How to Shop for Furnace Air Filters

Furnace air filters are an important part of a furnace's performance. Not only do they protect the motor and heating elements from foreign material that can cut into the air flow, but they also remove large dust particles from the air. When you add moisture and lint to the air, it seals against the particles and cuts down on airflow efficiency, which means less heat output and increased energy costs. It is important to change your filter often to help keep your heating system performing at its best.
Builder-Mounted Media Air Filters Fiberglass (builder-mount) models offer great performance, but some foreign particles will always get past them. If you're looking for a guaranteed high merv rating, go with fiberglass. But if you're also looking for a furnace air filter that removes the majority of dust, you might be disappointed. Since they do not trap most particles, you'll need frequent filter replacement and more frequent furnace maintenance. You can expect moderate room coverage with a good manufacturer, but you should still replace it more often than you would with other materials.

HEPA Furnace Air Filters The newest furnace air filters use a small magnet to attract airborne particles and pull them out of the air. This new design is effective at trapping many harmful allergens and gases that are thought to be health risks. It is easy to find an affordable HEPA filter and although it doesn't perform as well in other categories, it does offer a very high over rating. In fact, it is so high that many allergy sufferers have said that switching to it helped them eliminate their need for anti-allergy medications. While the benefits are somewhat negotiable, higher mvpr ratings come with a lot of added expense. Click to read more about furnace air filters.

Large vs Small Furnace Air Filters Most people don't realize that the size of the filter doesn't make a difference in the quality of airflow. The truth is that any good furnace air filters will trap particles up to one micron. If the filter is too small or made from too much material, you won't get a very clean airflow. That's why it's important to measure the dimensions of your HVAC system before buying the right size filter.

Filter Shopping There are a few things you should look for when shopping for your furnace air filters. The first is merv ratings. A high over rating should guarantee that the filter will improve the airflow by quite a bit. But keep in mind that while the mvpr rating improves airflow, it may also increase your electric bill since it requires more electricity to operate. Be sure to get the best furnace filters 20x25x1.

Finally, don't forget to check her ratings and consider the impact of these ratings on the furnace air filters you buy. If the ratings are poor, you might not get the best performance out of your HVAC system. At the very least, however, keep the above points in mind and you should be able to find the best furnace air filters. Get more details about this topic here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furnace.