Due to the increasing use of air conditioners all across the world, an increasing number of questions are asked to us by the users. Whether you are in your house or car, you must have got an air conditioner there to save yourself from the extreme heatwave during the summers.
Recently, a lot of people have been asking us about what’s the difference between an air filter and a cabin filter? Are they both the same? What’s their purpose? How do they work? So we have decided to write a complete article on air filter vs cabin filter that will clear up all the questions in your mind.
Let’s not waste any more time and dive straight into the article to get complete info on this matter.
We will start with explaining what an air & cabin filter is and then we will move on to differentiate between them.
What are the air conditioner filters?
The thing coming into your mind here is the air filter of an air conditioner. Are they also the same as the two above? Or there is something different?
When your turn on the air conditioner unit, it starts circulating air in & out. If there is no air filter then the dangerous contaminant particles will enter the different internal parts of the air conditioner and block them. Eventually, it will either damage the AC unit or make it completely ineffective by taking a long to time cool.
If there is an air filter present in the air conditioner unit then it will trap all those dangerous particles in the air and prevent them from entering your AC. This way your AC will stay safe, its life will increase, and its efficiency will also improve.
What is a cabin filter?
The cabin filter is mostly found in the heating ventilation & air conditioner systems (HVAC) of automobiles.
Purpose of Cabin Filter
When you turn on the AC or heater of your car, it starts circulating air in & out of the cabin. If there’s no cabin filter then all the pollutants and particles present in the air outside will enter the cabin of your car. It will make it difficult for the passengers inside to breathe.
A cabin filter works exactly like the air filter and prevents different particles like dust, mold, spores, bacteria, germs, pollen grains, metal, wood, bugs, leaves, and debris, etc, from entering the cabin of the car. It provides you a neat and clean air to breathe.
What is an air filter?
You already know that we need oxygen to breathe and survive, right?
Similarly, the engine of automobile vehicles also needs oxygen to burn the fuel and run the vehicle.
But what will happen if we breathe in polluted air? We will get sick right?
Similarly, if the engine of an automobile takes in unfiltered air having different dangerous contaminants like dust & debris particles, etc, then the engine will also get damaged. Its efficiency will significantly decrease and eventually, it will get damaged.
This is where an air filter comes in and here is what it does:
Purpose of an Air Filter
If you are thinking about the role of an air filter then here’s the thing:
Whenever your automobile is working, it is constantly circulating air in & out of the unit. The air also contains a lot of other particles and pollutants such as:
- Dust particles.
- Animal fur & hair.
- Pollen grains.
- Microorganisms like bacteria & germs.
- Wooden or metallic particles.
- Molds and spores.
When the air containing all such particles will enter the engine then it will disturb its normal working. It’s because all those particles will enter different internal parts of the engine and block them. This will put great pressure on the engine and eventually, it will get damaged or become totally ineffective.
This is where an air filter comes into use.
When the engine will have an air filter installed, it will filter the air going inside the engine. All the dangerous particles mentioned above will be trapped inside the filters. This way the engine will work with greater efficiency.
Cabin filter, air conditioner filter vs air filter – Are they the same?
A lot of people often confuse the cabin filter of a car with its air filters & and don’t know the basic difference between both of them.
Cabin Filter
The cabin filter of a car filters the air circulating through the HVAC (heating ventilation & air conditioner) system of the car and ensures that no pollutants or dust particles enter the cabin of the car.
Air Filter
The air filter of a car works the same way as the cabin filter. But the main difference is that an air filter ensures no dust particles enter the engine of the car. It filters the air going into the engine of the car whereas the cabin filter does filter the air going into the cabin of the car through the heating ventilation & air conditioner system (HVAC).
Air Conditioner Filter
The air conditioner filters purify the air entering the air conditioner and remove all the dangerous particles present inside. It keeps the AC safe & increases its life.
Maintaining the filters
Filters are one of the most important things, be it the air or cabin filter of your car or the air filter of your AC unit.
They prevent the dangerous contaminant particles present in the air from entering your machine and damaging it.
If you will regularly maintain the filters then it will reduce the stress and pressure on the machine and it will start working efficiently.
On the other hand, if your filters are full of dirt and other particles then it will put extra stress & pressure on your air conditioner or engine. It will decrease the efficiency increase the risk of wear & tear and damage.
Summary
From all our discussion above, we can conclude this summary:
- Cabin Filter = It filters the air flowing through the heating ventilation & air conditioner system (HVAC) to make sure that only clean & purified air reaches the cabin of the car.
- Air Filter = It filters the air going inside the engine of the car and traps all the dangerous contaminant particles from going inside to make sure that only purified air reaches the engine of the car. It keeps the engine safe & improves its performance.
- Air Conditioner Filter = The air conditioner filters clean the air going inside the AC unit and remove all the dangerous particles present inside it. It keeps the air conditioner safe & improves its performance.
