What if you do not put an Air Filter in your central A/C?

The past people who have lived in the home I live in now did not put an air filter in the central A/C (A large square whole that sucks the hot air on the ceiling). I suspected this because when I started using it and later notice there was no filter. If thats the case, would this cause the dust to clog other vents around that goes to other rooms around the house? If so, how do I clean it out? Is it possible to do it yourself or will I need to hire someone? One of my rooms in the house does not have good ventalation and it gets hot. Also, the thermostat says "Replace Filter" even after I replace it with a brand new one.

What if you do not put an Air Filter in your central A/C?
Always use a filter. The dust and dirt will also clog the A/C condenser and cause it to run inefficiently and not cool the air well.
Reply:the filter is used to protect the A.C. unit from clogging,, not the duct work,, without a filter the fins on your A.C. unit will clog and greatly reduce its cooling ability,,you need to have someone check our unit!! a missing filter will not affect the duct work as that is on the other (output) side of the A.C.!!!!
Reply:um lets see here. Your air isn't gonna be clean and the dirty air is going to clog the ducts. Yeah so um i would put in a filter
Reply:The simple answer is to call a professional.


You cannot do this job right and it needs to be done.


The cost of trying to keep your house cool will pay for this service.





I am a chemical engineer.


A slight amount of dust on your coils will dramatically increase your expense (Same with the fridge). You need the ducts cleaned and the ac system serviced before you burn it up.
Reply:I would say yes
Reply:You need a filter to keep dust and dirt out of the evaporator coils, not the condenser- the condenser is outside. The fins on the evaporator will clog and cause a reduction in air flow for both the furnace and the AC. This will cause the coil to freeze up during the cooling months. It will also help to keep small dust particles from being circulated throughout the house. The reason the thermostat says replace filter is because of an already reduced air-flow. This is measured across the evap coils, you need to have them cleaned by a HVAC tech. You can clean the ducts yourself providing you have the proper vacuum to reach all thew way in, any amount that you can clean will still be better than nothing. try to partially close other vents in order to "push" more air to your room that gets the worst air flow. You can balence the entire house this way.

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