If you’re like most home and business owners in Brisbane, chances are you don’t really think about your air conditioner all that much. It’s a case of “out of sight, out of mind”… until, of course, your unit stops working in the middle of summer!
The issue is that this often results in air conditioning problems going undetected until the issue reaches the point where you no longer have a functioning air conditioning system.
Case-in-point: air conditioning filters.
Air conditioning filters are an important part of your air conditioning service. They’re what keep your air conditioner pumping out cool, fresh and most importantly, clean air during summer.
Tri-Tech offers air conditioning service in Brisbane, as well as aircon repairs – you’d be surprised by how many air conditioning issues can be chalked up to filter issues!
And that brings us to today’s topic: how often should you get your air conditioning filters replaced?
The role of air conditioning filters
Air conditioning systems work by taking warm air in your house and running through a process that strips it of heat. Once this is done, it gets pumped back into your home or office.
Before it does however, it’s run through a filter.
This filter catches any debris, dirt or airborne contaminants before they get pumped back into your house, protecting you from breathing in anything that might negatively affect your health.
Needless to say, these filters are pretty important!
Over time, this builds up, with dirt and dust getting trapped in the filter. When this happens, you’ll need to get your filters cleaned (or replaced altogether).
What happens if I neglect cleaning my air conditioning filters?
It’s a sweltering summer day in Brisbane.
You get home, and immediately turn the air conditioner on.
You wait expectantly for the cool air to start flowing.
And you keep waiting… and waiting… and waiting…
Alternatively, your air conditioner does start supplying air. However, the airflow is weak, and not very refreshing at all.
If you’ve ever been in either of these situations, you’ll know exactly how uncomfortable it can feel. So, why is this happening?
We’ll tell you: it’s quite likely a problem with your filters!
Less cool air
Just picture the strainer in your kitchen sink, only filled to the top with food scraps and the like.
A dirty filter is no different.
A filter that’s picked up a thick layer of dirt, dust and worse creates a physical barrier that stops cool air from flowing.
Without regular cleaning or replacement, your filters can clog up to the point where your air conditioner has trouble supplying air.
That directly translates into weaker airflow and patchy cooling.
A higher power bill
When your filters aren’t clear, your air conditioner will need to work extra hard to overcome the handicap that is a clogged filter.
Say your air conditioner takes an hour to drop the temperature from an uncomfortable 35ºC to a comfortable 23ºC when performing optimally.
With blocked filters, your system will take considerably longer to supply the same amount of cooling. That means it’ll have to stay on longer to do the same job.
And that means a higher power bill!
How often should you get your filters replaced?
Okay, so now that we’ve gotten all of the groundwork out of the way, it’s time to tackle the big question: namely, how often you should get your filters replaced!
If you own a split system air conditioner (and let’s face it, the answer is probably “yes”), your instruction manual should detail how to access and clean the air filters.
If you don’t have the book any more, you may be able to download a copy from the manufacturer’s website.
In addition to cleaning instructions, the manual should also provide a recommendation for cleaning.
In our experience, this number tends to play it way too safe, as it has to account for all sorts of properties.
The thing is, very few households or businesses are ever that dirty.
As a general rule, most typical suburban homes in Brisbane can get away with cleaning their filters every 3-6 months for a split system air conditioner. We recommend at least once during winter, and again as we approach summer.
Even then however, this might be too conservative. The truth is, there’s no real answer to this question. How often your filters need cleaning will depend on a number of factors…
Air quality
If your home or workplace is characterised by high levels of airborne dirt or dust, your filters are going to have to work extra hard to keep your air clean.
Naturally, this means your filters clog up significantly faster!
Tri-Tech provides air conditioning service in Brisbane for domestic and commercial clients alike. In our experience, there are a couple of properties that turn up time and time again, presenting with clogged filters.
Factories, warehouses, workshops… these are just some examples of the type of workplaces we’re talking about.
Sound like you? If so, you might need more frequent air conditioning filter replacement!
How populated your home is
We’ve all heard the statistic that 70-80% of household dust is made up of dead skin cells.
Not to mention, skin flakes also serve as food for dust mites, who produce dust particles.
Long story short, more people means more dead skin cells, which means more dust!
And more dust means your air conditioning filters clog up quicker.
This is part of the reason why large families and businesses with lots of staff tend to be dustier than those with fewer people.
It isn’t just people, either – in addition to shedding fur, pets and animals also shed tiny flakes of skin. This is known as dander, and can also clog up your air conditioning filters.
Yes, your adorable little pup is also part of the reason your air conditioning filters aren’t letting any air out!
If your home or business hosts a lot of people or pets, you might need more frequent air conditioning service such as filter replacement.
Allergies
People with allergies, asthma and respiratory conditions are especially vulnerable to airborne microbes. For these people, clean air is a matter of health as well as comfort.
In these cases, your air conditioning cleaning schedule might have to be accelerated.
Depending on the severity of the allergies, you might have to clean your filters as often as once a month!
Of course, if you suffer from respiratory problems, you might (understandably) not be in a position to clean out your air conditioning filters.
In these cases, we suggest getting someone else to do it for you… alternatively, you can call someone who specialises in air conditioning service in Brisbane!
Need air conditioning service in Brisbane?
Tri-Tech keeps your air cool, refreshing and clean!
While you might be able to clean the filter in a split system air conditioner on your own, not all systems are so user-friendly.
For example, ducted and commercial-grade air conditioners.
Compared to split systems, these types of air conditioners are much more extensive. Not to mention, they’re also significantly more complex, which makes maintaining them something that should only ever be handled by a professional.
If you need air conditioning service in Brisbane, Tri-Tech is the team to call!
Whether you need a filter replaced or a deeper repair, our mobile tech team are experts in their fields.
Split systems, ducted cooling, large commercial aircon… if it pumps out cool (or warm!) air, we can fix it!
Get in touch with the experts in aircon repairs and service today – call Tri-Tech on (07) 3394 0222, or click here to book your free quote.
