A Furnace Filter Serves More than One Purpose
Posted by Marylou Biederman in Uncategorized
There are additional tasks that furnace filters are designed to accomplish besides filtering out dust from your furnace. The right type of furnace filter will also accomplish the task of filtering out irritants and dust particles that are passed through your furnace and consequently end up circulating through the air that you breathe in your home.
The dust that is in the air in your home can be made up of many different things such as pet dander, mildew and dried human as well as dried pet skin. A furnace filter achieve a fairly simple task. Every type of furnace filter that you may purchase is theoretically meant to do the same thing which is trap all the unwanted particles that circulate in your home. The way this works however is somewhat more detailed then that simple description. There are filters that catch only large particles in the air in an effort to still allow air to flow through them freely. Other filters trap smaller particles but the disadvantage of this is that the filter itself can get clogged up very quickly and if it is not cleaned on a regular basis this will cause the furnace to have to work harder to get the air through the clogged up filter and the result will be extra wear and tear on your furnace and possible repairs down the line.
You need to find furnace filters that are able to achieve both proper air flow and achieve trapping the smallest particles possible so that the air you breath is clean and pure. One of the most commonly used furnace filters are the disposable kind since they are so cheap. Unfortunately, as far as efficiency goes, they are not the best. One of the problems of these fiberglass disposable filters is that their surface if very limited. This makes them very inefficient is catching small dust particles and those that it does trap clog the filter quickly. They are good at trapping large dust and other particles in the air but this means that the smaller and potentially more dangerous particles to breath are left unfiltered.
A more efficient furnace air filter is the pleated variety since they have a much larger surface area. What this means in practice is that pleated air filters are able to filter out particles of all sizes, including the smaller particles that circulate in your home air. The measurement for rating the efficiency of furnace filters is called MERVs. The higher the MERV value, the more efficient a furnace filter is considered. MERV measures the size in microns of particles that are able to make their way through the furnace filter. If you are looking for the best furnace filter for your home furnace then you should look for filters that have a basic MERV rating of 5 but of course higher is better. If the furnace filter you are considering has a MERV rating that is lower than 4 then you should consider looking at a different type since this will not sufficiently filter particles from the air. At the same time, you do not need anything higher than a MERV rating of 13 since this is a level only necessary in hospitals.
You May Also Be Interested In:
EASY SHREDDEREasy Shredder, shreds carrots, cabbage, lettuce, cheese, potatoes, 5/16'', stainless steel blade, use w/Nemco mounting base for a secure workstation, easy removal for cleaning and storage, NSF Features Construction: stainless steel Dimensions: 16.500(h) x 12.500(w) x 11.000(d) Style: table top
All About Fire Engines-Police-Rescue DVD w/ Collectible Toy###############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Large Welcome RoosterLarge Welcome Rooster - Rich in color and detail, this rooster will welcome guests to your home. Measures 13.5" x 10" x 5.75" and is made of stone resin.
Tux - The Linux Penguin Official Open Source MascotTux - The Linux Penguin Official Open Source Mascot - This is the official logo/mascot for Linux computers, http://www.linux.org, for years Linux fans... Read More >