Poor indoor air quality is unfortunately a common occurrence today. The problem is that homes have such strong insulation on them to keep their HVAC systems energy efficient that many pollutants remain trapped indoors without fresh air to sweep them away.
One solution to this problem, and one that we offer to our customers, is to install air filters into the ductwork. Filters use media to trap particles that attempt to move through them on the air currents. It’s a simple method, but if you have the right type of filters professionally installed, it can remove more than 99% of the unwanted pollutants from the air in your house.
What Makes a Filter the “Right” Filter?
This is a good question, and asking it already puts you on the road toward better indoor air quality. It’s a mistake to assume that either a) filters are all the same, so it doesn’t matter which one you get, or b) the best filters are the thickest and most powerful.
To address the first assumption: Filters are rated on the MERV scale. (MERV stands for “minimum efficiency reporting value.”) The higher the MERV rating, the smaller particles the filter traps. A MERV of 2 is what you find in the filter for a window air conditioning unit. MERV 8 is common for residential central air conditioning. MERV 18 is a type often found in hospitals and industrial facilities.
As for the second assumption: If you put in the most powerful filter you can find, such as a HEPA filter (a MERV of 13 or more), you will probably end up damaging your HVAC system. The blower fan in a residential AC cannot cope with filters that thick. The filter will cut off airflow and raise the pressure throughout the ventilation system.
Finding the Right Filter Is Actually Easy
How easy? You just call professionals! An indoor air quality specialist can accurately determine the filter type that will remove particles from your air without placing a strain on the HVAC system. Our IAQ team is happy to help you, so just give us a call.
Air Creations, Inc. has served Westfield and throughout Central and Northern New Jersey since 1987. We Do It Right!
