Furnace Filters and Indoor Air Quality
Most people live and breathe easy, not knowing what goes into the air they inhale. In fact, many don’t know that the quality of air taken in depends on how efficiently furnaces work. And more elementary than that, indoor air quality determined by how clean or dirty the furnace filters are. Made of sheets of fiberglass or mesh screens in furnaces, they are designed to filter out airborne particles from the air found indoors. They are often neglected, and so they are frequently the cause of bad and unhealthy indoor air quality.
There are a few important things that you need to know, in order to understand how furnace filters contribute to the improvement of air quality. First off, indoor air pollutants consist mainly of dust. Dust, itself, is composed of many different types of particles. Most of these airborne particles are too small to see with the naked eye but are big enough to trap.
These particles include pollen, lint, bacteria and viruses, dead skin cells, pet dander and mold and plant spores. The airborne particles are typically from the air that gets in from outside, and are also produced by regular household activities like smoking indoors, cooking, and vacuuming. It is thus safe to say that the concentration of these harmful particles inside the house can be quite serious. Without adequate filters, there wouldn’t be a way to neutralize the air.
These dust particles come in different sizes, measured in microns. Some particles are larger, while others can only be seen through a microscope. But what all these particles have in common is that they can be easily ingested or inhaled. They can get past the body’s natural defense mechanisms, and when they reach a hazardous concentration in the body, they can cause health problems like respiratory diseases, cancer and lung problems, as well as several allergic reactions.
It is very possible to reduce the numbers of these air pollutants. For example, high-efficiency and electrostatic filters can remove anywhere between 30% to 90% of indoor air pollutants. The efficiency is measured by the MERV rating. When choosing from among the many furnace filters available, it is best to get one that has a MERV rating of at least 11. The higher the MERV rating, the more efficient it is in keeping air quality high.
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Tagged With disposable filters, fiberglass filters, Filter types, furnace filters, HEPA filters, indoor air pollution, MERV Rating
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