Pull a 3-month old air filter out of its slot. It will look something like this: Grey, black or even matted up like a small felt wall. This is not just a piece of paper folding, it’s keeping a log of the air going through it.
Modern filtration media are based on decades old technology. In the 1950s and 60s there was a huge amount of industrial research into engine technology. A large amount of this research has been incorporated into the design of air filtration media. In fact some of the earliest pleated filter fibres were laid in a pattern similar to the layers found in a gas-mask canister from World War 2. As central heating became the norm in American and British suburban homes, the cardboard framed, pleated filtration media were mass produced and became the standard for heating and cooling systems.
A few years into the pleated filter phenomenon, engineers found that their creations could be as bad as a clogged filter. A filter that was too fine for the particular HVAC system it was used in could also cause great problems. The blower could become so restricted that it would run hot and, in the end, wear out prematurely. MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) was devised to indicate how well a filter captured small particles. High numbers, like MERV 13, are better for air quality than low numbers, like MERV 8. But, a MERV 13 can be very bad for a residential blower that was designed to use a MERV 8 filter. That’s why the filter exists in the first place—to protect the expensive parts of the system from dirt and dust.
The filter exists to protect the HVAC equipment and, incidentally, the air that you breathe while it’s doing that. All of the major components of HVAC systems, including the blower motor, the air coil, and the heat exchanger, can become clogged, corroded, or otherwise damaged by fine particles that have passed through the filter unimpeded. High quality air in your home is a byproduct of proper filtration for your HVAC system, and protecting your major HVAC components is the filter’s primary function. There is a useful background explanation of what a MERV rating actually measures.
For those looking into HVAC in Williamsport, PA, it is crucial to remember that the filter is there to protect the system. As mentioned above, a climate with extremely humid summer and very cold winter months can put a lot of strain on a HVAC system. That strain can be further exacerbated by a filter that is not the correct MERV rating for the blower that it is being used in. For HVAC Williamsport PA, visit https://qualityairmechanical.com/hvac.
Change your filter on time. When you pull a used filter out of its slot, take a good look at it. It has been keeping a log of all the work that your HVAC system has been doing while it was in place.
