As we transition from winter into spring, the flowers start to bloom, trees grow leaves, and many people enjoy spending more time outdoors. However, for millions of people, this also brings nasty allergy symptoms, like congestion, sneezing, and itchy eyes. While you may picture outdoor pollutants as being the obvious culprit, many people overlook how their indoor environment contributes to their allergy symptoms. Here, we’ll take a look at how your HVAC system can affect the allergies that you experience while at home.
Your HVAC System
Your HVAC system plays a direct role in how allergens move through your home. As air circulates, your system’s filter determines how much pollen, dust, and other particles are removed or redistributed.
Air Filters
Your HVAC filter should be thought of as a first line of defense against unwanted airborne pollutants. Standard air filters typically catch large dust particles and other debris. However, they can allow pollen, mold spores, and even fine dust to seep through the filter and circulate throughout your home.
These microscopic particles are well known to trigger allergy symptoms, especially during the spring months when pollen counts are very high. The trick to maximizing filtration to enhance indoor air quality all starts with choosing a high-efficiency filter. These are typically referred to as HEPA or MERV 13 filters and are effective at capturing smaller particles like pollen and other allergens.
HEPA Filters
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter. This type of air filter can capture about 99% of particles as small as three microns. To help put this in perspective, one grain of pollen is typically between 10 and 100 microns in size. This means that HEPA filters can capture pollen and even smaller allergens, like dust mites and mold spores.
While HEPA filters were traditionally meant for laboratories, hospitals, and clean room environments, they are becoming increasingly popular with residential HVAC systems. These can be a godsend for those who have allergies and asthma because they trap smaller particles.
However, it’s important to note that your HVAC system needs to be rated to handle HEPA filtration. Many outdated air conditioning and heating systems simply aren’t powerful enough to integrate with HEPA technology. Trying to run a HEPA air filter in these aging systems will simply reduce airflow and cause system inefficiency.
MERV 13 Filters
MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. It’s a rating that all HVAC air filters are given. The higher the rating, the better the filter’s capability of capturing airborne contaminants. When it comes to residential HVAC systems, a MERV 13 filter is considered the highest efficiency filter that you can purchase. It captures particles as small as 0.3 microns in size.
While HEPA filters provide a bit more filtration than MERV 13 filters, the latter are best for HVAC units that cannot integrate with HEPA technology. MERV 13 filters are effective at capturing mold spores, pollen, dust, pet dander, and even some bacteria. They can drastically reduce allergens in your home throughout the spring months.
Why Does Upgrading Air Filters Reduce Allergens in Your Home?
It can come as a shock, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that indoor air quality can be up to five times worse than outdoor levels. This is because your HVAC system is simply recirculating air throughout your home. Air that is contaminated with things like dust and pollen will simply spread repeatedly throughout your indoor environment.
When you decide to upgrade to a HEPA or a MERV 13 filter, it can come along with a lot of great benefits. The most important thing is that it traps pollen grains effectively. This prevents your HVAC system from constantly recirculating the pollen throughout your living space. With fewer airborne pollen contaminants, you’ll have a noticeable reduction in your allergy symptoms.
These filters are also great for capturing dust mites, pet dander, and other small airborne particles that can exacerbate your allergy symptoms. By filtering out these smaller particles, the air that moves throughout your home is cleaner. This makes it much less likely that allergens will settle into your carpets, furniture, and bedding.
Signs You Need a Filter Upgrade
There are many key signs that can let you know it’s likely time to get a filter upgrade for your HVAC system. If you’re noticing persistent sneezing or congestion when you’re indoors, it’s likely that your indoor air is highly contaminated. You may have watery and itchy eyes, and you may experience more frequent asthma or allergy flare-ups. You may see visible dust accumulation on your furniture and on the grates of your air vents. If you’re starting to notice these symptoms, upgrading your air filter can be highly beneficial.
Which Filter Should You Get?
Because HEPA and MERV 13 filters are both highly effective at improving indoor air quality, you may be wondering which one is the best fit for your home. HEPA air filters have a higher resistance to airflow than MERV 13 filters. They can only be installed in systems that are specifically designed to run with them. These are typically limited to newer HVAC units that have more powerful blower motor technology.
MERV 13 filters tend to be the best fit for most homeowners, as these filters are compatible with most residential heating and cooling systems. These filters are perfect for providing a high level of air filtration without requiring any sort of modifications to your HVAC system.
Maintenance Requirements
One of the most important things to realize about having a high-efficiency air filter for your HVAC system is that it will require frequent changes. Low-efficiency filters can typically last numerous months before they need to be replaced. This is simply due to the fact that they only trap a small amount of particles and let the majority of the smaller particles pass through.
When it comes to high-efficiency filters, they’re trapping the majority of airborne contaminants as they’re traveling through your ducting. This causes these high-efficiency filters to fill up more quickly than low-efficiency ones. As a general rule of thumb, you should be checking your air filter once a month. You’ll likely find that you need to replace HEPA filters a little bit more frequently than your MERV 13 filters.
It’s fairly easy to check an air filter, as all you need to do is pull it out of the filter housing. Hold the filter up to a light and try to look through it. If you can’t see through the filter because there’s too much debris in it, it’s time for a replacement. If you can still see through the filter, then it has a usable life left in it, and you can put it back in.
Reliable HVAC Maintenance Services
Peck & Weis Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, Electric provides expert HVAC maintenance services for Lake Geneva, WI and the surrounding towns. We can also assist with all your HVAC installation, replacement, and repair needs. Call our office today to learn how we can improve your indoor air quality level.
