A dirty system can cause more harm than you may realize. It affects air quality, energy costs, and the lifespan of your system. Having a clean HVAC system saves money, keeps the air cleaner, and helps your systems to last much longer.

If you notice that your gas furnace is short cycling (turning on and off frequently), the culprit may be a dirty blower wheel. This is a common problem can lead to higher energy costs and expensive repairs.

A blower wheel has blades that are specifically designed to push around air. Any dirt on those blades will cause your blower motor to work harder. This draws more amperage and pushes less air. When as little as 1/10th of an inch of dust accumulates on your blower wheel, it can reduce your furnace’s efficiency by 20%.

Another problem that arises from this dust accumulation is your heat exchanger running hotter. This will ultimately lower the lifespan of your furnace.

If a blower wheel is allowed to get really dirty, your furnace and air conditioner may not operate at all. Your heat exchanger depends on cooler air moving across it to keep it from over heating. Your air conditioner coil depends on warmer air to keep it from freezing. When this can not happen because a dirty blower wheel is impairing air flow, your system will fail.

During routine maintenance, a technician will inspect your blower wheel. If it is dusty, it should be cleaned. This can be an expensive job depending on the type of furnace you have and how much work is involved in reaching the wheel to clean it. Regardless of the cost for this job, it is a drop in the bucket compared to replacing your entire system due to a situation such as overheating.

FACTS TO KNOW

  • There are 23 specific problems which cause 93% of air conditioning failures and 16 of them can be prevented with proper maintenance.
  • A buildup of just 1/100th of an inch of dirt or film on an evaporator coil can reduce its efficiency by 5%, and 0.042 inches of dirt can result in a decrease of efficiency of 21% (United States Environmental Protection Agency).
  • A dirty evaporator coil, condenser coil or blower assemblies could increase air conditioning or heat pump electrical usage by 50% or more. A blower wheel with lint and dust provides 15-20% less air. The result is lower efficiency. A dirty blower wheel usually indicates a dirty evaporator coil. Clean systems restore capacity and lessen run time, thereby reducing operating costs and extending system life span (Louisiana State University).

If a dirty blower wheel, heat exchanger, and/or coil is a common issue with your system, our technicians can also provide you with information regarding the best IAQ products we would recommend to have installed to prevent this from being an ongoing problem.


Call us today to schedule an annual maintenance, especially if you notice your system short cycling more often. We’re here to help you stay safe, save money, and keep your heating and cooling systems healthy for a long time to come. After all, a clean HVAC system is a happy, healthy HVAC system!