The filter has an important role to play in the HVAC operations; it ensures that only clean air gets circulated in your house. Here is an overview of the three major types of filters.
Fiberglass Air Filters
These are the most common types of HAC air filters. They are popular because they are cheap and disposable. As the name suggests, the main material is fiberglass; and it is crafted into a screen design with tiny holes that allow air to pass through but blogs bigger particulate such as dust particles. Fiberglass air filters can be used both in furnaces and in air conditioners.
Unfortunately, fiberglass air filters are not the most effective air filters available. This is because they allow extremely tiny air pollutants to pass through, which means you can still breathe in poor-quality air if you rely on fiberglass air filters.
Pleated Air Filters
If you want something more effective than the basic fiberglass air filters, then you should consider pleated air filters. This type of air filter still uses the fiberglass material, but it is pleated into such a fine mesh that it can trap smaller particles that basic fiberglass air filters cannot trap. With such a step-up in performance, you expect pleated air filters to cost slightly more than the basic fiberglass filters, and this is exactly the case.
The increased effectiveness of pleated air filters is its main draw. However, the smaller sizes of the fine mesh also mean that it restricts some airflow too. This means your HVAC system will have to work harder when using a pleated air filter than it would if you were using a basic fiberglass filter. The extra work will manifest itself in the form of decreased energy efficiency.
Electrostatic Air Filters
If you want a higher efficiency than even the pleated air filters cannot offer you, then you can get it in the name of electrostatic filters. Electrostatic filters don't just rely on a fine mesh to trap air pollutants; rather, they have charged surfaces that attract the pollutants at a high efficiency. The charged surfaces are made from fiberglass and cotton, which attracts air pollutants much like magnets would attract metal shavings.
This is what you should opt for if you have a health condition, such as asthma, that requires you to breathe the cleanest air possible. Of course, you should be able to pay for the cleaner air with slightly higher energy bills and filter purchase prices.
Contact a company like Air Care Systems for more information and assistance.
Share28 August 2018
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