Poor or Dangerous Air Quality Running your furnace without an air filter allows dust and air pollutants to seep into the air you and your family breathe. This can trigger severe allergies or other respiratory issues.
At Quality Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we often hear the question, “can you run a furnace without a filter?” While it is possible, it isn't the best idea. Without the filter, dust and dirt particles will accumulate in your air ducts, circulate in the air, and lead to a less efficient furnace.
If you were to use your home furnace without an air filter, all that dust and debris could get stuck in your system and cause a rather large buildup. Over time, these buildups can clog and damage your system. To protect and extend the lifetime of your system, we recommend only running your furnace with an air filter.
If something happens and you have to pull your filter out for the day or even a day or two, it's probably not going to cause major problems right away. However, it's never a good idea to leave the filter out of your furnace for any longer than that.
Maintaining it properly is key, but what happens if you're caught without a replacement filter during maintenance? You might wonder about the risks of running your AC without a filter, even temporarily. The simple answer is: not for long. Ideally, your AC should never operate without a filter for more than 6-8 hours.
If you don't have a filter in your HVAC, you're going to have a bunch of particles in your home. This will not only mean that you'll have to vacuum a lot more frequently, but you may be sneezing and wheezing a lot as well. The same thing will happen if you have a super clogged up old filter.
Is my AC not working because of the filter? Potentially, yes. While there are a whole host of issues that could cause problems with your air conditioning system, a dirty air filter should be the first thing to check if your central air conditioning unit isn't working as properly as it should.
NO. A furnace filter has a critical job to perform and a filter cannot be run without one. For a furnace to work properly, it should always be equipped with a clean, working filter. As we'll see, a dirty filter can cause problems, and so can having no filter at all.
Can You Change a Furnace Filter While It's Running? You shouldn't change a filter while it's running.
If your filter becomes clogged, it can cause your furnace to shut off as a safety feature to prevent damage to the furnace. To fix this problem, simply replace your air filter on a regular basis. If you have pets, be sure to change your air filter more frequently.
It Traps Dust and Allergens
You can probably guess what happens if there is no filter in the furnace. The filter helps maintain healthy indoor air quality by trapping allergens so they don't keep circulating throughout your house and get you sick.
Air filters that are overdue for a change are a common cause of HVAC system failure. Over time, dirt builds up in the heating and AC filters, causing components such as the motor to go into overdrive, which may eventually overheat your unit.
While your HVAC unit will run, it should never run without an air filter. Dirt is the number one cause of air conditioners breaking down, so running your unit without an installed air filters can cause serious damage.
Yes, a blocked/dirty filter can increase the chance of fire hazards.
Where Is My Furnace Filter Located? You'll frequently find the air filter within the blower compartment, which is accessible through a metal door or hatch on the bottom half of the furnace. It may also be in a sliding compartment by the air handler component of your furnace or on a rack placed on the furnace's side.
If your furnace is not blowing hot air, or is not operating at all, a component called the fan limit switch or high limit switch may have malfunctioned. You may also see an error message on your thermostat, or a blinking LED light on the furnace control board.
You can run the furnace without installing a filter, but only temporarily (such as overnight, awaiting a new filter). If you let it run very long without filtration, contaminants will build up.
Your utility bills will go up.
When a filter gets clogged with dust and debris, it stifles airflow. That means your AC, furnace, or heat pump needs to work harder to reach the temperature you set on your thermostat. That means more energy is used, leading to higher utility bills.
Poor or Dangerous Air Quality
Running your furnace without an air filter allows dust and air pollutants to seep into the air you and your family breathe. This can trigger severe allergies or other respiratory issues.
The short answer: You can get away with running your AC without a filter for a short period of time. However, doing so for longer than 6-8 hours can hurt your system and decrease your home's indoor air quality.
Poor Air Quality
If the filter is too dirty to do its job, those unwanted particles can collect in your ductwork and cling to the internal components of your HVAC system, ultimately diminishing air quality throughout your house.
For 1- to 2-inch filters, replace them every 1 to 3 months. For 3- to 4-inch filters, replace them every 6 to 9 months. For 5- to 6-inch filters, replace them every 9 to 12 months.
If you let this happen for long enough, the filter could break, releasing all of the pollutants it has accumulated. The pollutants will then float freely though your HVAC system, your house, and eventually your lungs. This can lead to your home's air supply feeling stuffy and dirty, and you could get sick as a result.
A dirty air filter prevents air from flowing from your house into the furnace. Once that happens, the system shuts down because it realizes that something's wrong. It turns off rather than let any of the components get burned out or otherwise break when it's not working the way it should.