How to Change Your Home Air Conditioner Filter?

Air conditioner is one of the most important appliances that you must have in your home, especially when you are living in an area that is having severe summers. In case if you don`t have it in your home then you will have to face sizzling heat which will lead to difficult days and sleepless nights. So keeping all this in mind, if you don`t have an A/C installed then you should look forward for installing one and in case if you already have one installed in your place, then you should look to keep it in best possible condition and shape. One of the important factors that can keep your air conditioner in an efficient working condition is to replace its filter timely when needed. So if you haven`t replace you’re A/C filter, you must do so and following are the steps on about how to do it.

Why you need to change your Air conditioner Filter?

There are many different reasons for which you need to change you’re A/C filter on regular basis. The biggest of all is that it will help you in enhancing the life of your system and it will save you a lot of money as it’s not easy and cheap to buy and install a new A/C unit. Another reason is that by changing the filters on regular interval you will be able to make your system more efficient. If you have placed a dirty filter on your A/C it means, that it will take extra effort and extra energy to cool down your place. This way your extra energy will be wasted which you can easily save by replacing your air conditioner filters on time.

Further if you replace your air filter on regular intervals it will also ensure that you are getting pure and healthier air quality. This becomes much more important if any of your home members are having asthma or are having household pets. Pet dander will block an air filter within no time, so if you are having dogs and cats in your home, then you should look for A/C filter replacement bit earlier than those who don`t have these pets.

How frequently your AC filter should be replaced

The experts recommend that when you use your A/C on regular basis, then you should replace its filter after every month. But you can also get away by replacing the filter on quarterly basis if you use your A/C throughout the year. So basically it depends on your use as well as the condition.

Steps involved in changing filter on your Central Air Conditioner Unit

Now you may have learned about when you need to change filter on A/C unit, so now you are looking forward to know about the steps involved in changing the filter when required. So following the steps you need to follow.

 Shut off the system

First of all you need to cut off the power supply before starting replacing the filter. This is very important and should not be ignored because otherwise you may be getting in direct touch with live voltage which is very risky thing to do. Further by turning off power supply, it will ensure your equipment health because debris and dust can easily get sucked by the unit while cleaning process is going on.

Remove old filter

Second step you need to take is amazingly simple. You just need to slide filter out of the slot and it’s done. You don`t need to do anything else.

Checking about filter condition

Once filter is removed, you must need to evaluate the overall condition of your filter. You can easily check it about how much clogged and dirty it is by and holding it against the light. You now have to carefully observe that if there is very little light passing through the filter then it definitely requires replacement.

Inserting the new filter

After analyzing and deciding about the need to replace the old filter, you need to insert the new one in your system. You must do it very carefully, and ensure that you are putting it the right way; you can check the arrows on the filter frame that shows about the air flow through the filter. You can see that it is always towards the air handler mechanism and away from return air duct. So when you are going to fix the filter back, you should point the arrows towards the air handler.

These are few simple steps with which you can replace your air conditioner filter and enhance the lifespan of your unit and get cleaner and healthier air.

Steps involved in changing filter on window units

Now as you have learned about how to change filters for central air conditioning unit, so let us discuss about how to change filters for window units.

Turn off the unit

Same as you have to do for the central unit, first of all you should disconnect power before you start replacing filter.

Removal of cover

Now after witching the unit off, you should remove its front cover. For some of the units you can easily pop these off, but for others you need to unscrew. In case you are not sure about how to move forward, then it’s better to check owner`s manual.

Find and remove filter

If you have a newer window unit model, then you can easily pulled or pushed it out, but for the older models you will require screwdriver for removing filter.

Replace or clean filter

Mostly the window units have reusable filters. You can easily clean the filter by shaking it off, and in case still some dust left, you can use vacuuming for its removal. After that you should rinse the filter using soapy water, and wait until it gets dry before you fix it again. In case if filter is not in a condition to be cleansing and using again, then you should install a new one in its place.

Replacing the cover

Once you have installed the filter, now is the time to screw or pop the cover back in its place.