Winter is Coming: Tips to Picking the Perfect Furnace Air Filter
October 29, 2017 | Uncategorized, What is a furnaceodorklenz-air
Did you know that a six-room house collects an average of 40 pounds of dust a year? Can you even imagine that much dust being present in your home?
We can piece together that a good majority of dust buildup happens during the winter months when we are stuck to the confinement of our homes. Sheltering away from the cold weather that winter brings to our front doors.
Winter is the season of extra labor for your home's furnace, as it works overtime to keep you and your home warm during the inexplicably cold winter months. However, during this time, many of us forget that our furnaces need a little extra TLC to help aid in the effectiveness of our furnaces to produce heat and to catch dust/particulates trapped in our tight ventilated homes. Becoming aware of different tips and tricks to maintaining your furnace can be essential for your house this winter.
What is a Furnace?
A furnace is a large appliance found in homes that provide heated air for your whole house. Its job is to take in cool air from the environment, the air is then heated and circulated through the spaces of the home. We can thank the furnace for making our winter months just a little more bearable! Did you know that the furnace is one of the oldest types of heating systems still in use today? Back in the day, most furnaces were even sourced through the use of coal and wood. Whereas today most furnaces are powered through the use of natural gas, propane, or electricity making it super easy to use! The basic components of a furnace include five key functions the burner, heater exchanger, ductwork, a flue or vent pipe, and an HVAC filter. Most of these components are fairly standard in all their operations and effectiveness, except the HVAC filter you use in the furnace can have a major impact on the effectiveness of the furnace to do its job. For most of us, there are a lot of questions we have in regards to the HVAC filter in the furnace. We are gonna try to break down the most frequent questions about your furnaces HVAC filter and the best tips to have your furnace running in tip-top shape.How Often Should You Change Your Furnace Filter?
The debate on how often you should change your furnace filter is still a topic of discussion with many homeowners. Some believe that your furnace filter should be changed every month regularly, while others believe that your filter should be changed every three months. So who is right? Simple, both answers are correct. But it all depends on the material and type of filter you have in your furnace. A standard cheap fiberglass filter will require you to have to change your filter every month to maintain that the furnace is running efficiently. While a more expensive pleated filter will last a little longer, three months before you need to change it out, and can be more cost-effective in the long run because it is more energy efficient. So sure you may be paying less per each filter but you will be running through filters each month rather than every three months creating an added expense.How to Choose the Best Furnace Filter
Don't you hate when there are so many choices to choose from and the chaos of the impending decisions makes you feel anxious? Well choosing furnace filters can make you have this same feeling because let's be real, the choices are endless! The choices begin with the type of material filter you pick, the top types of materials include fiberglass/synthetic, charcoal, electrostatic, pleated, and HEPA.Fiberglass/Synthetic Filters
Fiberglass and synthetic filters are the base-line furnace filter that is known for being the cheapest air filter you can purchase. These filters are recommended for minimum protection of your home's air, simply protecting it from large particles like dust and dirt. However, these filters neglect to filter out any tiny harmful contaminants that affect your health such as allergens and other chemicals.Electrostatic Filters
The Electrostatic filter is a different designed filter than any other furnace filter. The big selling feature is that these filters claim to last a lifetime, all you need to do is clean the filter once every 30 days. Although this sounds like a pretty cool and convenient filter it has some technical issues. These filters have been known to develop bacteria and fungus, gross right? Also, these filters are not very effective at filtering your air, because they can only filter so much which makes this filter not ideal for those who suffer from allergies.Charcoal Filters (Carbon)
One of the more popular filters for most people is the charcoal filter, which is made with carbon material. Activated carbon is an extremely porous substance that lures and holds organic chemicals inside it. This seems perfect, right? An element that is able to attract all those harsh chemicals and toxins in your home, just what you want! However, the one thing that you should be aware of when you use a carbon filter is what happens when the carbon becomes full. When the filter becomes full, the carbon begins to re-release the chemicals that were absorbed back into your air, acting just like a sponge! Also, carbon is a type of chemical that is used to fight other chemicals, sounds counterproductive doesn't it? There should be other better methods to removing chemicals from your air other than using a chemical to remove a chemical.Pleated HVAC Filters
The last most effective filter is the efficient pleated HVAC filter. Pleated air filters increase the surface area and make your furnace filters more efficient at capturing airborne particles in your home's air, so you only have to worry about changing your filter every three months. In general, the more pleats an air filter has, the more easily air can pass through the filter. The trouble with pleated HVAC filters is the number of choices of these types of filters you have the option of buying. It can be hard to determine which pleated HVAC filter is the best, most effective filter for your furnace. Well, look no further than the OdorKlenz-Air Cartridge for HVAC systems to complete your wish-list for an efficient and effective pleated HVAC filter. The OdorKlenz-Air Cartridge for HVAC eliminates pollutants, odors, and corrosive gasses associated with indoor air quality without releasing chemicals, fragrances, or masking agents back into the environment. Most pleated filters have only limited removal capabilities and most do not offer destructive capacities, which means the chemical contaminants will be re-released back into the environment. OdorKlenz, however, does not fall into this category due to its ability that when the OdorKlenz material comes into contact with the harmful odor causing chemicals, the metal oxides' active sites capture the chemical then initiate the neutralization process. With this neutralization process, you don't have to worry about the chemicals getting re-released back into your home's air, making your indoor air quality clean and safe of chemicals and contaminates. Also, the OdorKlenz HVAC filter also has particulate removal efficiencies to a MERV 8 filter, meaning the efficiency of this filter is high-performing. "Filtering" out the different choices you have when selecting your air filter for your furnace can be challenging, especially with winter around the corner. Doing your research of the different types of furnace filters can help you better prepare for your furnace for the start of winter.Our Recommended Solution...
The OdorKlenz-Air Cartridge for HVAC Systems is perfect for reducing VOC concentrations, cooking smells, or whatever is causing a lingering odor in your home. This air-cartridge effectively eliminates pollutants, odors, and gases in your environment. The cartridge installs right into your system and treats the air as it passes through, immediately improving your indoor air quality the moment it is installed.- Provides Odor Neutralization
- Easy to Install
- Available in a Variety of Sizes
- No Perfumes or Fragrances Released
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