Choosing the Best AC Filter for Your Needs
A simple fact of life is that when you’re living in Florida, you are unable to function without your AC unit. Regular air conditioning maintenance and keeping air conditioning supplies around your home will ensure that you’re never left high and dry. When it comes to your AC filter, however, you’ll learn that there are many different grades of filter available. The grade you purchase should be dependent on how you need your AC to perform.
Your filter is an integral part of your air conditioning unit, they ensure that your home remains dust free and provide cool clean air into your home. The MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating of your filter is assigned by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers. The information provided to you by the MERV rating on your filter ensures that you are able to understand exactly how effective your filter would be in keeping dust and pollen particles out of your home. As some filters are better than others when it comes to different particulates such as pet dander, tobacco smoke, airborne bacteria, carpet fibers, dust mites and mold. If your filter has a high MERV ranking, it means it will be even more effective in keeping out foreign particulates from your home. Although it is possible for you to purchase a cheap and generic filter, this will eventually impact your health and compromise your HVAC system.
There are 20 ratings for MERV efficiency; the majority of residential homes utilize a filter rated between MERV 8 through 13, as it can sufficiently remove the majority of airborne particulates. Places that need to be more sterile include hospitals, which would make use of filters with a MERV rating between 14 though 20 MERV. It is important that you perform regular maintenance checks on your unit and that you change your filters often, The higher the MERV rating the more frequently you need to change your filters. This is to protect your homes AC system from any damage a dirty filter could cause.
Dirty filters will not only have a negative impact on how your AC unit performs, but it can also put people with respiratory issues at risk, as the quality of air inside your home or office will be compromised. By regularly maintaining your filters, you will ensure that your system remains energy efficient.
Ultimately, your choice in filter is dependent on your specific needs. For general cleanliness that is approximately 75% efficient at keeping particulates out of your home, you may want a filter that is graded a MERV 8 or MERV 9. If you are a pet friendly household, you may want to consider a filter with a MERV grading of 13 to ensure maximum cleanliness of the air in your home. At Art Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electric, we will help you get the most from your AC system and we will go the extra mile to ensure that your indoor air quality is the best that it can be. You can trust us – We Can Fix It!
