How Do You Decide Between HEPA and MERV Filters for Your AC Unit?

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When you’re thinking about HVAC air filtration, there are basically two main options: HEPA and MERV filters. These terms differ in both filtration media and efficiency rating. During an average day, the entire air volume inside your home circulates through the system filter many times. The type and quality of your system's air filter directly affects the health and comfort of your indoor environment. It also impacts system energy efficiency as well as monthly operating costs.

Here are some facts about HEPA and MERV filters to help you make an informed decision about which is most suitable for your home.

HEPA

Short for High Efficiency Particulate Air, HEPA filtration removes more than 99.97% of airborne dust, pollen, mold spores, bacteria, smoke, and other particulates. However, the drawback of HEPA filtration is airflow restriction. In a typical residential HVAC system, installing the thick HEPA filter in the standard duct-filter mount will reduce system airflow excessively. However, two HEPA alternatives are available for consideration:

• Alteration of the home’s return ductwork to include a duct-bypass loop that diverts only a portion of airflow through the HEPA filter at any given time.

• For limited spaces such as single rooms, stand-alone HEPA filtration units incorporating powered fans are widely available.

MERV

HEPA and MERV filters do differ, and MERV filters are the most common type for residential HVAC use. Filtration is rated according to the MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) numeral—a number between 1 and 20. Here are some facts about MERV filters to help you make an informed choice.

• MERV ratings below 5 are usually inexpensive fiberglass filters that trap only the largest visible particles of dust. They are not ideal to support optimum indoor air quality.

• Filters with MERV ratings of at least 8 provide the best balance between cost, filtration efficiency, and airflow. These are typically pleated cotton or polyester filters which provide increasing efficiency up to MERV 13.

• Filters rated MERV 14 and above may not be appropriate for standard residential use due to excessive airflow restriction.

For more information about the pros and cons of HEPA and MERV filters, talk to the professionals at Air Assurance.

indoor Air Quality testing?

Indoor air quality has a significant impact on health. Exposure to the pollutants in indoor air has been associated with sneezing, coughing, respiratory irritation, and more-severe long-term health issues like cancer and lung disease. High-quality air filters can improve the quality of your home's air. Call Air Assurance Co if you would like a no costs assessment and report of your indoor air quality, including VOCS, particulate count, CO2 and more.

How Air Filters Affect Air Quality

The air that your HVAC system circulates throughout your home passes through an air filter before it's distributed. The air filter captures large dirt particles, dust bunnies, hair, and lint. If you have a high-quality filter, it will also capture microscopic allergens. As a result, the high-quality filter leaves the air that's circulated throughout your home cleaner, healthier, and better for breathing.

Cheap fiberglass air filters only trap large particles. As a result, they don't boost your home's air quality. High-quality filters that also capture microscopic particles (helping improve indoor air quality) include:

• Pleated electrostatic filters. Electrostatic filters consist of charged material that attracts oppositely charged particles. These filters capture tiny pollutants like smoke, bacteria, and allergens. Pleats improve their filtering performance.

• HEPA filters. These utilize specially formulated filtration technology that captures up to 99.97% of airborne particles equal to or greater than 0.3 microns in diameter. As a result, they capture a wide variety of microscopic particles like mold spores, tobacco smoke, pollen grains, pet dander, bacteria, and some viruses.

• Carbon filters. Carbon filters are specifically made to remove odors. They also remove gaseous vapors, smoke, and certain chemicals, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

• Air purifiers. Air purifiers use the same filtration types as HVAC air filters. They pull air from a room, pass it through a filter, and send purified air back to the room. Modern purifiers typically use a multilayer filter system comprising prefilters, carbon filters, antibacterial filters, and HEPA filters.

Considering the large volume of indoor air that passes through an air filter, well-maintained filters can have a significant positive impact on your home's air quality. Make sure you replace your filters regularly to keep them working efficiently. For the best indoor air-quality solutions in the Broken Arrow area, don't hesitate to contact us at Air Assurance.

Easy Ways to Prevent Allergies in Your Broken Arrow Home

Spring is almost upon us and that means allergens are about to start blowing across the prairie. If you're looking for some ways to keep your allergies under control, consider implementing the following tips:

• Control the temperature. Keeping your home around 70 degrees can prevent dust mites and mold from taking hold.

• Use a dehumidifier. By reducing dampness, you can keep mold from forming on interior surfaces.

• Keep the windows closed. Even when the weather warms up, rely on your air conditioner and fans to keep your home cool.

• Upgrade your filter.Using a small-particle or HEPA filter can help remove pollen, dust and spores from the air you breathe. It's important to replace or clean these every month.

• Go chemical-free. Instead of using store bought, chemical-based cleaners, consider making your own natural cleaners.

• Wash linens, drapes and clothing regularly. This will help remove particulates that are stuck within the fibers.

Completing these tasks will remove a great deal of particles that trigger allergies within your home's environment. Other things you can do include reducing the number of knick-knacks you have, which reduces the amount of things you need to dust. You can also replace carpet and wallpaper with tile, which makes cleaning easier and more efficient.

If you have pets, you'll want to increase their bathing regimen as they'll likely begin shedding more as the weather warms up. It's also a good idea to increase your own bathing routine, so as to remove pollen and dirt as soon as you come indoors.

The team at Air Assurance is happy to share some more ways to prevent allergies in your home. We invite you to contact us to learn more about the ways we're helping our clients keep the air in their home's around Broken Arrow clean and clear.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock”

Why a Better Quality Air Filter Is Worth the Price

The phrase “you get what you pay for” rings true for just about any purchase, especially when it comes to heating and cooling equipment. In most cases, buying the best equipment possible gives you the best results. When you look for your next air filter, you’ll want one that offers the best defense against common airborne pollutants including dust, pet dander and various bacteria.

Finding the best air filter isn’t easy, but it’s a task made easier by looking at its minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV). MERV ratings allow consumers to compare air filters based on their overall efficiency in removing airborne particles from an HVAC system’s air stream. These ratings range from as low as 1 to a high of 16 for standard filters and 20 for true HEPA filters.

The higher the MERV rating for a filter, the more airborne particles it’s capable of capturing. Here’s a brief rundown of what air filtration media are capable of at their specific MERV ratings:

MERV 1 to 4 – Common flat or panel air filters for residential heating and cooling systems. These filters can capture pollen, dust mites and other airborne pollutants more than 10 microns in particle size.

MERV 5 to 13 – Medium efficiency filters capable of capturing mold spores, pet dander, most bacteria and other airborne pollutants as small 1 micron in particle size.

MERV 14 to 16 – Higher efficiency filters capable of trapping viruses, bacteria and a broad range of other airborne pollutants as small as 0.3 microns.

MERV 17 to 20 – True HEPA filters capable of trapping 99.997 percent of airborne particles smaller than 0.3 microns.

A cheap air filter may have a lower MERV rating than your climate system was designed for, which can cause a noticeable drop in indoor air quality. Don’t hesitate to get your money’s worth by choosing a high quality filter with a MERV rating matched for your unit.

To understand more about your home’s air filtration options in the Broken Arrow area, contact the professionals at Air Assurance today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Air Filters: What Do You Want Yours to Do?

Air Filters: What Do You Want Yours to Do?

Ever feel overwhelmed at the prospect of choosing an air filter for your HVAC system? Fortunately, the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) provides a small, yet important glimpse into the world of effective air filtration.

Rated from a scale of 1 to 16 for standard air filters and 17 to 20 for HEPA filters, MERV measures an air filter’s ability to efficiently capture airborne particles and other pollutants. With these ratings, you can choose the right filter for your HVAC application:

• 1 - 4 MERV: Provide affordable and disposable filtration for residential applications, capturing up to 80 percent of pollen, dust mites and other particles greater than 10 microns in size.

• 5 - 8 MERV: Ideal for both residential and industrial use, these filters capture over 90 percent of airborne particles ranging from 3 to 10 microns in size. These particles include mold spores, cement dust and pollutants from dusting aids and hair spray.

• 9-12 MERV: Offer superior residential filtration, capturing over 95 percent of airborne pollutants as small as 1 micron in size, including Legionella bacteria, vehicle emissions and dust from humidifiers.

• 13-16 MERV: Commonly used in “clean room” environments, including hospitals. These filters trap over 98 percent of pollutants, including all types of bacteria, most tobacco smoke and other particles ranging from 0.3 to 1 micron.

• 17-20 MERV: Reserved for HEPA filters in order to signify their superior filtration properties. These filters can capture over 99.997 percent of airborne particles less than 0.3 microns.

High-MERV filters often require higher performance fan motors or specialized ductwork to make up for airflow issues. Air filters rated at MERV 7 to 13 offer similar performance to HEPA filters without the need for stronger fans or reworked ducts. Be sure to check these filters monthly, as they get clogged more easily.Remember, not all air filters are measured the same, therefore, it's best to buy from reputable sources who understand how this affects the system performance, not just because it's made by a large company.

At Air Assurance, we make it our business to take care of your home comfort needs and we've done the testing on filtration so that we know what kind of filtration works best with your system.  We have even had our filters specially made to our specifications so that you know there the best.  Contact us to learn more about air filters and your filtration options in the Broken Arrow area.

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Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

Image courtesy of Shutterstock