A clogged air filter can have a serious impact on your car, HVAC system, and home. It can cause engine misfires, rough idling, and hard starts, as well as decreased fuel economy and difficulty achieving desired indoor temperature levels. It can also lead to increased utility bills and shorter lifespans for your HVAC equipment. An internal combustion engine needs to mix approximately 10,000 liters of air with each liter of fuel to run.
To do this, vehicles have an air intake system that sucks in air and purifies it before using it in the air-fuel mixture. When the filter becomes too clogged with dust, dander, and debris, the blower has to work harder to get air through a clogged filter. This restricts airflow to the engine, causing unburned fuel to form a soot residue that accumulates in the spark plug. This fouls the spark plug (s) and decreases its ability to produce the spark needed for the combustion process. The dirty air filter restricts air supply to the engine, resulting in inadequate air supply and burning too much fuel.
This can cause an increase in unburned fuel that becomes soot residue. Soot can build up on the tips of the spark plugs, making them unable to produce a proper spark. As a result, the car may move abruptly, idle, and in some circumstances, the engine may fail. With reduced airflow, you may experience hot and cold spots in your home, and it can be difficult to achieve desired indoor temperature levels. As the air filter picks up more debris, the airflow slows down even more, making it difficult for the engine to breathe and generate power and torque.
If you're an energetic driver, a filled air filter will drag you down. Your engine compensates for this by consuming more fuel to produce enough power to move the same distance or speed as it could with a clean filter. This can lead to decreased fuel economy - a clear sign of a faulty or dirty air filter. Clogged air filters can also significantly affect the performance of your HVAC equipment. When filters are dirty, air has trouble moving through the system. That means your air conditioner or oven needs to work harder to push air through the system.
This can wear out components faster than necessary, shortening the overall lifespan of your HVAC equipment. It can also mean additional repair costs and higher levels of maintenance. Your air filter is responsible for cleaning every part of the indoor air as it circulates through your home, providing vital oxygen to you and your family. Note that the inner layers of filter paper inside the air cleaner may have no visible debris or dust and dirt, even in bright light. Changing the affected air filter and spark plugs will restore your engine's performance. To prevent these issues from occurring in the first place, make sure you routinely change your heating and cooling filter.
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