Wet Air Filters – A Reason To Call A Heating And AC Repair Professional | North Richland Hills, TX

Wet Air Filters – A Reason To Call A Heating And AC Repair Professional | North Richland Hills, TX

Your HVAC system’s filters ensure that your indoor environments are comfortable. To begin with, it helps ensure that you have high quality at your North Richland Hills, TX, home by filtering dust, mold, pollen, bacteria, pet dander, and other contaminants that might make you or your family sick. Subsequently, it is important to ensure that your air filters are always clean. This is if your heating and air conditioning unit has reusable filters.

However, this is not always enough. The air filters may sometimes get wet, hindering their functionality in purifying the air you breathe. Therefore, just as you clean and replace the air filters regularly, it is also critical to ensure they are always dry. You can ensure this by hiring professional heating and AC repair technician for routine maintenance and installation of the air filters. But how do the air filters become wet? Are there consequences of using wet air filters?

Main Reasons Why Your Air Filters May Be Wet

Clogged Condensate Line

Can a clogged condensate line make your heating and air conditioning system wet? If yes, how does it do it? This is a question that can be mind-boggling. So, this is how. The work of the condensate drains carries away any water formed during your home’s cooling and heating process. When the condensate forms, it is usually collected into a drip pan that carries the water into the drain line. Unfortunately, the drain lines can be clogged by debris, dirt, and other particles, making the condensation back into the drain pan.

The condensate starts overflowing when the pan becomes full, probably drenching your air filters. You also might notice that the heating and air conditioning unit flooring is wet because of the overflowing water. Should you notice this, you should immediately enlist the services of a heating and AC repair technician to inspect the unit and effect further the necessary repairs. Otherwise, the condensate might find its way to the evaporator coils, resulting in more damage.

The other indicators that your condensate drains may be clogged include higher levels of indoor humidity, water leaks from your unit, and no water coming out of the outdoor drain line. At worst, the condensate drain line clogs and leaks might even shut your entire unit down. Hence, have a heating and AC repair technician come for routine maintenance and inspections of your HVAC system.

Dirty Air Filter

It is not difficult for a filthy air filter to produce a moist air filter. To begin with, if you have dirty air filters or air filters blocked with debris, there will be insufficient airflow throughout your North Richland Hills, TX, home and within the system. As a consequence of this, the evaporator coils do not receive enough supply of air, which causes them to freeze up. If you don’t promptly act, the ice on the coils will begin to melt, and the drip pan will fill up with water. If the pan is allowed to fill up with water to the point that it overflows, the air filter will become drenched. One of the ways to avoid having a damp air filter is to ensure that they are always clean. Hence, to ensure that your air filters always are clean, you should have routine heating and air conditioning system maintenance. Enlist a licensed, professional, and experienced heating and AC repair technician for a regular duct cleaning and filter replacement/cleaning service.

Faulty Installation of the Air Filter

Did you hire a licensed heating and AC repair technician to install the air filters, or did you do it yourself? At times, you may notice water droplets coming from your AC unit. If you installed the air filters yourself, you could be pretty sure that you didn’t install them properly. If you hired an HVAC installation professional, that should be a red flag to not hire them later in the future.

If the air filter isn’t placed snugly in its slot, some gaps through which air may escape remain. When this happens, the humid air from the outside enters and condenses on the cold evaporator coils. This condensate eventually falls on top of the air filters, making them wet. Before you think of replacing the air filters, ensure they are installed properly.

You might not have to replace them, especially if they aren’t more than a month old. However, you should always ensure that you hire experienced heating and AC repair technicians for all HVAC issues, no matter how small they might seem. These professionals have enough training to conduct further inspections to uncover the root cause of the problem.

A Faulty Condenser

The other reason you might experience wet air filter problems is faulty condenser or compressor malfunctions. If the condenser is faulty, the moisture within the air will not completely condense. Therefore, the wet air might find its way through your air filter, resulting in high indoor humidity levels and wet air filter(s).

Several reasons your HVAC unit’s condenser might fail include overheating, insufficient power supply, and inadequate lubrication. An air compressor is among the most critical components of an HVAC system. Therefore, it is expensive to both repair or replace. Repairing it isn’t easy and is not a DIY project. Hence, don’t try to cut costs by repairing the compressor yourself. Instead, enlist the services of licensed heating and AC repair technician in North Richland Hills, TX, to fix the unit.

Although it might cost you a fortune, that will be considerably lower than what you might have used if you were to repair it and fail. It might be more economically sound to replace the entire HVAC unit rather than repair the compressor.

Leaky Drain Pan

In the same way that jammed condensate drain lines can make the air filters wet, a leaky drain pan can cause the same issue. The drip pan is typically positioned below to collect the water dripping from the evaporator coils. However, if the drain pan starts leaking, the water that it has collected may start falling onto the air filter, making the filter wet. Cracks in the drain pan, usually brought on by rust or old age, are the culprits behind a leaking drain pan. Suppose you want to prevent more damage to your HVAC system and fix a leaking drain pan. In that case, you should enlist the services of a professional, experienced, and licensed heating and AC repair professional.

Preventing the Occurrence of the Wet Air Filter Problem

So, now that you know why your air conditioner is wet, what measures can you take to prevent that problem? There are several measures that you might take to prevent this problem, including;

Replace the Air Filters Regularly

Replacing the air filters regularly is the first measure to ensure that your air filters don’t dampen. Besides ensuring that your heating and air conditioning system’s air filters do not become wet, this ensures that your indoor air quality is high. It also ensures that your air filters don’t get clogged, preventing protracted problems like compressor issues. Hence, ensure that you enlist the assistance of professional heating and AC repair technician in North Richland Hills, TX, to replace the filters and clean the air ducts.

Install High-Quality Air Filters

Replacing the air filters regularly isn’t enough, and you shouldn’t just install any air filters. Rather, install high-quality filters to ensure all the contaminants are filtered out. If you are unsure of the best air filters, consult professional heating and AC repair technician. Since they are experienced and deal with these things almost daily, they are better positioned to advise you on the best quality filters. Some might even offer to purchase on your behalf. Further, ensure that you install the correctly sized ones for the air to clean properly. Quality air filters will not soak up too fast faced with moisture conditions.

Regular Maintenance

The other measure you might take to protect the air filters from becoming wet is to have a maintenance plan with a reputable heating and AC repair technician. One of the best ways to avoid various HVAC problems is by having professionals regularly service them. During maintenance, the professional will detect and correct any developing issues. This includes the issues that could result in the air filters becoming wet. Although you might think that this is something that you can do yourself, it is advised that you enlist professional heating and AC repair technician to do it on your behalf. After all, you aren’t trained in HVAC repairs like professionals.

What Are the Effects of Wet Air Filters

Creates a System Freeze

System freezing is one of the main problems that might arise from using a wet air filter. The air within the air conditioning unit has to flow into your North Richland Hills, TX, home for the AC to function efficiently. It can’t flow quickly within the air ducts whenever the air is damp. As a result, the refrigerant may freeze within the evaporator coils. This effect is compounded by whatever reason that made the air filters wet. The condensate might get into places where it quickly expands and freezes, making the pipes burst or even spray the refrigerant and water everywhere. To evert this misery, have a heating and AC repair technician come over for routine maintenance.

Reduced AC Power

The air filters are the nose of the air conditioner. It filters all the mold, dust particles, and other contaminants that might affect air quality. The air filters should be replaced regularly to ensure that the HVAC system produces clean air and you have quality indoor air. However, the unit will strain if the filter is clogged by moisture. Because only a limited amount of air can pass through, its power is reduced. Hence, to protect your system, you should have routine maintenance done by a professional heating and AC repair technician.

Mold Growth

Mold is smelly, slimy, and dangerous. If the air filters are wet, they will promote mold growth within the unit. Mold spores grow and spread rapidly into other areas of your North Richland Hills, TX, home via the air ducts. Although mold isn’t immediately dangerous, it may cause various respiratory problems once inhaled. Other effects include a runny nose, teary eyes, sneezing, wheezing, and lung damage. Unfortunately, wet air filters aren’t the only reason for mold growth within your HVAC system.

Leaks from the condensate drain or drain pan also create perfect conditions for mold growth. Mold is a resilient fungus whose growth is rapid. Hence, have a heating and AC repair technician come over for a routine inspection and maintenance of your heating and air conditioning system. This includes regularly replacing the air filters and will address the mold growth problem and effectively prevent the filters from getting wet.

Places Strain on the HVAC System

Wet filters can easily break your system. To begin with, the air conditioning system will have to run for a long and even put in more effort to get the preferred temperatures. As a result, this places a lot of strain on your air conditioning system. Eventually, components will start giving out and malfunctioning, resulting in total system failure, prompting a need for heating and AC repair.

If the system doesn’t break, it will require frequent and expensive repairs, not to forget that wet air filters mean a more humid indoor environment. Hence, avert this problem by having routine maintenance that includes duct and filter cleaning or replacement done by a professional heating and AC repair technician.

Wet Filters Mean Trouble

The last thing you want with your air conditioning unit is a wet air filter. As explained above, they mean nothing but trouble. Have routine maintenance and inspection done by reliable heating and AC repair technician in North Richland Hills, TX. Do you need any air conditioning service? Contact our licensed, reliable and experienced heating and AC repair technicians at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth today.

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