Top Needs for Air Filter Replacement and Maintenance

Airflow coming into your home is not always the cleanest. The air pumped into your home may contain allergens or pollutants capable of lowering indoor air quality. There is no way to fully gauge the number of pathogens, contagions, dust, dirt, sand, mould, bacteria, or viruses that are in the air surrounding your home. Which is why you use air filters for your home, they are installed to keep the air coming in safe and free of harmful particles. As airflow travels through the filters it becomes cleansed of irritants so that the air entering your home remains comfortable to breathe.

1 How Air Filters Work The air filters you install in a system consist of a tight mesh weaving that allows airflow to pass while irritants are captured. As the air filters continue to block out harmful particles the air entering is made safer and much more comfortable to breathe in. You are able to see just how effective your air filters are by reading their Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating. The higher the MERV rating, the more effective the filter, but the faster it becomes dirty. Dirty air filters are less effective and will lead to problems throughout your home.

2 The Problem with Dirty Air Filters The airflow in your home depends on easy travel and moving from room to room without any problems. When the air filters in a system are dirty then that creates a blockage that hinders or even stop airflow entirely. The air in your home needs to cycle out, the fresh incoming airflow is what provides that fresh, clean smell. When airflow becomes hindered or blocked then the air inside your home begins to stagnate and dry out over time. Airflow leaving your home becomes blocked too, which means particles like dander and smoke have a chance to settle on open surfaces.

As the home begins to suffer from smells and harmful particles, other systems also require filter maintenance before problems begin to worsen. Your home furnace systems also need their filters replaced over time or the blockage in their systems become a big problem. The air going through your furnaces is heated, which means when it is blocked there are temperature problems throughout your home. The heat inside the furnace increases which may cause mechanical damage, while the airflow does not reach your home causing temperature fluctuations in its rooms.

3 Installing New Air Filters Air filter maintenance is easy, but it is not as simple as going out and purchasing any filter available. You will need to check the filters installed in your system and purchase the correct sizes needed. Once you have the filters you need, installation is just a simple process of removing the old filter and comfortably fitting the new one into place. Be careful with the old filter, placing it in a sealed bag will help prevent any of the captured particles from re-entering the air. Once the new filter is in place and working, you can enjoy fresh, safe, and clean incoming airflow for your home.