongs to Jesus Christ; therefore 10 percent of the company’s profits go toward the Maryland Community Church.
Jeff is a Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce member and in his spare time, he enjoys 
Ethan Rayburn is a lifelong resident of Terre Haute and a 2005 graduate of Purdue University.
An Eagle Scout, Ethan spent four years as a non-profit executive with the Boy Scouts of America before joining Paitson Bros. as a comfort advisor and later General Manager. In that role, Ethan has brought a renewed enthusiasm for customer care, integrity, value, and service to Paitson Bros. Heating & Air Conditioning.
Ethan enjoys singing and was a member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. He also enjoys playing and coaching soccer, spending time with his family and two young boys, and volunteering his time and resources with his church, Terre Haute First Baptist Church, which he has attended from a very young age.
Paitson Bros
1 (812) 232-2347
Serving the Wabash Valley, IN Area Since 1922