Do You Need to Upgrade Your HVAC Filter?

While most people think that air pollution only happens on the outside, but the truth is that inside your home, the environment can actually be more polluted.

If you’re someone who regularly uses a vacuum cleaner, did you know that you’re simply “moving the dirt”? Your cleaner will trap some of the dirt inside the filter or bag but the rest of it scatters into the room.

This is why your air conditioner or furnace is equipped with an air filter, which is responsible for preventing dust and debris from suffocating the unit. There are also some homeowners, especially those living with allergy sufferers, who buy filters for improving their indoor air quality.

Since filters regularly collect household pollutants, they should be changed every month, particularly during peak months. By changing your filter regularly, you keep exorbitant amounts of dirt and debris from accumulating in your furnace or air conditioner — not to mention your lungs. When neglected, too much dirt compromises your indoor air quality and can lead to respiratory diseases, allergies, and expensive utility bills. It can shorten your equipment’s lifespan, too.

Four Seasons Air Specialists is your top HVAC company in North Oaks MN that offers the best home comfort products, including high-efficiency HVAC filters.

Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality

There are many factors that cause your home to have polluted indoor air, including pathogens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dust mites, plant spores, mold, mildew, dander or pet hair, fungi, pesticides, aerosols, cigarette or tobacco smoke, cat litter, cooking smells, toxins, viruses, bacteria, radon, and formaldehyde.

Negative Health Effects of Poor Indoor Air Quality

Repeated exposure to indoor air pollutants has both short-term and long-term effects. Some consequences may be experienced immediately after a single exposure or recurrent exposures to one or more contaminants. Poor indoor air quality may result in irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, coughing, and upper respiratory congestion. Overexposure to household pollutants can lead to more serious health concerns such as lung disease.

Who Should You Protect from Indoor Pollutants?

Poor indoor air quality can pose great dangers to your health. Children, people aged 60 or more, and people with existing allergies or immune system problems are most vulnerable to its harmful effects.

How a High-Efficiency Filter Works

Every HVAC system is provided with an air filter, but not all filtration systems have the same level of efficiency. Air filters are measure based on their minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) scale from 1 to 16. Anything higher than 16 is considered a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. The higher the MERV rating, the more contaminants a filter can capture. Some filters may even collect certain viruses, in addition to bacteria, mold spores, and cigarette smoke. These filters also reduce allergens and respiratory irritants.

HEPA filters remove no less than 99.97 percent of particles 0.3 microns or larger from your indoor air. The Department of Energy sets and enforces this gold standard for allergen and airborne particle removal.

HEPA filters help you breathe cleaner air that will allow your lungs and other organs to work better, usually leading to better oxygen absorption by your brain.

Besides improving your indoor air, a whole-home air purification system packed with a HEPA filter helps your furnace or air conditioner run at peak performance. This results in lower energy consumption and extended equipment lifespan.

Ask the Air Filtration Experts

You may not notice, but your indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air. That is why investing in a high-efficiency filter is a no-brainer if you are concerned about the air that circulates throughout your home.

Here at Four Seasons Air Specialists, we aim to help you create a living environment that is clean through and through. We work in partnership with some of the best air filter manufacturers in the industry to offer you only the most effective products that can give you clean, fresh air. We are a licensed distributor of high-efficiency filters designed to effectively catch and kill nearly all known household pollutants.

Speak with our HVAC professionals about improving your home’s air filtration. You may need an expert’s insight on modifying your filtration system to accommodate thicker, more efficient filters.

For over 40 years, we have been the trusted White Bear heating and air conditioning company that provides the home comfort needs of our valued customers.