Is My Air Conditioner or Furnace Making My House Dusty?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, poor air quality in the form of indoor air pollution is one of the top five environmental risks. The most common air pollutants that can cause health problems are dust mites, pollen, dust, smoke, animal dander, mold, bacteria and viruses. For those that suffer from seasonal or indoor allergies, or have asthma, properly filtering air in the home is of the utmost importance. Using cleaner outdoor air is ideal for better indoor air quality, but depending on climate and environment, this may not be possible. Using central air units is a viable method to improve air quality.

While an air-conditioner (AC) alone typically is not responsible for a dusty home, it can be a major contributor to allowing indoor pollutants to run rampant. An improperly functioning air-conditioner can make a dusty home worse if the air filters are not high quality or are clogged. Also, most visible dust particles are large and fall out before meeting the filter. If you can see dust particles floating through the air, then your air filters may be causing the problem. Consider these steps if these issues affect you:

• Each AC requires a certain sized filter. Incorrect sizes can stall your air conditioner and allow more polluted air to be circulated, or clean air to not be filtered at all due to air bypass.


• Using poor quality filters allows more pollutants to make it back into the air.


• Changing your filters regularly will help keep indoor air clean and ensure more pollutants are captured. Depending on the conditions where you live, size of your home, and environmental conditions, you will want to change your filter no less than the manufacturer's recommended interval and, for cleaner air, more often.


• Turn your central HVAC unit's fan to "on" instead of "auto." This keeps the air in the home flowing constantly and allows more particle collection.


• AC units that are not functioning properly due to clogged air filters are forced to work harder to draw in and circulate air. This may affect not only the temperatures in the home, but it can also put unneeded extra stress on the unit. Due to the fact the unit is working harder, this will also raise energy costs, especially during the summer and winter.

Choose a high quality air filter when confronting your air filter problems. High quality filters are more durable and capture a great deal more dust and airborne allergens than flimsy and lower quality filters. High quality filters are denser and many have multi-layered systems to further strengthen the air filtering qualities. The higher the quality of the air filter, the more particles will be captured. Choosing an efficient air filter will also preserve the life of your central air unit and can save energy costs. Consult your central AC unit's manual or the manufacturer for proper installation and removal of filters.