Can You Get Allergy Filters for Your Home?
For many people, spring is a glorious time of year. As trees begin to blossom and the grass returns to a luscious green, the outdoors couldn’t possibly be more beautiful. However, this beauty comes with an aggravating feature: pollen.
For people with pollen allergies, spring is the worst time of year. They’d rather hole up inside the house in comfort rather than step outside and risk the running noise, scratchy throat, and unending cough.
Unfortunately, if your home doesn’t have allergy filters, staying inside won’t do much good. The more standard types of AC filters often can’t filter out allergen particles, making them just as susceptible to allergies indoors.
Luckily, however, it’s possible to fix this. All you need are filters for allergies. Learn more about these excellent filters below!
Why Regular AC Filters Won’t Cut It
If you’re like most people, you’re probably a little confused about why you’d need specific allergy filters. After all, aren’t your AC filters supposed to deal with allergens?
Unfortunately, standard air filters cannot live up to these expectations. There are several reasons for this, which well examine in this section.
Designed To Protect HVAC Systems, Not Your Body
One of the leading reasons why standard HVAC filters won’t protect your lungs is their design. These air filters focus more on filtering particles out of the HVAC system, which helps preserve the
equipment. This way, your system can continue to function and condition your home’s air.
However, this design does little to preserve your lung health. Sure, it will prevent too much dust from floating around, but dust is larger than the particles that cause allergy symptoms. As such, these particles manage to fly uninhibited through the air.
Paper Material Can’t Stop Allergen Particles
Most replaceable air filters in air conditioning systems use a paper material designed to block large
particles like dust from infiltrating motors and fans. For these purposes, paper filters work excellently!
However, smaller particles like bacteria, pollen, and mold slip through the fibers with ease. Your
HVAC system then circulates these particles through your air space.
To block these particles, you require an air filter whose design traps small particles. Typically, these
filters fall under an umbrella term called ‘high energy particulate air filters.’ More often, people know these as HEPA filters.
These filters use thick, tightly packed glass fiber layers to trap enormous pollen, dust, and smoke
particle quantities. Moreover, they often catch and trap pathogens that might irritate your allergies.
We’ll discuss more how HEPA filters work and the maintenance they require down below.
HEPA Filters: The Allergy Filters You Need
Installing HEPA filters can lead to tremendous improvements in your home’s air quality. However, HEPA filters have performance differences as much as any other product.
So, how can you identify which HEPA filter is the best option for you? First, you need to identify its
MERV rating. MERV ratings stand for Minimum Efficiency Rating Values, which indicate how efficient the filter is at removing particles from the air.
HEPA filters tend to come in a range of MERV ratings, which we outline below:
- MERV 1-4: Capable of removing large particles, like dust mites, pollen, dust, textile fibers,
and carpet fibers - MERV 5-8: Routinely capable of trapping mold spores, hairspray, and cement dust
- MERV 9-12: Remove exhaust fumes, lead dust, and other bacteria types
- MERV 13-16: Remove tobacco smoke, any bacteria, and sneeze residue. Best filters for
those with allergies or asthma
As you can see, even HEPA filters come in a variety of qualities. Determining which MERV rating is
best for your home depends on what you want your filtration to block. If you’re more concerned with typical air pollutants, the first two classes should suffice.
However, be forewarned that as the rating increases, so do prices. The higher your MERV rating, the more expensive the filter will become. For a more moderately priced, highly rated filter, check out this 20x25x1 air filter.
Maintenance For HEPA Filters
Once you get HEPA filters, you want to make sure they do their jobs properly. To ensure this, you
have to maintain your filters.
The first step in filter maintenance is regularly replacing your filters. It’s best to change them every other month, at least. Depending on your location, it may be better to change them monthly.
Check with your local HVAC service to see what your home and region might require. While youre talking with them, try to schedule annual HVAC maintenance with that service.
Getting the best filter is only half the solution. Improved filters can work wonders, but they can only do so much if your HVAC system has become filthy.
The longer your system goes without a cleaning, the higher the likelihood that dust and other
pollutants have gathered on your fans and motors. Moreover, any pollutants you breathe out will cycle through your HVAC system, coming back to haunt you later on.
A Worthwhile Investment
Considering the cost of both HEPA filters and their maintenance, you may wonder if they’re
worthwhile investments. The short answer is yes. While HEPA filters may be more costly, think of
their benefits.
With these HEPA filters, you’ll breathe cleaner, fresher air. You can rest safe from pollutants andpathogens that could worsen your health. If you get allergies annually, you can enjoy the satisfaction of finally going without them this year.
Moreover, if you have a respiratory condition like asthma, these filters can lessen your likelihood of an attack. By catching irritants in the air, they enable you to live a safer life.
Purchase Your HEPA Filters Today
If you’ve ever wondered how to filter out allergens, a proper allergy filter is truly the best way. HEPA filters are worth their costs, providing you immense benefits for your health. So, don’t hesitate; purchase a HEPA filter set today!
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