The air filter is an unheralded part of every home and office’s HVAC system even though it is one of the most important. That is because, as the name suggests, it filters out dust and other particulate matter from the air so that the air inside is as clean as possible. That can have significant benefits for everyone indoors, particularly to those with severe allergies or compromised immune systems.
However, the right air filter needs to be used in order to get the benefits that are useful for everyone in the home or office. If you are looking for an air filter that can provide health benefits to everyone in your home and/or office, then you can get one from physical or online retailers. They carry everything from 12x36x1 air filters and more.
How Air Filters Can Benefit Health
A lot of the particulate matter that can adversely affect someone’s health tends to be minute, and in some cases, microscopic, in size. These include particulates like pollen, pet dander, smoke, dust, bacteria, and droplet nuclei. Droplet nuclei are what are expelled when someone coughs or sneezes and they usually contain the infection that made the person sick in the first place. So droplet nuclei and bacteria are responsible for spreading infections and making people ill, while the other particulates mentioned contribute to allergic reactions in susceptible people.
An air filter can trap those particles, thus removing them from circulation, which makes the indoor environment much safer for everyone. In particular, people who suffer from severe allergies will be especially relieved. People with respiratory problems like asthma can also benefit from air filters. The same can be said for people with compromised immune systems who need to avoid infection as much as possible. This means that an air filter is a great convenience for most people, but an absolute necessity for others.
Choosing The Right Air Filter
While all air filters are useful to some extent, not all of them provide the health benefits that some people need. In order to find out if an air filter has any health benefits, you need to look for two things; whether it is a HEPA (High Energy Particulate Air) filter and its MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating. HEPA filters are special filters that remove particularly troublesome particulates from the air. Those particles include things like smoke, dust, and pollen that can trigger allergic reactions in vulnerable people.
The MERV rating indicates how effective the filter is at removing particles from the air, the higher the number, the greater the efficiency. The ratings go from 1 to 16 and filters with ratings of 6 to 8 are appropriate for most homes. However, if the individuals in the home need more protection, then a filter in the 10 to 12 rating range is better. An air filter in the home should not go any higher than 12 or else it could put a strain on the HVAC system and increase the energy bill. The reason is that the fan has to work harder to push air through the filter, which uses more energy, which leads to a higher electricity bill.
Office buildings can use higher rated filters since they have powerful HVAC systems that can handle the effort.
Filters Should be Changed on a Regular Basis
In order for an air filter to maintain its efficacy, it needs to be changed or cleaned regularly. The reason is that air filters can get dirty and clogged; that prevents them from trapping any more harmful particles so those particles get distributed through the air. Filters should be changed regularly to prevent that from happening. The frequency of when a filter needs to be changed depends on the nature of that filter.
Normal air filters need to be changed or cleaned about every six months. HEPA filters need to be changed every other month because they trap more particles and thus get dirty more quickly. By the same token, the filters in office buildings need to be cleaned often because of the volume of people in the building, which means a far greater number of particulates.
Get The Right Filter For Your Home
As you can see, an air filter can provide health benefits for everyone by keeping the air clean. That is especially useful for people who genuinely need that kind of protection. However, the right air filter must be chosen because not any air filter will do. And of course that filter must be cleaned or replaced regularly in order to maintain its effectiveness. So if you want to make the air inside your home cleaner and safer for everyone, then you should think about the kind of air filter you have and see if you can benefit from a better one.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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