Air filters and your HVAC system
February 27, 2016
Air filters and your HVAC system; reviewed by the best air conditioning repair company in Plano, Don Trotter Heating and Air Conditioning Inc.
The Healthy Air Specialists at the number one air conditioning repair company in Plano, by Don Trotter Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., discuss air filters, MERV ratings and their relationship with your HVAC system.
The Healthy Air Specialists here at Don Trotter Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. would like to review with you today one of the most important and often neglected pieces to any HVAC system, the Air Filter. How often do you change or keep the filters associated with your HVAC system clean? According to the U.S. EPA, the air inside your home can be anywhere from two to five times more harmful than the air outside of your home. A clean air filter will not only help clean and filter the air traveling throughout your home; filters also can affect the efficiency rating of the system they belong to if neglected. The experts at the number one air conditioning repair company in Plano, TX would like to share some very valuable information about air filters and their association with your HVAC system.
Every system’s air filter has two main functions: first, keeping your HVAC system clean from small dirt and dust build-up within the system, and second, filtering the air entering and exiting the system. Indoor air quality has become a growing concern for many experts in the HVAC industry along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in recent years. Although no filter is 100% effective in removing all harmful particulates from the air, most clean filters on the market today can help battle the build-up of smaller dirt and dust particles along with eliminating many harmful particulates such as bacteria and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), among others, from the air inside of your system. The higher the MERV rating of the filter, the higher the concentration of particulates it has the ability to remove from the air in your HVAC system.
All air filters, whether provided by the best air conditioning repair company in Plano, TX or those found elsewhere, are rated on a MERV scale of 1 to 20, or lowest to highest. The MERV scale was developed by The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers or ASHRAE. MERV is an acronym for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. The higher the rating of the air filter, the higher the number of smaller particulates it has the ability to remove traveling through your HVAC system. When it comes time to clean or replace your system’s air filters, not only is it important to check the filter type (pleated or non-pleated, brand, etc.) and size, but also the MERV rating. Replacing your systems filters with incorrectly sized and rated filters has been observed by experts to affect or restrict the air flow traveling throughout the system if not correctly matched for your system.
Keeping your air filters clean is very important for your HVAC system. Like our experts mentioned before, dirty filters can restrict airflow inside your HVAC system by blocking the air stream traveling through it; which can result in many different premature or negative issues. Those issues can result in problems such as higher electric bills for the homeowner for example due to a higher draw of electricity from the blower motor that is distributing the air throughout the system, the possible unnecessary break down of parts within the system due to over-exerted operational circumstances, unpleasant odors, and others. Restricted airflow and dirt or dust buildup within the system itself can also lead to inaccurate readings associated with the efficiency rating at which your HVAC system is trying to achieve. Just remember when you think of clean air filters, “A clean filter can help filter out many harmful particulates leaving clean, filtered air in my home and keep my system running smoothly”. Many factors are evaluated with each different system to determine a proper “shelf-life” for your filter; consulting with any HVAC expert like our Healthy Air Specialists can help determine a proper schedule for filter maintenance and changing for each unique home.
The most important things to take away from our discussion today are: All filters are not the same, from the type and size to the quality or MERV rating to which they operate; Cleaning or changing filters regularly provide for cleaner, healthier air in your home; And all filters have recommended “shelf-lives”, which range from a more frequent rate such as the smaller 1-inch throw-away or reusable filters to potentially less frequent with the larger 4 or 5-inch residential or commercial grade filters. Many different circumstances are associated with each filters recommended “shelf-life” such as system type, number of systems in the home or building, time spent operating, etc. Consulting with any certified expert such as the Healthy Air Specialists at the number one air conditioning repair company in Plano, Don Trotter Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. will help with any questions about the right type and size of filters for your HVAC system. Join our next blog as we will be discussing and answering questions about our exciting Planned Service Agreement program.
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(Source www.epa.gov)
(Source www.hvac-for-beginners.com)
(Source www.carrier.com)
(Source www.yourhome.honeywell.com)
(Source www.bryant.com/healthyair)