How Important Is Your Air Conditioner Filter?
By Donald Munn, Fri Dec 9th

When most people think about an air conditioner filter, it isin terms of how efficient they are and how much dust they willstop. These are important things and should be considered whenreplacing or upgrading your air conditioner filter.

There is another very important job that your air conditionerfilter does. It helps to keep dust from collecting on theevaporator coil of your air conditioning system. The evaporatoris located inside the air handler and is one of the four maincomponents of any air conditioning system. The air filter isusually located somewhere just before the evaporator coil.

Everyone knows that any dust that passes through the filter endsup back in your living space and can be very irritating toallergy sufferers and anyone else who is sensitive to dust andairborne contaminants.

What most people don’t realize is that your air conditionerfilter also serves another important purpose. It also preventsthe evaporator coil from becoming plugged with dust and reducingthe efficiency of the equipment.

This evaporator coil is constructed very similar to the radiatorin a car. Like your car radiator, it will not be able to do itsjob without proper airflow. I am comparing the evaporator coilto a car radiator because most of us know what a radiator lookslike, but an evaporator coil works to cool air as it passesthrough.

Over time dust collects between the fins of the evaporator coiland can even form a layer on the surface of the evaporator coilfins (like a blanket). This happens over a period of time andcan take months and even years to happen.

If you have your air conditioner serviced regularly, thetechnician will check this and advise you when it needs to becleaned. As airflow through the evaporator coil becomes more andmore restricted the equipment efficiency begins to decline. Thiscan even cause equipment failure and lead to expensive repairs.

So, cleaner air is not the only benefit you will get from usingan efficient air conditioner filter. You will also save moneybecause your air conditioning equipment will perform at a higherefficiency.

About the author:Donald Munn has been in the air conditioning, ventilation andheating industry for twenty years and shares his experience andinsight into furnacefilter selection, performance and care at www.furnacefiltercare.com