Air Conditioning Filters
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010Air conditioners have always been popular, but they used to be pricey to buy and expensive to run. These days they are cheaper to buy. It is not so bad if you live somewhere where you need heating for three months and cooling for three months, but if you live somewhere where you have one unit or other running twenty-for hours a day, seven days a week, it is still expensive.
However, the luxury that they impart to your life is remarkable. But, the thing to remember is that air conditioners, like all pieces of equipment, do need servicing. That is, the actual moving parts, lubricants and other fluids need to be checked professionally every two years (or whatever it says in your instruction manual). There are other parts though that need to be checked much more frequently than that - maybe even monthly.
The good news is that you can carry out this maintenance yourself. I am talking about the filter. All good, modern air conditioning units come with an in-built filter. It depends on the sophistication of your air conditioner, what its filter can trap, but most will filter small particles such as pollen and traffic pollution out of the air it is circulating in the room.
These filters have to be cleaned or replaced fairly regularly and you will have to check your air conditioner’s handbook to find out what you can do. Often, it will say that they can be scrubbed two or three times with either soapy water and a tooth brush or vacuumed clean. After that they have to be replaced, in order for the unit to be completely effective.
If you need to replace your air filter, you may find the following hints helpful.
The best place to start is either the main dealer for your make of air conditioner, the people you purchased it from or the people that installed it for you. At least, you know you can trust them, even if it is only a matter of ‘better the devil you know’. Many of the stores that stock other brands of air conditioner may stock filters for your sort as a sideline too.
You are already making use of the Internet, so that is another good place to check for current prices and bargains, before you go traipsing around town. ‘Fore-warned is fore-armed’, as they say. You can utilize the price knowledge you acquire from your Internet surfing as a bargaining tool to get the best price locally.
If that does not work or you simply cannot be bothered, order on line and your air conditioner filter will be with you in a couple of day anyway. By the way, as with vacuum cleaner bags, it is normally better to buy several at a time. For example, if you know that they will survive three washes, then each filter will last four months. Why not buy three and be done with it for a year?
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with central air conditioning systems. If you are interested in Home Air Conditioning Systems, please click through to our site.