Easy DIY Air Conditioner Maintenance:

Change Air Filters

Air conditioner maintenance in Houston, Texas, is a must to keep your air conditioning system in top shape. Truth is, our heat and humidity are well known, no matter what neighborhood you live in from central neighborhoods like Bellaire, the Heights, and West University Place to Southwest Houston and the Bay Area.

There is one air conditioner maintenance task that is easy for homeowners to do. Replacing the air filters in your air conditioner or furnace is an easy DIY task. It will also improve your air conditioner’s efficiency if you keep it up!

When to Change Air Filters

Typical air filters should be changed once each season for most homes. We recommend business owners change them once per quarter.

Reasons you might want to change air filters more often include the following:

  • Indoor renovations – A dusty environment even in the short-term can affect how long an air filter might last.
  • Pets – Pets that live indoors, especially dogs and cats, can require more frequent changing of air filters.
  • High activity – If you have frequent gatherings indoors or a lot of activity, it makes sense that air filters will not last as long.
  • Tobacco use – Smoking indoors will shorten the life of an indoor air filter.
  • Outdoor environment – Construction in the area and seasonal air quality alerts can affect air filters. In Houston, we get seasonal smoke that drifts in April/May from Mexico and Saharan dust in the summer, too.
  • Season – In the summer when air conditioners are running most of the day and night, you’ll notice that filters don’t last quite as long as they do in the more temperate spring and fall.

Any of these factors individually or in combination can mean that you may need to change your air filters more frequently than every three months.

If you’re unsure, pull them out and look at them. Do they look grey or furry? If so, it may be time to replace them.

How Air Filters Affect Your Air Conditioner

Air filters are designed to keep your heating and cooling system clean and in good working order. When they get clogged, it is much harder for the system to take in enough air to work properly.

A dirty filter is a lot like giving your air conditioner a case of asthma. Dirty air filters restrict the air flow. If air filters are not regularly changed, your air conditioner or heat pump will work much harder to draw air in to condition the air.

If it goes on too long, it can cause electrical parts to fail sooner than they should and cause a breakdown. This is why changing your filter regularly is one of the easiest things you can do to keep your air conditioner and heater in good shape.

Where Are Air Filters Located?

Air filters are often located in supply vents in your wall or ceiling. Occasionally, air filters may be located in your furnace.

If you are unsure, ask your favorite AC technician on your next visit. They will be happy to show you and answer any questions you have.

How Often Should AC Maintenance Be Done?

Air conditioners and heat pumps in the Houston area should be maintained twice a year – once in the fall ahead of winter and once in the spring before the summer heat.

ProTip: If you are having to replace air filters more often than you’d like, ask your favorite AC technician if they will bring a thicker filter or two for your HVAC system. These are what we call “media filters” and can be 4-5” thick. They last much longer than 1” filters that are readily available at most home improvement stores.

Call Our Houston, Texas Air Conditioner Maintenance Pros

At Castle Air Conditioning & Heating, we want to be your knight in shining armor to make it easy and seamless to maintain and service your heating and cooling system. We recommend scheduling a seasonal heater check in the fall and an air conditioner check in the spring to keep your heating and cooling system in tip-top shape. Find out how maintenance visits are different from a repair visit.

Regular air conditioner maintenance bolsters the longevity of your system and will keep it working at peak efficiency, too. Contact our experienced team at Castle A/C & Heating and book your next visit online. If you’ve got questions, we are standing by and ready to serve residential and commercial customers across Houston from Central Houston including Midtown, the Heights, Bellaire, West University Place, and River Oaks through Southwest Houston and the Bay Area.

Photo credit: Canva.com/slobo