What Happens If You Put The Ac Filter In Backwards

We all exercise it without thinking about it. We bandy out or air filters in our home without giving it much thought. However, in that location is a correct way to install your home's air filter, and installing it backward can waste coin and cause long-term damage to your system if y'all're non careful.

So, what happens if your air filter is installed incorrect? Air filters are constructed to be installed in a certain direction. Installing your air filter astern can restrict airflow through the air filter, crusade the filter construction to fail, and allow dust, dirt, and other debris to go past the filter and collect on the evaporator coil. If your evaporator coil gets muddied, your system won't work at optimal efficiency and could clog your condensate belch pipage causing your system to neglect.

To understand what happens if your air filter is installed incorrect, we demand to first empathise how airflow works in a habitation's ductwork. Let's talk for simply a moment about that. The bike is relatively simple.

Indoor Air –> Return Vent –> Return Duct –> Furnace or Air Handler –> Supply Ducts –> Supply Registers –> Back Into House

In the illustration above, you'll encounter the airflow a little clearer. The air handler contains a blower fan. The blower fan sits at the opening to the air handler and blows in the direction of the supply duct. As the blower fan blows towards the supply duct, information technology's drawing air through the return duct from inside the house. Here are the steps:

The blower fan turns on and begins bravado air towards the supply ducts.
As the blower is running the fan draws air from the return duct.
Thus air flows from inside the house across the evaporator coil located inside the air handler.
The air is heated or cooled earlier it flows into the supply ducts and and then back into the firm.
This cycle repeats itself continually creating air circulation within the firm.

So what does all this take to practice with whether or not the air filter is installed incorrect. I promise we are getting there. Stay with me.

Why Do Air Filters Have Direction Arrows

Air filters take direction arrows to indicate which direction to install the air filter in the render. The directional pointer points in the direction of the airflow which is into the render duct. The filter is installed with the arrow facing into the air return. In other words with the filter is installed in the direction with the airflow, not against it.

Air passes through the air filter which (depending on the type of air filter you have) catches grit, dirt, and other airborne contaminants. If no air filter is present in the air return, these airborne contaminants end up collecting on the evaporator whorl.

When the evaporator gyre gets muddied, the organisation loses energy efficiency. Condensation created at the evaporator coil picks upward droppings off the ringlet and flows into the condensate discharge pipe.

Over time, this tin stop upwardly the belch pipe preventing condensation from flowing which can crusade the evaporator coil to fail or worse create a leak causing damage to the interior of your home.

If you lot need a complete guide to replacing your air filters, we put together an article How To Locate & Replace Your Heat Pump Filter: Step By Step Guide to aid you lot along the way. It'south a unproblematic procedure, but can exist scary for a first-fourth dimension homeowner who knows null almost dwelling house maintenance.

Which Way to Put Your Filter In

In addition to looking at the directional arrows, all air filters are constructed a certain way based on the type of filter it is and how long it's designed to last. Disposable air filters are non meant to last longer than 3 months. Some merely concluding about 1 month. Let's expect at both.

Fiberglass – bones cheap filters the come up white, blue, or green in color depending on the manufacturer. These filters should exist changed every thirty days.

Most fiberglass filters have fiddling to no construction material like pleated filters woven into the filter textile except for the cardboard frame. Nether the drawing force per unit area of the blower fan, these filter structures will eventually fail over time, resulting in the cardboard filter frame bending or even buckling into the render box. When this happens the filter has failed and airborne contaminants are gratuitous to flow directly to the evaporator coil.

Polyester or Pleated – are made with thicker materials and designed to capture more airborne contaminants depending on the MERV rating. These filters need to be replaced every iii months.

Pleated filters take support is woven into the filter material, unremarkably metal or plastic cording which helps the filter to stand up upwards to the pressure level from the blower fan. These filters will terminal approximately 3 months, however, they can notwithstanding fail, resulting in the filter frame bending or even buckling into the render box. When the filter fails, airborne contaminants can collect on the evaporator whorl.

What to do If My Air Filter Has Failed

If y'all've not replaced your air filter in several months yous may be ok. Nevertheless, if this is a habitual outcome, you lot will demand to get your HVAC system examined by a licensed HVAC contractor and get your HVAC back on a routine maintenance schedule.

Even with proper air filter maintenance, you should have your HVAC system cleaned and serviced at to the lowest degree one time per year. Air filters, specially the basic ones, capture large airborne particles but allow many smaller particles to pass through them.

Over time, these particles collect on the evaporator coil and can only be removed by a professional. I've seen many systems fail due to neglected service.

If your evaporator coil is really dirty from neglect, you will also need to go the ducts cleaned. Cleaning the ducts removes contaminants that have built up over time on the within walls of the ducts.

Dirty ducts will cause you lot to take to supersede your air filters sooner than you usually should have too. This is a sign that something is non right and you should have your HVAC system and ducts examined.

Co-ordinate to HomeAdvisor'southward 2020 data, you lot tin expect to pay between $75 – $200 for an HVAC tune-up. They state that a tuneup more often than not includes cleaning the outside condenser simply not the evaporator coil. You should await to pay an boosted $50-$100 per hour for a technician to service and clean your HVAC organisation.

In a divide study, HomeAdvisor states that the ducts should be cleaned every 5-vii years and you can await to pay an average $368, or between$268 and $483. If y'all accept a larger dwelling y'all could pay as much every bit $700 for duct cleaning.

In Determination

In closing, let me state that while these costs may seem high, a properly maintained HVAC system tin can terminal you 20 or more years. I've seen many HVAC systems all the same working great after 30 years.

It really all comes downwardly to, if you lot take care of the HVAC system, it'll be there when you need it. Information technology all starts with understanding how your HVAC organization works and making certain that your air filters are properly installed and replaced on a regular basis.

On a final side note, many homeowners like to cover their render air vents because they don't like how it looks. This can likewise be detrimental to your heat pump. To help, nosotros've put together 10 Ways to Hide Your Return Vent Without Blocking Airflow.