How air filters are the unsung heroes of the Season
Our lungs are our body’s filter, but why depend on your lungs when Reiner Group can provide the correct filter for your home?
With the arrival of spring, we welcome warmer weather, and blooming flowers, but also allergies. Itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and even having trouble breathing. Why do we put ourselves through this every year? The filter you choose, in conjunction with your air conditioning system, will offer various levels of protection from different elements. So, which one is best for you?
Reiner Group offers a selection of air filters from the basic MERV 8 to the higher-grade MERV 11 to the hospital-grade MERV 16. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values. It’s a fancy-schmancy way of saying how well each filter captures particles of varied sizes.
The filters most often used by people before they become our customers are the standard filters purchased at big box home improvement stores or from an online retailer. These filters are typically good at capturing dust and other large particulates, but that’s about all.
The MERV 8 filter, which Reiner installs in your heating and air conditioning system during preventative maintenance, can remove dust, pollen, and spores from your home’s air. If you have more severe allergies or reactions to free radicals, consider a MERV 11 filter. This filter will remove the particles as the MERV 8 filter does but will also remove smaller particles like dust mites, pet dander, and some bacteria. If you struggle with allergies or asthma or are immune compromised, you may want to consider a MERV 16 filter. The MERV 16 filter removes more than 95% of particles and bioaerosols (dander, pollen, bacteria, molds, spores, etc.) from the air in your home.
There has been some discussion about how the higher the filter’s rating, the more restrictive the airflow through your HVAC system. Before you choose a filter, make sure you know the capability of your system. Newer systems are designed to perform with higher-rated filters. If you have an older system and are unsure which filter would be best, Reiner Group can have a technician come to your home to perform preventative maintenance and make a recommendation.
Regardless of the filter rating, it is vital to note the filter needs to be changed! The frequency of when they need to be changed depends on how often you are running your AC or Heating system, if you have pets, and the climate where you live (is it more dry or humid?). Often service technicians will respond to a repair call or arrive for preventative maintenance or repair only to find out the customer is experiencing issues because of a dirty filter.
Call Reiner Group Inc. today with questions about indoor air quality or your AC and heating system.