What Makes a Quality Air Filter?

When it comes time to swap out your air filter at home, it’s important that you not only find one that fits into your furnace, but also one that delivers high-quality filtration. But what exactly do you need to be looking for? What makes for a good air filter in Fair Oaks, CA?

Here’s a quick overview of what you should know about finding high-quality filters.

Key features to look for

Ideally, any air filter you use in your home should have a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of 8 to 13, as filters that fall within that range offer the best indoor quality without restricting airflow coming from your HVAC system. MERV is a measurement of the effectiveness with which a filter removes potentially harmful particles and contaminants from the air in your home.

The ratings are on a scale of one to 20, and the higher the rating, the better the filtration. However, if you start getting higher than 13, you’ll start experiencing some negative results with regard to your HVAC system’s airflow. This is why that 8 to 13 range is the “sweet spot” for most homes. It reliably removes particles from the air, but won’t inhibit your HVAC operation. Otherwise, even higher-rated filters will overly restrict the airflow, putting a strain on the fan that will cause it to work harder and run longer, making it less efficient and costing you significantly more in your energy bills.

MERV 8 rated filters will be reliable for filtering out pollen, dust, dust mites and pet dander. Within the 8 to 11 range, you can add mold spores and exhaust fumes to that list. Then, within the 8 to 13 range, you can also add smoke, tobacco smoke, some types of bacteria and droplets from sneezes or coughs.

Purchasing quality air filters

When you buy and install a higher quality air filter, you’ll be better able to remove allergens and pollutants that can be irritating to healthy people, and particularly harmful to potentially vulnerable people, such as young children, the elderly and people who suffer from certain conditions or illnesses. Anyone who has severe allergies or asthma, parents of newborns and any households with immunocompromised people can all benefit greatly from using higher quality air filters in their homes.

Ultimately, a quality air filter is going to be a good investment for any home, even if the above circumstances do not apply to you. After all, everyone can benefit from better interior air quality, as it creates a much lower risk of airborne infection in your home. While you will need to pay more up front for these quality air filters, they are definitely worth the extra investment. In addition, many of these high-quality filters will rarely (if ever) have to be replaced, unlike their lower-quality counterparts.

If you’re interested in learning more about what makes for a high-quality air filter and whether or not you should purchase one for your home in Fair Oaks, CA, we encourage you to contact Cassel Air Conditioning and Heating Service today.

Categorised in: Air Filters

This post was written by Writer