Your family’s health and the condition of the filters in your air conditioning system are connected. Are you aware of the quality of the air your family is breathing?

This is a good question to pose to yourself.

As we go about our day-to-day activities, we are faced with a myriad of health risks. Recreational activities, flying in a plane, and driving a car can expose you to environmental pollutants, so you’re constantly exposed to health risks. Since some risks cannot be avoided, mitigation measures must be considered. For instance, regularly changing your air conditioning system’s filters can help mitigate these risks.

Air pollution is a serious environmental hazard, so you must consider indoor air quality in your home. Since homes are well-insulated and sealed to enhance the energy efficiency, a lot of airborne contaminants are usually locked up in the house. Since the average person spends 90% of their time indoors, they are exposed to many pollutants. Please note that indoor pollutants are usually five times greater than outdoor ones; some homes may even be 100 times more polluted than the outdoors.

To make homes, offices, and business premises safer, indoor air pollution has been identified as one of the top 5 urgent public health risks by the EPA. This means that the performance of your air conditioning filters is more crucial than ever before.
Common types of air contaminants found in a typical home include; dust mites, dust, dirt, pollen, mold, pet dander, and smoke. In addition to being hazardous to your health, these contaminants can also trigger allergic episodes.

Clogged air filters can reduce indoor air quality significantly, and this can contribute to or lead to the development of asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and bronchitis.

Poor indoor air quality can cause dry eyes, headaches, nausea, nasal congestion, and fatigue. Children, the elderly, and other consumers who already have respiratory diseases face a greater risk.

The first line of defense is having a well-functioning air conditioning filter, as it can prevent most of these issues. A quality filter can prevent minute particles from getting back into your home’s air supply by trapping them. This means your family will have clean air to breathe, so they’ll not develop watery eyes, runny nose, or sneezing. Be sure to change your filter regularly.

If you fail to clean or replace your air filter regularly, air contaminants will still find a way around the clogged filter and get into your air supply. Additionally, the clogged filter will restrict airflow through the unit, which will lower the efficiency and performance of the unit. Reduced airflow through the unit means that air contaminants will remain in the room, so they will still be inhaled by everyone in the house.

During the hot summer months, airborne contaminants are usually more prevalent and can become a big issue because most people usually stay indoors to keep cool. To reduce the health risk to your family, be sure to change your air conditioning filter regularly. Filters that are in good condition can be cleaned to remove contaminants and reused.

The frequency of changing air filters will differ from one family to the next. The number of occupants, the presence of pets, daily activities in the house, and the number of trees and plants around your home will all affect the frequency of filter replacement. The general rule of thumb is to change your filter every 2 or 3 months or when they get clogged.

Homeowners need to balance cost and indoor air quality. If you can afford to replace your filter every 60 days, that’s okay. If you can’t, consider cleaning the filter every month until you notice signs of wear. This is because if you replace your filter too frequently, you may end up spending a lot of money on your air conditioning system. However, a few extra dollars spent on a new air conditioning filter is nothing compared to the good health of your family, so the sooner you replace the filter, the better.

Depending on your home’s specific needs, be sure to change your air conditioning filters regularly. While this may seem like a small task, it can have a huge impact on the health and overall well-being of your family.