HVAC Tips

Most of the time when people think about air flow in their homes they're thinking of energy efficiency: how well does a furnace or heat pump heat and cool the air? But what about air quality?

Air filters are an often-neglected item in the HVAC system, and this time of year that can be a bigger drawback than you might think. Allergens are everywhere, and when they are tracked into your home they end up circulating through the heating system. At that point, they're blown into every room of your home.

If your home is full of allergens, you have no safe haven from itchy eyes and other bothersome symptoms!

Even if you're good about changing your air filters, regular paper filters are more useful in protecting the HVAC unit itself than your lungs. Particles and small solids that would be harmful if blown into the heating system are stopped, sure, but some of these filters do a poor job of filtering out dust, pollen, and other allergens.

Specialized HVAC Air Filters Trap Allergens For Better Air Quality

Mold, pollen, and even bacteria are much smaller than typical dust particles. As a result, they often slip right through the typical paper filter. Specialized filters, often called HEPA (high energy particulate air filters) are made of finely ground glass rather than paper.

This allows they to trap this contaminates far better, stripping them from the air circulating your home. (And therefore out of your lungs.)

Bear in mind, though, that the more things a filter picks up the faster it will need to be changed. It's a good practice to swap your filters each month, especially in pollen season.

If you're wondering whether there's more at play in your home, particularly if your allergies seem worse than usual or you're sneezing and coughing a lot, our air quality inspection services are a great place to begin.

If You're Buying New Filters, Check The MERV Rating

HEPA filters are rated on a scale of 1-12, which tells you how small the particles are which it will stop. The higher the MERV rating, the smaller particles it will stop.

MERV ratings of 10 or higher are effective at stopping pollen and common allergens, so it's a good place to begin in your search.