Bartlett Heating and Air Explains Filter Ratings

Your HVAC system uses filters to protect the sensitive parts of your equipment. The filters also catch and trap contaminants in the air so your family wont breathe them in. You need to keep up on changing your filter each month to make sure your system doesn’t get clogged and that the air you breathe is clean. Filters are rated using a MERV rating. MERV stands for Minimum efficient reporting value. It was made in 1987 by the American Heating Society. It is the rating of how well the filter filters out dust in from the air. MERV ranges in 1-16 with 1 being least filtrated, 16 being most and are listed in microns. These microns includes pet dander, dust, mold, smog, dirt, pollen, bacteria, tobacco smoke, and a few more things. If you suffer from asthma, allergies, or have your children or elderly in your home, I would recommend using a higher MERV rating. Most of the time the filters found in homes are rated 1-4 and have about a 20% efficiency. The better choice for filters in your home is MERV 5-8 because they stop particles up to 3 microns. They have about a 25% efficiency rating. MERV 9-13 are used in commercial and industrial areas and can stop microns up to 1-3 and are good for home owners that want the most dust filtered out. They have a 50-80% efficiency rating. MERV 13-16 is the top of the line filters and they filter particles as small as .3 microns. For that reason, they are used in hospitals. They have a 90-95% efficiency rating.With that being said, sticking to a filter between 8-13 is a good idea because the higher the number the more air flow that is restricted. Call Bartlett Heating and Air today to discuss what filter is best for you!