Something smells fishy around here, and it’s not just coming from your kitchen. It’s coming from all over the house!
Okay, it’s not really seafood. The only thing “fishy” around here is where the smell comes from and what’s causing it.
You should inspect your heating and cooling system to see if an odor is filling your house or is only present in a specific room due to pollution. A dirty air filter may be behind that funky smell.
Trust us; funny smells are the least of your worries. The quality of your air directly impacts your health. Always keep an eye on your HVAC filters; they may be the source of your off-season allergies.
You can learn more about air filters and indoor air quality below.
Need to Change Your Air Filter?
How often do you change your air filter? When was the last time you cleaned your air filters?
If the answer to either of these questions is more than three months ago, it almost always ensures poor air quality.
Additionally, fan motors can negatively react to a drastic temperature change or an accumulation of debris. If you want reliable, clean air, ensure your HVAC system isn’t saturated by dust and debris.
How often your air filters need to be changed depends on the type you have. However, most air filter manufacturers recommend routine inspection, cleaning, and replacement.
Have you seen your air filter lately? Remember, looks can be deceiving. Your air filter may look clean outside, but that smell may come from things you can’t see from the surface.
Inspecting Your Air Filters
There are more layers to your air filter than filter traps. Your air filter’s condition can’t be thoroughly examined from the outside.
You will need to dismantle certain parts of your HVAC system to access the entire air filter to conduct a thorough inspection. There may be dust and debris just lying beneath the surface, causing unusual odors and affecting air circulation.
What you need to look out for during the inspection?
An HVAC air filter may harbor harmful pollutants, some of which are invisible to the naked eye. However, there are ways you can determine their presence in your clogged filter.
You can tell when pleated air filters are dirty more quickly. You will notice large particles sticking out and saturating its surface.
The state of spun fiberglass filters may be more challenging to discern by the untrained eye. The best indicator may be their color, especially with fiberglass filters.
Any discoloration or darkening indicates saturation. It is true for most air filters, but determining the color is helpful in examining fiberglass.
How Often Should I Change AC Filter?
If you notice visible indications, then it’s time to change your air filter. However, obnoxious odors and noises may also be a cry for help from your HVAC system.
It would be best to clean or change your air filter every couple of months. Pleated filters will last anywhere from thirty to sixty days, but fiberglass typically only lasts up to one month.
Additionally, less expensive fiberglass filters may be gray within a few hours of purchasing them. Yes, the quality of your air filter can impact filter efficiency.
Types of Air Filters
There are various kinds of air filters. Some are better at trapping particles like pet hair and fabric, while some catch smaller pollutants like microscopic dander, dust, and debris that are invisible to the naked eye.
If you are in the market for a new filter, ensure you know what kind of care it needs. It may require more attention than your old filter.
Inexpensive types may require more frequent filter maintenance. It’s essential to acquaint yourself with the different kinds of air filters to provide yours with the standard of care they need.
HVAC Air Filter
Inside your air conditioning system, you may have a combination of filters. Air filters within your HVAC system won’t need changing as much as they would routine cleaning.
An HVAC system typically has internal and external filters. Like a furnace filter, some keep your heating and cooling system from gathering contaminants to protect its components.
However, the most important job of an HVAC filter is to provide your home with clean air. You may also integrate more air filters on each air handler to supplement filtration.
You might notice technicians clean or change your air filter every couple of months. However, you should leave air conditioners and their maintenance to the pros, but keep an eye on your integrated filters.
Pleated Filter
Many homeowners fit their home’s heating vents with a pleated type of air filter. It lasts longer than fiberglass and helps promote more energy-efficient heating.
You can fit your air handler with this type of HVAC filter to keep your energy bills low and your air clean. While it is better at catching airborne particles, it requires fewer filter changes.
However, you may need to visually inspect your HVAC system if you have multiple pets at home, especially if you have smaller filters. They may saturate more quickly, and more dirt on your filter hinders your AC system from working properly.
Fiberglass Filter
Fiberglass is just spun glass. Some homeowners prefer them because they are more affordable than pleated options.
Fiberglass also has little to no particle fallout but falls shorts of providing the same filtration as other filters. Still, your AC system may benefit from its supplemental filtration.
A fiberglass option does just fine to supplement your air conditioner. Fiberglass only really impacts your HVAC equipment when you don’t routinely change your filter.
While some prefer fiberglass for better airflow, a pleated filter allows less air to get through for added filtration measures. It can leave us wondering if there’s a supreme filter that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
There will always be pros and cons to both. However, nothing can filter every airborne contaminant from your environment.
What is the Best Kind of Filter?
Your home’s air conditioner and furnace filters may succumb to the contaminants lingering in your home. The best filter for your home is the kind that can keep up against your home’s pollutants.
The right filter can save your HVAC unit from spiking your energy bills. However, any filter may only be useful if you change your filter every time it needs replacement.
Some homeowners need to remember that a filter may need more frequent changing. Most filters require the same amount of cleaning or changing, but fiberglass saturates more quickly and has a shorter lifespan.
Trust us, that graying old filter isn’t doing your energy bill any favors. Throw your old inefficient filter in the trash and get a new one, preferably one with a higher Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values (MERV) rating.
Routine Check-Up and Tune-Ups for Air Handlers
It would be best to change your filter each time it gets worn out; cleaning it may also help. Still, you can only change your filter so many times until it succumbs to wear and tear.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what kind of filter you have at home. If you want cleaner air, observe routine maintenance for all air handlers.
Your air conditioner, furnace, and ventilation comprise your HVAC system and impact your indoor air quality. Why is that important?
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the breathability of your home’s atmosphere. Air quality can be determined by devices that measure Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
Carbon Dioxide comes from various elements in your home. Spraying perfume, cooking, or even cleaning produces Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), which compound to your home’s CO2 levels.
An HVAC air filter can’t always adequately filter airborne pollutants, leading to poor air quality. Investing in additional HVAC filters helps prolong the lifespan of your cooling system.
The right filtration systems can better ensure stability, energy efficiency, and the safety of all breathing beings inhabiting your home.
Keep up with the proper upkeep of your AC system, and you may see your air breathe new life into your plants and animals. You may also notice allergy relief.
If you notice your house plant wilting, that may be suspicious if you live in a mild climate. However, a wilted plant next to your old filter is not as questionable.
Enlist professional technicians for your AC system, and you won’t have to worry about that dirty old filter.
Reliable HVAC Companies in Mukilteo, Washington
Finding the right technicians can be tasking. Conducting background checks to ensure credibility just adds to your list of things to do. Changing AC or furnace filters once every couple of months is doable with the right tools and techniques.
However, a dirty air filter may not be the culprit behind your home’s poor air quality and inefficient HVAC systems. If you have air quality problems, we have solutions for each of them!
BelRed Energy Solutions
BelRed Energy Solutions is a prominent HVAC and plumbing company providing reliable and affordable services around Mukilteo, Washington.
You can find the relevant BelRed HVAC specialists in Washington today! Book your appointment online if you need reliable Air Conditioning Maintenance.
That’s not all; you might find the energy-efficient system you are looking for in our HVAC offerings. Remember to ask our guys about ductless mini-split heat pumps!
