Published on June 30th, 2015 | A great way to ensure that your home is using energy efficiently is to regularly change and monitor your furnace filter. But which filters are best at actually filtering the air? Which ones are re-usable and how can I tell? We’ve come up with some answers to these questions and hopefully you’ll be able to apply what you learn here in making your home both healthier and more energy efficient. Today, there are all sorts of options for replacing your furnace filter. You can get filters that are electrostatic, non-electrostatic, re-usable, one time use, pleated, non-pleated and so on. This guide will help to eliminate some of the mystery surrounding furnace filters and provide you with information so that you can select the best filter for your home. The different types of filters There are four different types of filters for your furnace, but which one makes the most sense? Well, it all depends on what you need that filter to do, check out the following breakdown of the four common types of furnace filters:

These are the most common types of furnace filters that you’ll find in use today. They are inexpensive ($1-$2 per filter) but they don’t tend to filter much of anything out of the air. It will help to remove large particles, but smaller things like pollens, dust and mites will still get through.These are the second most common type of furnace filter that you’ll find in use today. can air purifiers help with dustThey’re typically made of cotton or polyester and are slightly more expensive ($4-$5 per filter). do air purifiers make the room smell betterThe pleated design allows for this type of filter to be more effective at removing things like mites and spores from the air, but it unfortunately needs to be replaced every 3-4 months.electronic air cleaner furnace

These are likely the least common type of furnace filter in use, but they are one of the better options when it comes to filtering your home’s air. The electrostatic charge that’s placed on the filter allows it to be far more efficient at removing dust, pollens, mites, dander, smog etc. They are a bit more expensive ($5-$10 per filter), but will do a whole lot more when it comes to filtering your air.These filters offer by far the best bang for your buck when it comes to furnace filters. Not only are they re-usable, meaning you’ll save money over time and create less waste, but they’re the most efficient at filtering the air. They are on the pricy side ($15-$45 per filter), but they should last at least 5 years before ever needing to be replaced (if at all). Reusable filters are great, but how can one tell if they have one that is? It’s actually pretty easy. If you’re filter is reusable it should have a metal type grid on its surface, and in some cases the filter will come free of the frame to allow for easier cleaning.

If your filter looks like one of the other three listed above and feels soft to the touch (like it’s made of cotton), than sadly it isn’t reusable How to clean your reusable air filter. Just watch this short video to get a review of the material you just read as well as some tips on how you can clean your reusable filter. You can skip to the 1:45 or so minute-mark on this video to see how the cleaning of the filter actually works. As you’re browsing all the different options for your next furnace filter you’ll likely come across a MERV rating. Well, MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values and numbers will be assigned on a scale of 1-20. The higher the number, the more efficient that filter is at removing gunk from your air. Simple enough, but don’t just buy the highest MERV rated filter you can find. Because it may actually cause your furnace to run inefficiently or even harm parts of the motor. In order for the filter to be better at filtering the air, it has to allow less air to get through it.

Thus it’s increased ability to capture particles, dust, mites etc. So how does one know which MERV rating is best for their system? You’ll have to check with the manufacturer of your furnace. Systems are designed with specific airflow requirements in mind, and as such, they should be able to provide you with the MERV rating that is just right for your system. Photo courtesy of the Flickr Creative Commons, worldwide filters, amazon (1)(2)We have all learned about the dangers of contaminated indoorDaily indoor use of cleansers, aerosols, sprays, and harmful chemicals, plus pollens, molds, allergens, bacteria, smokes, even virus, all contribute to this modern day Health Hazard. Current construction design makes or homes and buildings extremely airtight to preserve energy costs. created indoor environments that are 10 to 20 times more contaminated than ourThis means that a wide variety of lung damaging particles (.5 to 5 microns) become trapped by our indoor environments.

particles are constantly re-circulated through our homes and buildings by the heating & cooling ventilation systems. This condition has created our modern phenomenon of unhealthy polluted indoor air. Source reduction, dilution, and filtering. best solution to an indoor air problem involves some part of each of these. Source reduction is attacking particulates at theirThis might involve some drastic measures, such as cutting out smoking and getting rid of pets. These solutions might not always be possible or Another solution is to dilute the concentration of particulates in the air with cleaner outdoor air. Dilution is desirable because it helps decrease gases given off by carpeting, building materials, and other While some air is continually leaving your home, it may not happen at a very high rate in tightly-constructed homes. dilution, you can open windows and doors to let in more outdoor air. is not always practical or possible.

The third solution, filtering the indoor air supply, can take several routes. Almost every home has a basic furnace filter, which prevents the biggest particulates, such as lint, hair and large dust, from getting into the furnace. These filters operate at a cleaning efficiency of about 5% at best (meaning that they remove about 5% of all the particulates in You can insert an electrostatic filter in yourMade of materials such as polystyrene or polypropylene fibers, these filters have a built-in electrostatic field designed to charge and attractHowever, they don't remove as much as an electronic air cleaner. Some people prefer them because they are less expensive, washable and prevent old filters from ending up in garbage dumps. Another type, a media filter, is formed of paper or fiber material on a frame. The pleated fabric is designed to expose much more surface area than a basic filter, and these filters are much thicker. in part by straining particulates larger than the spaces between the filter

fibers from the air stream. One of the drawbacks of these filters is that they can cause a pressure drop in your heating-cooling system as the filter gets dirtier, meaning that your furnace must work harder to pull air through the filter and the rest of the system. But an advantage is that they are once again, less expensive than an electronic air cleaner and go a long time between changes. This is great if the unit is in tough to get to area like an attic or crawlEasy to install, no electrical wiring, no parts to break. Another way of treating indoor air problems is with anElectronic air cleaners effectively remove nearly allPlaced in the cold air return duct of your furnace, these units remove up to 95% of particulates from the indoor air supply, greatly improving indoor air quality while helping protect the heating system from the ill effects of dust and dirt, and keeping the home cleaner. Electronic air cleaners remove airborne particulates

that filters can't, including nearly all of such small irritating particles as bacteria, pollen, spores, animal dander, viruses and cooking and cigaretteAnd they have the lowest pressure drop rating of any filtering system (.08 wc) - while helping keep your heating-cooling investment running as cleanly and efficiently as possible. Electronic air cleaners work differently than basic, electrostatic, or media filters. They give particulates in the air stream a strong electrical charge, then collect and trap them on oppositely-charged Incoming air passes through a pre-filter to removeThen, particulates are given a strong positive or negative charge as they pass through a series of ionizing wires. section, the charged particles are attracted to an oppositely-charged plate, where they stay until the unit is cleaned. Some units manufacturers offer may include a charcoal filter to help reduce household odors.Just remove the collection cells

three to four times a year, wash with household cleaner to remove contaminants, soak in a laundry tub or place in the dishwasher. Making a wise air cleaner How can you make a decision on the filtering system that's right for you? "Pay close attention to the efficiency claims," advises Dave Cenedella, product manager for White-Rodgers' Electro-Air air cleaners. "But you need to know the type and size of particles being filtered out of theBecause some irritants, such as cigarette smoke particles, are so small, you will get the most benefit from an electronic air cleaner that has high effectiveness against particulates as small as .01-.03 microns." Another consideration is cost, and you should calculate this to extend over a ten-year period, advises Honeywell's Gould. Weigh initial costs versus replacement or maintenance, and consider that a whole-house electronic air cleaner can help protect your heating systemHoneywell offers a Clean Coil Guarantee, with the promise that if

coil cleaning is required within ten years of installation of one of its electronic air cleaners, the company will pay half the cost of the cleaning. Leave installation to a You can plan on installing an electronic air cleaner when you replace your furnace or central air conditioning, or when you're building a new home and selecting a heating-cooling system. If funds don't allow you to install an electronic air cleaner right away, an alternative is to put in an electronic air cleaner compartment with a media filter. upgrade your system by having a licensed, professional heating-cooling contractor install an electronic air cleaner in the compartment. Installation of a whole-house electronic air cleaner is the province of a professional heating-cooling contractor. best qualified to help you determine the capabilities of the unit you need for your home, and how you maintain it. He should definitely be your choice for doing the installation and electrical connections," noted the Bureau's Weiner.