How to Clean an HVAC Filter?

By capturing dust, pollen, bacteria, and other impurities, your HVAC system purifies the air in your house, but those particles eventually need to leave. Most of this accumulation is captured by the system’s air filter, which can eventually affect the unit’s performance, raise your utility costs, and even degrade the air quality in your home. 

Understanding how to correctly maintain an air conditioner in Daytona Beach, FL, or a furnace is essential to preventing costly breakdowns and keeping the system functioning smoothly.

Cleaning an HVAC Air Filter

Plan to clean and change your home’s air filters approximately every six months for the best benefits. The techniques shown below will work for most reusable filters, but it’s always a good idea to verify the manufacturer’s instructions before cleaning your air conditioner or furnace filter.

What you require:

  • A vacuum with a gentle brush attachment for screwdrivers
  • Large container or sink
  • Warm water
  • Alcohol-based white vinegar
  • Hose (optional)

Step 1: Locate the filter and shut off the electricity

Turn off your HVAC system before cleaning to stop unfiltered air from circulating in your house. Find the vent, then open the unit with a screwdriver. Make careful to clean all the filters in any system’s many vents, which may be present. Take the filter out, then look for any damage. If necessary, replace the filter; otherwise, carry on with the vacuuming.

Step 2: Vacuum the air filter

If you can, move the filter outside to prevent stirring up dust within your house. To clean the filter of particles, use a vacuum with a soft brush attachment. Use the brush to remove the built-up attached to the filter carefully.

Step 3: Use vinegar and water to clean the filter

If your air filter needs a more thorough cleaning, fill your sink or a big bucket with a solution of hot water and distilled white vinegar in equal parts. After about an hour, let the filter soak, and then rinse with fresh water. If the filter is too big to fit inside a sink or bucket, rinse it with a garden hose while allowing the water to go the other way from where the air flows. For best results, use a low-pressure setting to protect the filter.

Step 4: Replace after drying

Before changing the filter, let it completely dry out in the air. This aids in preventing the growth of mold inside your HVAC system. Make that the filter is reloaded inside the device and the airflow is directed in the right direction. Arrow markings indicate the positioning of most filters; these arrows typically point in the direction of the airflow toward the furnace. Reinstall the vents, then restart the appliance.

Otherwise, you can call for HVAC services in Ormond Beach, FL, to help clean your air filters.

Why it's important to change your air filter

It would be best if you change your air filters frequently to avoid any AC repair in Flagler Beach, FL. Below are some reasons why you should change your filters regularly.

  • Enhance indoor air quality

Your home’s air quality is directly impacted by how clean your HVAC air filter is. Cleaning the air that enters your HVAC system is the main job of the air filter. Fibers, usually fiberglass, are used to make the air filter, which traps airborne toxins in your house. These could include bacteria, dust, dirt, pollen, animal fur, microorganisms, etc.

By clearing out the dirt and bacteria that have gathered inside the filter, routine air filter changes enable the air to be cleansed more thoroughly as it passes through.

Additionally, since people spend most of their time indoors, indoor air quality is frequently worse than outdoor air. Regularly change your air filters to ensure that your family is breathing clean air.

  • Enhance energy efficiency

Clean air filters improve indoor air quality and increase energy efficiency. To force air past dirty and clogged air filters, your HVAC system must exert more effort. Higher energy consumption, as a result, raises energy costs. Lower utility costs make changing your air filters worthwhile.

  • Increase the HVAC system’s lifespan

One of the most significant benefits of cleaning your air filters is that it will extend the lifespan of your HVAC system. Your equipment can last longer with routine HVAC maintenance, such as changing your air filters frequently.

When your air filters are dirty or worn out, your system needs to work harder to move air through them. This suggests that your system is exerting more effort than necessary. Additionally, if an air filter is entire and there is nowhere for it to get caught, dust and dirt might clog up the components of your HVAC system. Your system will survive longer if you maintain it.

  • Less frequent repairs

Like buying a new HVAC unit, repairing your HVAC system can be expensive. You can avoid harm to your device by performing routine air conditioner maintenance in Daytona Beach, FL, and changing your air filters. The system’s inability to maintain the proper temperature, exorbitant electricity costs, strange noises, and unpleasant scents are some of the most frequent repair problems we see. A clogged air filter can affect all of these problems.

When you get routine HVAC maintenance service, your air filter is changed as part of the maintenance package. Additionally, before your system breaks, our staff of qualified specialists inspects your system to find any problems that need fixing. This is essential to preventing further harm, which could result in even more costly repairs. If you take care of your HVAC system from the beginning, you may reduce the frequency of AC repairs in Flagler Beach, FL.

  • Improvements in temperature control

Regular air filter replacements help your HVAC system operate more effectively and produce the proper amount of heated or cooled air, in addition to all the other advantages. Your unit can better manage the inside temperature of your home when your air filters are clean and the air flows through them freely.

The Bottom Line

To avoid paying for unnecessary energy expenditures, repairs, or HVAC system replacement, keep up with your HVAC maintenance. You can accomplish this by setting up routine maintenance appointments with Accutemp Pro. To arrange HVAC Repair in Palm Coast, FL, get in touch with our professionals, book an appointment via our website, or give us a call!

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