Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) devices are almost “musts” in every household. They’re what provide you and your family respite from the summer heat, warmth in freezing winters, and simply purify the air you breathe all year long.
Now that you understand the importance of regularly changing air filters (feel free to check out our post about it), from to you, here are tips on how to choose the ideal air filters for your HVAC machines.
Air Filter Buying Guide
Size Matters
This doesn’t only have to do with the size of the air filter itself. It’s up to you to measure it against the current air filter in your HVAC so that it matches up well, and will be able to fit inside the machine, no-fuss.
What we mean by this is that it’s best to consider the size of the room where you’ll be setting the HVAC in. Measure the space in square meters and identify which of the four main sizes will suit said space the most.
In parallel to the appropriate HVAC size, Small Air Filters are typically for personal utilization only. We’re talking room dimensions that are below 300 square feet. Next, Medium Air Filters are for spaces that are somewhere in between the 300 to 700 square feet-mark. After, Large Air Filters are excellent for wide rooms above 700 square feet and/or below 1,900 square feet.
Whole-house models belong to this mix as well. But since they’re customized to the size of the home itself, you’ll have to select the appropriate air filters to match up with whole-house requirements.
Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) devices are almost “musts” in every household. They’re what provide you and your family respite from the summer heat, warmth in freezing winters, and simply purify the air you breathe all year long.
Now that you understand the importance of regularly changing air filters (feel free to check out our post about it), from www.filterking.com/air-filter-sizes/17x21x1a to you, here are tips on how to choose the ideal air filters for your HVAC machines.
Air Filter Buying Guide
Size Matters
This doesn’t only have to do with the size of the air filter itself. It’s up to you to measure it against the current air filter in your HVAC so that it matches up well, and will be able to fit inside the machine, no-fuss.
What we mean by this is that it’s best to consider the size of the room where you’ll be setting the HVAC in. Measure the space in square meters and identify which of the four main sizes will suit said space the most.
In parallel to the appropriate HVAC size, Small Air Filters are typically for personal utilization only. We’re talking room dimensions that are below 300 square feet. Next, Medium Air Filters are for spaces that are somewhere in between the 300 to 700 square feet-mark. After, Large Air Filters are excellent for wide rooms above 700 square feet and/or below 1,900 square feet.
Whole-house models belong to this mix as well. But since they’re customized to the size of the home itself, you’ll have to select the appropriate air filters to match up with whole-house requirements.
Prefilters
Understand the two basic types of filters included in most HVACs today. Prefilters act as shields against large debris and dust particles. On the other hand, the main filters are in charge of smaller, more difficult-to-catch particulates.
The type of prefilter will depend on your preference, and what might work better in terms of your lifestyle. You’ve got prefilters that are washable or are for repeated use. Do remember that these have a shelf-life in terms of efficiency, too (just because they’re regularly washed doesn’t mean they’re to be replaced less).
Secondly, there are prefilters that are vacuumable, similar to the washable type. And lastly, you can choose air filters that are disposable. This third category is what’s recommended since air filter-changing is to be practiced even with ones that are washable and/ or vacuumable.
Main Filter
Still, what you should pay attention to is the main filter. Look for one that’s a High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter (HEPA). HEPAs generally have gone through rigorous standard checks for quality and air-filtering performance.
These specific air filters have been approved by various national and global associations for lung care and air safety. This is due to the fact that HEPA filters have the capacity to ensnare up to 99% of particles which are up to and/ or less than 0.3 microns in diameter. To give you a more comprehensible depiction, HEPA filters can trap particles that even the human eye can’t see.
Prefilters
Understand the two basic types of filters included in most HVACs today. Prefilters act as shields against large debris and dust particles. On the other hand, the main filters are in charge of smaller, more difficult-to-catch particulates.
The type of prefilter will depend on your preference, and what might work better in terms of your lifestyle. You’ve got prefilters that are washable or are for repeated use. Do remember that these have a shelf-life in terms of efficiency, too (just because they’re regularly washed doesn’t mean they’re to be replaced less).
Secondly, there are prefilters that are vacuumable, similar to the washable type. And lastly, you can choose air filters that are disposable. This third category is what’s recommended since air filter-changing is to be practiced even with ones that are washable and/ or vacuumable.
Main Filter
Still, what you should pay attention to is the main filter. Look for one that’s a High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter (HEPA). HEPAs generally have gone through rigorous standard checks for quality and air-filtering performance.
These specific air filters have been approved by various national and global associations for lung care and air safety. This is due to the fact that HEPA filters have the capacity to ensnare up to 99% of particles which are up to and/ or less than 0.3 microns in diameter. To give you a more comprehensible depiction, HEPA filters can trap particles that even the human eye can’t see.
