Dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, and dust mite feces are some of the most common things that trigger allergies and set - off allergic reactions in hypersensitive people. Selecting an appropriate replacement air filter for the furnace or air conditioner may help you cope with most of these problematic allergens. In this article we take a look at some of the commonly used filters available.

Fibreglass panel filters are not only the least expensive replacement furnace filters made, they are also the least effective when it comes to removing things that trigger allergies from the air. Fibreglass air filters are constructed simply to catch the largest of airborne dirt and dust particles and they do almost nothing to remove smaller particles like a lot of the most common household allergens. These kinds of air conditioning filters have very low MERV ratings in the 1 to 4 range on the MERV rating chart.

Pleated air filters are an improved variety of panel filter that utilizes pleats or folds in the filter material to increase it’s surface area. This design change makes it much more efficient at trapping dust particles because a much more efficient filtering material can be utilized. Pleated filters are an improvement from disposable fibreglass furnace filters and many are highly recommended for allergy sufferers. The majority of pleated furnace filters will last more than 90 days.

Electrostatic furnace filters are also relatively efficient and affordable. Electrostatic furnace filters are permanent instead of disposable, meaning that you save you money because the best ones last for many years. Electrostatic air conditioner filters eliminate a large percentage of air contaminants.

Electronic filters are permanent, washable filters which rely on electricity to operate. The main benefit is that these filters are long lasting. Several designs claim to remove up to 97 percent of contaminants from the air.

HEPA air filters are probably the most efficient replacement air conditioner filter and can eliminate over Ninety nine percent of your total indoors air-borne pollutants. HEPA filters are frequently utilized in hospitals and also anyplace else that demands the cleanest air possible.

Utilizing top quality replacement furnace filters will safely and effectively enhance the quality of your air. Indoor air is in many cases more than five times more polluted than outdoor air.

MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value and is a measure of how effective the filter is in stopping airborne debris and pollutants. Air filters range from 1 to about 16 MERV.

Airborne allergens are measured in microns. A micron is one 1/25,000 of an inch and a human hair is about 150 microns. The tiniest contaminants which we are able to see are about 10 microns.

Question: I am having problems with allergies in Florida. As I am replacing our A/C unit I am looking for a really good filter. The Trane cleaneffect unit looks promising, but would it be good enough. Is it worth the extra cost to get a UV filter. Any recommendations would be appreciated. The installers have all been recommending not to use a uv type and just go with the Trane.

In my opinion, it depends on how bad your allergies are. If your allergies are very bad and cost is not a factor, I would say the extra protection a duct mounted UV air cleaner provides is not a bad addition to enhance a media air filter. UV air cleaners  kill bacteria, mold spores and other organic contaminants. That is something  a media air filter can’t do.

It’s also important to point out that a uv air cleaner is only suitable for enhancing the filtration of a traditional air filter and should never be used as the only method of air treatment. UV air cleaners do not actually filter the air, they only purify it by killing organic compounds. You still have to filter out those contaminants with mechanical filtration.

The Trane CleanEffects air filter is very efficient and Trane rates it even  better than a HEPA filter. That’s very impressive. I do have some concerns  about the Trane CleanEffects filter. You can read my thoughts in this post Trane CleanEffects Review.

That article is only based on what I have read about the filter because I  don’t have any first hand experience with it. I am hoping to get some comments in that post from people who are using it.

The best furnace filters to use in your home are the ones that provide the results that you want. When trying to choose a filter to use it is important to consider what you objectives are. Just because a filter is the most efficient doesn’t make it the best furnace filter. It just makes it the best choice for a person who has allergies or other health concerns. There are many variables to consider when selecting a replacement air filter for your furnace or air conditioner. We have created a list of the most common types of filters used by home owners. These are not the only furnace filters available but they are among the most common types.

Pleated furnace filters

• Pleated air filters are the most common filters used in residential and commercial HVAC equipment. They are probably the easiest to find at your local hardware store although better pricing is available online.
• These filters are available in a wide range of efficiencies from about MERV 5 to MERV 12. The higher the MERV rating is the more efficient the filter is. This also means that it may need to be changed more often because the more dust it collects the faster it begins to have a negative impact on air flow.
• These filters are very easy to maintain. Simply change them every two to four months or when recommended by the manufacturer.
• One of the things that make them so common and popular is that they are available in custom sizes.

Electrostatic furnace filters

• Some electrostatic furnace filters are very high quality and will last for many years. Wash them once a month and they are as good as new.
• Electrostatic air filers cost more to purchase but they eliminate the monthly expense of buying disposable filters. Pay $50 to $100 up front for an electrostatic air filter or $5 to $10 or more each time you change your disposable air filter. This adds up to decent savings over a 10 year period. If you replace a $5 filter 4 times a year it adds up to $200 dollars in 10 years. A $10 disposable air filter will cost $400 in 10 years. It’s the little things that save you money.
• If you don’t like doing maintenance tasks then these filters are not for you. They must be maintained properly so they will remain effective.
• If Green living and the environment are important to you these filters are a good choice because they reduce landfill usage and they last for many years.

Media air filters (Pre-Cut Media Pads)

• Pre Cut media air filter pads are not used as often as the types listed above because they are not as popular with retail stores.
• If maintenance is not your thing and you sometimes forget to change your filters these may be for you. Media pads are much more forgiving. They have a much greater dust loading capacity than the other filters listed here. This means that when neglected it takes longer for it to negatively impact air flow and you can potentially avoid the decline in equipment operating efficiency that the other filters create when neglected.
• Carbon media pad inserts can be installed with these filters to help control odors.
• Pre cut pads are less expensive than most of the quality pleated air filters.

HEPA filters

• Hepa air filters are the most efficient air filters available.
• These filters utilize the pleated design of standard pleated air filters. The difference is in the number of pleats per inch of filter and the material used in the construction of the filters is much more efficient at stopping dust, pet dander, pollen and other airborne allergy causing contaminants that you may find in your house.
• Some brands, such as the Hepa-Pure, can be cleaned and used several times.
• True HEPA filters are 99.97% efficient and can remove particles as small a .3 microns in size.

Compare Filtrete and Nordic Pure pleated air filters

Question: I would like to save costs by getting a washable air filter, but it seems that none of them can get a MERV over 8, and I’d like something with a MREV of 11 or higher since we have allregies in the family.  How does Boair or air-care-filters.com filters compare to the filtrete ultra allergen. If I need to get a disposable, is the Nordic the best priced disposable filter?

You are correct about washable filters. Although they don’t have MERV ratings they perform close to a MERV 8. Although washable filters have their own positive characteristics, if allergies are a concern for you I would recommend high efficiency pleated air filters.

I did some quick investigating and this is what I found when comparing these pleated air filters

- Filtrete Ultra Allergen filters are $13.88 at Walmart and they have a MERV rating of 11 (I used Walmart because they usually have good prices)

- Nordic Pure Box of 6 is $48.97 which works out to $8.16 each and they have a MERV rating of 12

Both of these pleated air filters enhance the performance of their filters electrostaticly.

Nordic Pure and Filtrete filters don’t support the growth of bacteria, fungi, mildew or mold.

Nordic Pure filters have a higher MERV rating and they are much less expensive than Filtrete Ultra Allergen filters.