Is it Bad to Run Your AC without A Filter?

 

Yes, you cannot get away with running your AC system without a filter for more than 6-8 hours. However, it can be run for a short period of time i.e. one night, without any serious damage. The filters are the most common connection to the indoor mechanisms. On top of this, these play an important part in keeping your indoor air supply clean and healthy. The filters are used to remove dirt and debris from the air, it prevents any hair or dust stuck to the AC components, and also stops clogging the drains.

Therefore, running AC without filters can do serious damage to your system and it will lose efficiency. There will be many negative effects that every homeowner needs to know when running an AC system without filters. To explain this you need to understand what role filters play in running the AC process.

Why Are Filters An Important Component In the AC Process?

The filters act like a guard that protects 24/7, and not allowing the harmful dust or contaminants enter the system. Hence, improving the air quality and purifying home’s indoor air. Your AC system sucks the air from your home and strips that hot air and blows back into your home. The air passes through the filter before its cooled and blown back to your home. The filters are made of material such as fiberglass, paper or cloth so that the dust particles in the air can get trapped in the filter.

Therefore, these filters are used as barriers in front of the vent of the AC to prevent debris that can trap into the system. But without filters that dust or debris can stay and accumulate into the system while damaging the equipment and the quality of the home’s indoor air.

What Will Be The Damage? Running Your AC Without Filter.

Running without filter cause many negative effects on your AC system:

-a sudden increase in the energy bills

-broken compressor

-poor indoor air quality

-evaporator coils get frozen

-find more dust in the house

-less conditioned air

Apart from negative effects on AC system, there are two big issues that need to be checked:

Problem#1 Bad Indoor Air Quality

The air pollutants will get trapped in the system if you will run your AC without a filter. The contaminated air will then circulate in your house on a daily basis. Pets, guests, leaky air ducts, and vacuuming will increase air pollutants in the house.

This will lead to more negative effects, such as: respiratory problems, flu and cold allergies, itchy and watery eyes, rash and skin allergy, asthma problems, nose and ear irritation, sneezing, etc.

Problem#2 Evaporator Coils Freeze Over

The dirt is the biggest issue that gets stuck to the system and eventually restricts the air flow over the evaporator coils. When the dust gets stuck into your indoor AC system it settles on the evaporator coils.

These coils are filled with refrigerant to absorb the heat from the house air. When the indoor air is sucked by the system, it is supposed to settle on the coils, and then the cool air is blown back to the house. But when there are no filters the evaporator coils get dusty and it can’t absorb as much heat as they need to, causing the coils to freeze.

To Sum Up

Have you been running your AC without a filter? 

 

You need professional help, give technicians a call asking if they can offer 24/7 AC repair service or can provide you advice on your air filters.