What Is The Best MERV Rating For Furnace Filters?

If you have ever shopped for a new air filter or done furnace installation in Monroe, you have seen the types of filters available. The air filter comes standard with a furnace system that is supposed to protect your indoor air quality, but this is still a common misperception. While it does not affect your indoor air quality, this furnace is developed to protect the interior parts of the furnace from dirt, dust, and other material that could harm the sensitive components.

If you want to improve your indoor air quality, make your home healthier, your air easier to breathe, and make your furnace more efficient, you can invest in more powerful filters. It is where the MERV rating system plays a role. MERV is a metric for comparing the efficiency of various filter types.

What is MERV?

MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value and measures the efficacy of the air filter. The MERV rating helps choose the air filter you should use in your home.

What are The MERV Ratings, and What Do They Mean?

Air filters with higher MERV values help remove a high percent of airborne pollutants, enhancing the indoor air quality of your home. But does that mean you should buy the air filter with the greatest MERV rating? Certainly not.

  • 1-4 MERV – This is the lowest level of filters. They remove large dust contaminants that could damage your heater or air conditioner, but they do not do much in the way of improving your indoor air quality. Due to the dusty air, Monroe homeowners with these filters should replace them about once a month.
  • 5-8 MERV – Air filters with a MERV value of 5-8 last longer than cheaper ones. Pleated filters with 1-2 inches are used in this range of filters. They can improve your home’s indoor air quality by removing unwanted contaminants such as mold growth, hair spray smells, and tiny dust particles. They are employed in both residential and commercial applications.
  • 9-12 MERV – These filters are more efficient and often provide the maximum benefit in terms of indoor air quality for household use. Because they are so effective at eliminating pollutants from the air, they should be cleaned regularly to guarantee proper airflow.
  • 13-16 MERV – Filters in this category are used in hospitals and clean rooms to remove airborne pollutants. These are not advised for residential usage since they restrict airflow and can cause harm to your HVAC system.

So is The Higher MERV Always Preferable?

No. It depends on your heating and cooling system, as well as the size of your home. As a result, strike the correct balance between removing the highest amount of airborne contaminants while ensuring adequate airflow.

For air quality service such as Heating Repair in Monroe, you need not look further than J & J Heating And Air. We also provide Furnace installation in Monroe at an affordable price. To know more, call J&J Heating and Air Conditioning today at (770) 267-0742.