Signs That Your Cabin Air Filter Needs Replacement
The cabin filter, which may also be called an air-conditioning filter since it belongs to the AC system, is typically made from paper or cotton. Its job is to trap pollutants before air reaches the passenger compartment. Once the filter becomes clogged, the AC system's performance can decline in several ways.
By Robin Howard
The cabin filter removes dust and allergens from a car's air conditioning system.
Because the cabin filter is a component of a vehicle's air-conditioning system, it is sometimes called an air-conditioning filter. Paper and cotton are common materials used to make these filters. Their function is to capture pollutants from the air prior to that air entering the vehicle's cabin. When the filter gets clogged, the efficiency of the air-conditioning system can be harmed.
Weaker Airflow
When a cabin filter is clogged, the amount of air able to move through it drops. As a result, air traveling through the air-conditioning system moves more slowly, which cuts down the airflow entering the car's cabin. To make up for this loss, vehicle owners might raise the fan speed on their air conditioner, which forces the air-conditioning system to work harder as it attempts to push more air into the cabin.
Lower Horsepower
The engine in a vehicle supplies power to the air-conditioning system's parts. A clogged cabin filter makes the system work harder, and that extra work demands more power from the engine. Power available to other components, including the drive train and alternator, is therefore reduced. As a greater share of power is redirected to satisfy the air-conditioning system, overall horsepower and performance may decline.
Warmer Cabin Air
An air-conditioning system that is overworked and has reduced airflow struggles to maintain a consistent cabin air temperature. Depending on how the filter is clogged and on other variables such as the outside temperature and the amount of sunlight warming the air as it passes through the car's windows, the rise in air temperature caused by a clogged cabin filter may be gradual or significant. Once the air temperature begins to climb, the air conditioner cannot generate enough cool air to bring the temperature back down.
More Airborne Pollutants
When the air filter is clogged, greater amounts of dust, pollen and other airborne pollutants get into a vehicle's cabin. This happens because the air conditioning system draws air through and around the filter.
