By Pollution is a very big problem of today’s world even if you are staying inside your home. Don’t think you are safe from pollution and if you are spending your whole day inside the walls of your house. Your home also contains dust particles and if these dust particles are not removed you can face lung and breathing problems. That is why air filters are used. The main purpose of air filters is to separate dust particles form air and provide neat and clean air to you and your family members. Not only dust these air filters can also capture the bacteria’s, smoke, dust, pollens etc. Most with asthma problem and allergic to dust should take extra care in this matter.
Do not forget to change the air filter regularly inside your house. Change your air filters once a month and if any construction work is going on inside your house or near your house you need to change more frequently because construction work produce more dust and pollution.
The type of air filter you choose is the most important factor. There are some filters which should be replaced after one to three months while some air filters are washable and permanent. You can just wash these air filters instead of changing or replacing them. Some common types of filters are as follows depending upon cost and maintenance:
Disposable Filters
These filters are replaced after one to three months. They are generally min and higher efficiency filters.
Electrostatic Filters
These are electrostatic fibers. These use charge which attracts contaminants and fibers capture contaminants. Permanent electro static filters have a life of about eight years.
Electronic Filters
These filters produces ozone which can cause respiratory problems therefore these are very uncommon. These filters can capture large number of micro organisms.
Sizing of Air Filter
Don’t forget to write down the dimensions of air filter that fit your HVAC system. Before changing and cleaning the air filter ask your manufacturer for recommendation. The energy consumption can increase up to 15% if the air filter is dirty.
Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV)
This is a value and standard designed by American society of heating, refrigeration and air conditioning engineer (ASHRAE). This value is used to measure the effectiveness of air filters.
- Filters with MERV value from one to four are generally avoided. These filters are the diposable one. They have low efficiency
- Filters with MERV value from 5 to 8 have mid efficiency. They are generally used for household devices. These can capture dust, pollen and carpet fibers etc
- Filters with value 9 to 12 have very high efficiency. These can capture humidified dust.
- Filters with value from 13 to 16 also have high efficiency. They are generally used in hospitals
Pressure Drop
Check the value of pressure drop on the box of air filters before buying it as it will tell you the HVAC energy consumption. You can get more information at this site.
