How to Change your Air Conditioner Filter
Clean, quality air conditioner filters are important to limiting how much dirt and dust go through your home from your unit. Your filter also stops the particles from creating a blockage inside your HVAC unit. With a dirty filter, your air conditioner will not function as efficiently and will use more energy, so it is important to change the filter every so often.
When it comes to doing anything in the house, you should keep safety in mind. Use your home’s circuit breaker to turn off power to the air conditioner before performing any kind of maintenance.
Next, find the filter by the air duct. A forced air system should have this over a wall vent by the thermostat. Furnace style systems may have the filter attached. For a window unit, you can find this in the grill adjacent to the cooled room. When you find it, you should be able to pop open the panel and pull out the dirty filter from behind it. Some units may not have a panel; if you can see the filter from where you are standing, then all you will need to do is pull it out and dispose of it.
Before inserting the new filter, you need to make sure it is facing the right direction; the arrows on the frame of your new filter should point toward the airflow before inserting the filter. When you have done this, you can replace the panel if necessary; otherwise, your work is done.
If your unit has an air conditioner filter that can be washed, you can remove it and use a vacuum to get rid of any clumps of dirt. A hose or a tub filled with water can let you really soak and clean out the filter thoroughly. Make sure you are just as thorough about drying the filter before putting it back into the unit.
