Dealing with allergens like pollen and mold spores throughout much of the year is simply a fact of life when living in Florida thanks to our climate being warm throughout most of the year. While most other parts of the country mostly just have to deal with allergens for a few months in the spring, allergy sufferers in Florida usually have to deal with them from February through September, if not even longer.
Unfortunately, there is obviously nothing you can do to combat allergens and other air quality issues when you’re outside. However, choosing the right air filter makes a major difference in the level of allergens in your home and your home’s air quality in general.
An Overview of Air Filter Ratings and What They Mean
When it comes to choosing which air filters to use in your HVAC system, the first thing you need to do is make sure you understand how air filters are rated and what the ratings mean. The most common air filter rating system is the MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) scale, which looks at how well a filter traps different sized airborne particles.
In terms of standard 1-inch residential air filters, the majority of them are between MERV 5-6 and MERV 12-13. A filter that’s rated around MERV 6 is generally considered sufficient to protect your HVAC system by trapping dust particles so that they don’t get drawn into your air handler and create various issues. However, it will have almost zero effect on your indoor air quality or the amount of allergens that your HVAC system circulates around your house. That’s because most allergens like pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and dust mites are small enough that they can just pass straight through the filter.
If you’re looking to improve the air quality in your home and reduce indoor allergens, you definitely want to choose at least a MERV 10 filter since it can effectively filter out much smaller particles. A MERV 12 or 13 filter will work even better, but you need to make sure that your HVAC system is sufficiently powerful enough to handle this level of filtration. The issue is that the more efficient a filter is, the harder it is to draw air through it. That means you can greatly reduce the performance of your HVAC system and its energy efficiency if you use a filter that is more efficient than the system can handle. The reason is that the filter will massively restrict how much air the HVAC blower can draw in, resulting in the system putting out far less cooling and heating.
How Upgrading to a Media Filter Can Tackle Your Home’s Air Quality Issues
The majority of residential HVAC systems are set up so that they can only use a standard 1-inch air filter, but you always have the option to upgrade or retrofit your system to accommodate a thicker, more efficient type of filter known as a media filter. Media filters are typically 4 or 5 inches thick and contain a huge amount of pleated material that allows them to filter the air far more effectively than even the best standard filter ever could.
One of the main advantages of a media filter is that you can achieve a much higher level of filtration without restricting airflow and causing any issues with your HVAC system’s performance. The fact that media filters contain much more pleated material than standard filters means there is a much greater surface area, resulting in the filter being able to trap many more allergens and other particles. At the same time, the pleats are spread out enough that air can still easily get drawn through the filter so there isn’t much air restriction.
Most media filters are between MERV 14 and MERV 16 and can trap between 90% and 95% of airborne allergens as well as the majority of other airborne pollutants. While this level of filtration isn’t always necessary, it can be a huge help if anyone in your home suffers from severe allergies. The other major advantage of media filters is that you only need to replace them once or twice a year instead of every two to three months like you do standard air filters.
Why an Electronic Air Cleaner Can Also Be a Good Choice
Another option instead of opting for a media filter is to add an electronic air cleaner to your HVAC system. Media filters can still somewhat restrict airflow if your HVAC isn’t powerful enough, but an electronic air cleaner will provide the same level of filtration, if not higher, without any airflow restriction.
The way it works is that the air cleaner electrostatically charges all of the allergens and other particles as they enter the unit. All of the particles then get attracted and stick to special plates that are oppositely charged. As long as you make sure to clean these plates every month or two, an electronic air cleaner can typically remove around 98% of all allergens and contaminants from the air.
Options for Whole-Home Air Purification
A whole-home air purification system is generally going to be the best choice for combating allergens and overcoming almost all of your indoor air quality issues. That’s because most systems use multiple methods to filter and clean the air. For instance, many systems contain a high MERV media filter along with UV lights. The UV lights work to destroy mold spores, bacteria, and some viruses, while the media filter physically traps almost all of the other airborne allergens and particles.
Some air purification systems also use UV lights to produce a process known as photocatalytic oxidation. This process can effectively destroy airborne chemicals or cause them to chemically react and change into harmless compounds. How it works is that the UV lights shine on a special metal catalyst, which releases powerful oxidizing ions. These ions attract airborne chemicals and end up sticking to the chemicals and altering their chemical makeup.
The only thing to be aware of is that, depending on what type of catalyst is used, photocatalytic oxidation sometimes produces ozone. Ozone is a known respiratory irritant, which means that some of these air purifiers can actually contribute to as many air quality issues as they solve. As such, you want to make sure that whichever air purifier you choose has been certified to not produce ozone.
Reach Out to Your Local Indoor Air Quality Experts
For 30+ years, Snowbird Heating & Cooling has been delivering exceptional HVAC and indoor air quality services to customers in Auburndale and Lakeland and throughout the Polk County area. To help you combat any indoor air quality issues your home has, we offer a range of innovative and effective solutions, including air filters, purification systems, and much more. We also specialize in professional indoor air quality testing and can determine what issues you’re facing and what options will work best for overcoming all of them.
As one of the area’s leading HVAC companies, you can also trust our team of experienced technicians for all of your home comfort needs. We service and repair air conditioning and heating equipment from all brands and also offer expert installation and replacement services. For more information on how we can help you improve the air quality in your home, contact us today.
