Choosing a Furnace Filter: Higher Price Doesn’t Mean Higher Quality
Choosing the right air filter for your furnace can be a tricky process. Many people will tell you to use the thin, flat, fiberglass filters while some will tell you those aren’t efficient enough. On the other hand, pleated, accordion-style filters are significantly more expensive, and an HVAC technician may tell you that this will filter your air better than the alternative. Or you may even be told to use a hospital-grade HEPA filter.
With all this different information, it can be hard to tell who’s right and who’s wrong. The fact of the matter is, the type of air filter you need in your home depends on your specific needs, so what works for one home might not work for yours. If your duct system has poor airflow—referred to as “high static pressure”—you can actually restrict the airflow even further by having too efficient (translation: higher priced) of an air filter.
Understanding Air Filtration
The purpose of air filtration is to keep the inside components of your HVAC system safe from dirt and debris that can negatively impact its performance. However, an air filter also cleans the air that you and your family breathe every day. Therefore, you should never have to submit to living with asthma, allergies, colds, the flu, etc. just because your HVAC professional inaccurately judged or didn’t test your airflow.
Flat, fiberglass air filters are considered effective, if changed often enough. Typically you should change this filter every 1-3 months, depending on the amount of contaminants flowing through your home. Pleated, accordion-style filters do offer considerably better filtration, and can be changed every 3-6 months. HEPA filters are considered the “best” by the majority of HVAC professionals. However, as mentioned above, you don’t want your air filter to be too efficient and therefore restrict airflow.
Be sure to talk to our technicians to see what type of furnace filter would be best for your home.
For superior furnace services in Idaho Falls, ID, contact Advanced Home Services today.
