When we breathe in unhealthy air inside our home, this can result in a number of symptoms and health issues. Irritants such as pollen, pet dander, dust, mold spores, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can make us sneeze, cough, and experience headaches, resulting in a general feeling of being unwell. Your furnace plays an important role in helping maintain healthy and safe indoor air quality (IAQ) in your Bellflower, CA residence. Different furnace filters are available for better indoor air quality.
The Purpose of a Furnace Air Filter
The air filter in your furnace can trap particulate matter in the air passing through your HVAC system. Not only does this help improve your indoor air quality, but it also protects your heating and cooling equipment. Your furnace filter is usually located near your furnace’s blower compartment, in the return air duct or in a slot located above or below your furnace. The type of filter you use will determine how much particulate matter is removed.
Fiberglass Filters
One of the most affordable furnace filters available, a fiberglass filter removes most of the large particles that are in your indoor air. There will still be some smaller particles that remain.
Pleated Filters
A pleated filter has a larger surface area, which allows more particulate matter to get trapped before circulating into your home. It’s slightly more expensive, but it does a better job.
Activated Carbon Filters
Activated carbon usually pairs with a traditional type of filter media to provide optimal results. Activated carbon can absorb odors and chemicals. This results in fresher and healthier indoor air.
High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filters
High-efficiency particulate air filters, HEPA for short, can remove as much as 99.97% of particulate matter from indoor air. Unfortunately, this is a restrictive filter, so it can’t be used with all types of furnaces. You need a high-powered model to be able to handle the airflow restriction a HEPA filter causes.
Washable Filters
If you want to save money and not have to purchase filters every 30 to 90 days, consider using a washable filter. When the filter is dirty, you remove it from your furnace, wash it thoroughly, and replace it once it’s dry. This may not be an optimal filter choice if you or someone in your household suffers from severe allergies or a chronic respiratory condition. Using a brand-new, completely clean filter is ideal.
Electrostatic Filtration
Electrostatic filtration is extremely effective and can remove most of the particulates in your indoor air. Charged collection plates attract oppositely charged particulates. The collection plates will need to be cleaned every so often. Otherwise, they lose much of their surface area and can’t work as effectively.
Are All Furnace Filters the Same Size?
Different furnaces use different-sized filters. You’ll want to select a filter based on the size your furnace requires. This ensures a perfect fit so that particulates can’t pass by the filter and back into your residence.
Can a Furnace Run Without a Filter?
If you have found that your current furnace filter is dirty but you don’t have anything to replace it with, you may be considering running your furnace without a filter. This is a bad idea that can cause permanent damage to the various components of your HVAC system.
As we mentioned, your filter protects the internal components of your heating and cooling equipment. This includes the blower motors, electrical connections, etc. Routine heating maintenance can remove some of the debris that has built up over time, but using your furnace without a filter isn’t ideal if you’re looking to protect the longevity of your furnace and related equipment.
How Often Should You Change Your Filter?
You should change your furnace filter once every 30 to 90 days, depending on the type of filter you’re using. You should refer to the recommendations included by the manufacturer of the filter. This is a flexible time frame. If you have pets in the home or someone in your home smokes, it’s beneficial to change your filter more frequently. You should also change your filter more often if you’ve recently had construction work completed in your home. You should also change it if you’ve been running your HVAC system more often than normal or it’s a time of the year when pollen levels are very high.
Removing More Particulate Matter
If you feel like your furnace filter isn’t doing a good enough job of maintaining healthy air quality inside your home, you can have a whole-house filtration system installed onto your HVAC system. This equipment uses advanced filtration to remove more particulate matter than a standard filter. Not only are particulates removed, but in many cases, bacteria, viruses, mold spores, and more.
UV Light Filtration
In addition to the advanced filters that a whole-house filtration unit utilizes, ultraviolet (UV) light technology can be paired with filtration. Germicidal ultraviolet (UV-C) light can damage the DNA of the microbes that are in your indoor air. This renders them harmless, so they are unable to make you sick. This isn’t a typical type of filtration, so it doesn’t remove particulate matter.
Understanding the MERV Scale
There is a scale called the minimum-efficiency reporting value scale or MERV for short. Most filters come with a MERV rating, which indicates how efficient a filter is at removing particulate matter. The higher the MERV rating is, the more particulate matter will be removed. Most residential homes benefit from a filter that is between 8 and 12 MERV. Anything higher than that is likely too restrictive and can lead to equipment issues and failure.
The Importance of Routine Maintenance
We recommend that you schedule routine maintenance for your HVAC system once per year. This appointment is a great opportunity for our team to inspect all the various components of your furnace, air conditioner, etc. If we notice that there are issues with your equipment, we can make repairs that will prevent future problems. We can also educate you on the type of filter you should be using and how often it should be replaced for optimal indoor air quality.
You can add other services to your maintenance appointment that can help address indoor air quality concerns, such as duct cleaning, duct sealing, or indoor air quality assessment. This assessment helps us determine what kind of particulates are in your home. We can then recommend specific filters or filtration equipment that will improve your IAQ.
Contact Us Today
If you would like to address the quality of the air inside your Bellflower home, Service All-Stars is here to help. In addition to indoor air quality assessments and the installation of whole-house filtration equipment, we offer the full range of heating services. We also install new heating and cooling systems, provide routine maintenance, and address emergency repairs. We also offer a full range of plumbing services, such as pipe repair, pipe replacement, sewer repair, water heater replacement, gas line services, and more. We can also help you upgrade your attic insulation.
Contact Service All-Stars in Bellflower today to learn more.
