Signs of a Dirty or Clogged Air Filter in Your Office

An air filter is one of the most important parts of your office's HVAC system. This simple filter blocks some of the harmful contaminants that otherwise reach your work space and your workers. Those contaminants can include insects that find a way into your vents, debris from trash outside and pollutants that can aggravate those with allergies. When you have a good maintenance plan in place, you will change your filter before it clogs. If you do not have a maintenance plan though, you'll want to look out for the signs of a dirty or clogged filter.

Cold and Flu Symptoms
Cold and flu season can wreak havoc on an office. All it takes is one employee bringing in germs from home for every person in the office to get sick. This season only lasts for a set portion of the year though. If you notice employees exhibiting cold and flu symptoms during other parts of the year, you might blame those symptoms on your air filter. Clogged filters can let more particles through that leave employees suffering from headaches, muscle pains, breathing troubles or tightness in their chests.

Poor Temperature Control
Another sign of a clogged air filter is poor temperature control or no temperature control. The filters in your AC system allow more air to flow through the system and more air to reach you. If the filter clogs, this may keep you from enjoying cool temperatures on a hot day. It can also interfere with the warm temperatures that you need on cold days. The system will struggle to produce the temperature that you need and may overheat or make loud noises that sound like someone knocking on the walls.

High Energy Bills
The biggest sign that you have a clogged filter or a dirty filter is when your energy bills suddenly increase. Whether you own or rent an office, you're probably responsible for the utility bills. You know the average cost of those bills and can see when the price suddenly rises. While your bills can fluctuate during the year, sharp increases between two months are a sign of an HVAC problem. With help from a commercial HVAC Chicago tech, you can find out whether you need a new filter or if the AC needs replaced. Techs can come to your place of business nearly any time of the day to help.