BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Every year, Feller Heating and Air Conditioning services hundreds of HVAC units across Whatcom County.

According to residential estimator and project manager Phillip Dye, one of the main reasons Feller is called to service an HVAC unit is due to an issue with an air filter. Over the years, Dye has seen it all ranging from filters that are over 10 years old, more than one filter installed in the same place and even no filter installed at all.

“The biggest thing we see is more than one filter. If people have more than one filter installed, it’s a lot of air restriction on the unit,” Dye said. “It can pretty much shorten the lifespan of your equipment.”

So what does an air filter do and why is it important to replace your HVAC air filter often?

According to the team at Feller, air filters keep all the components inside of the furnace clean. Filters restrict dirt, dust and other contaminants from entering the system, resulting in a more efficient and healthy operation for your equipment.

“Sometimes, people don’t even know what’s wrong. You can’t really tell that your system isn’t working very well until something bad happens; that’s when they call us,” Dye said.

What Dye has seen over the last few years is a lack of education in homeowners in relation to their HVAC units. Some homeowners do not know what size to properly install in their equipment, how often to install new filters, or where to buy them.

“For one-inch filters, you want to change those out every month or two. Four-inch filters can be replaced every four to six months,” Dye said.

Feller Heating and Air Conditioning is located in Bellingham and offers a wide range of air filters for any HVAC need.