5 Signs Your Air Filters are Malfunctioning A good cooling system is necessary to make summer chilling a reality. You should be able to come home and turn on your air conditioner, enjoying the cool air it blows. The AC filter is what ensures that clean air is entering your home and maintains the air quality in your home. An air filter that functions efficiently removes pollutants and other particles from the air in your home and circulates clean air throughout your home. The filter of your air conditioner is responsible for filtering out: · Dust · Dirt · Hair · Animal fur · Lint · Fibers · Mold spores · Pollen · Bacteria · Wood and metal particles Over time, however, your air filter gets dirty and needs to be replaced. How do you know when it’s time to do this? Here are 5 signs that your air filters are malfunctioning. The back of your air conditioner system is very hot Your air filter does a good job of filtering out pollutants and ensuring clean air circulates inside your home. But doing this task becomes more difficult for the filter as it collects more dirt and particulate matter. If the back of your air conditioner system becomes really hot, it means that your air filters are malfunctioning. This will only happen if your system overworking itself to push the air through. Cleaning or replacing such filters is necessary. Your air conditioner isn’t blowing cool air You may find that you’ve put on your air conditioner but your home doesn’t seem to be cooling. Or worse, you’ve put on the air conditioner and it has started to blow hot air throughout your home. Dirty air filters that result in dirt coming into the coils can reduce the cooling efficiency of your air conditioner system. Getting an AC service to change the filters will solve this problem. You notice dust and dirt near air vents If your air filter gets clogged with too much dirt, it will start releasing it into the system. This dirt tends to accumulate near the air vents. You can hang a white sheet of paper five inches away from your air vents. See if it turns gray after one hour to know for sure that your filter is malfunctioning. There’s an increase in your energy bills A malfunctioning air filter is going to end up consuming more energy to do its job. This will result in higher energy bills for you and your family. You have more allergy attacks Because the filter of your home air conditioner is malfunctioning, it’s not going to be able to filter pollutants effectively. If you notice an increase in your allergy attacks, it’s a sign that your air filter needs to be changed.