What does an air conditioning filter do? How often should I replace it with a new one

In modern life, air conditioning has long been an indispensable device for families, cars and all kinds of public places. However, when enjoying the comfortable temperature brought by air conditioning, many people tend to overlook an important component -- air conditioning filter. This seemingly insignificant small parts, but in the protection of air quality, maintenance of the normal operation of the equipment plays a key role. 

Filtering impurities in the air

The most basic function of the air conditioning filter is to filter various impurities in the air. Whether it is a home air conditioner or a car air conditioner, in the process of operation will continue to inhale the external air. This air contains a large number of suspended particles, such as dust, pollen, willow flakes and so on. In the case of a car, for example, the dust raised on the road and the pollen flying around in the spring may enter the car with the air conditioning air intake. The air conditioning filter element is like a guard, through its fine filter structure, these impurities will be intercepted outside, to avoid them into the air conditioning system inside as well as indoor or car space. According to relevant test data, a high-quality air conditioning filter element can filter out more than 90% of particles with a diameter of more than 5 microns, effectively reducing the adhesion of dust on the air conditioning evaporator and other components, and reducing the probability of air conditioning system failure. 

Purification of harmful gases and odors

In addition to filtering solid particles, the air conditioning filter element can also purify the air of harmful gases and odors. In urban environments, automobile exhaust, industrial waste gas, etc. will release harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, etc. These gases are not only harmful to human health, but also make the indoor or car air produce unpleasant odors. Some air conditioning filters use adsorbent materials such as activated carbon, which has a rich pore structure and a huge specific surface area that can adsorb harmful gas molecules as well as odor molecules. For example, in a new car, the interior materials may emit irritating odors such as formaldehyde, and air conditioning filters equipped with activated charcoal can effectively adsorb these harmful gases, improve the air quality inside the car, and create a healthier breathing environment for drivers and passengers. Similarly, in the family, if there are sources of odor such as industrial pollution or garbage disposal sites in the vicinity, the air conditioning filter can also help purify the indoor air and reduce the impact of odors on life. 

Protecting the air conditioning system

The presence of an air conditioning filter plays an important role in protecting the air conditioning system itself. Without the filtration of the air conditioning cartridge, a large amount of dust and impurities entering the air conditioning system will gradually accumulate on the evaporator, fan and other components. The accumulation of dust on the surface of the evaporator will affect its heat exchange efficiency, leading to a decrease in the cooling or heating effect of the air conditioner, increasing energy consumption; fan blade dust will affect the balance of the operation of the fan, generating noise or even damage to the fan motor. Regular replacement of the air conditioning filter element can reduce the cleaning and maintenance frequency of these components, extend the service life of the air conditioning system and reduce the cost of use. According to statistics, the maintenance cost of air-conditioning equipment that uses qualified air-conditioning filters and replaces them regularly can be reduced by 30% - 50% compared with equipment that does not use filters. 

Protect human health

For human health, the role of the air conditioning filter is not to be ignored. Especially for people suffering from allergic rhinitis, asthma and other respiratory diseases, airborne pollen, dust mites and other allergens may trigger severe allergic reactions. Air conditioning filters can effectively reduce the risk of allergy attacks by efficiently filtering allergens from entering the room or car. In addition, during the season of high incidence of influenza and other infectious diseases, the air conditioning cartridge can also block some of the droplet particles carrying viruses, reducing the spread of viruses in the air environment to a certain extent, and protecting people's health. 

Although the air conditioning cartridge is small, it plays multiple important roles in filtering impurities, purifying air, protecting equipment and safeguarding human health. In order to give full play to the efficacy of the air conditioning filter, we should regularly check and replace it, according to the use of the environment and frequency, generally recommended that the car air conditioning filter every 1 - 15,000 kilometers or 6 - 12 months to replace the household air conditioning filter every 1 - 3 months to clean, 3 - 6 months to replace the air conditioning filter, so as to ensure that we can always enjoy a clean, healthy air environment.