Whole House Air Filters, What You Need to Know

A whole house air filter is a part of keeping your home cleaner and healthier, particularly if you are more sensitive than most. In Phoenix, there are so many allergens swimming through the air. This causes your home to fill with pollution and other nasty things that can make you sick. At the very least, your seasonal allergies can be far worse within your home, a place that should feel safe. A whole house air filter can be just what you need to be healthy and comfortable at home.

Why You Need a Whole House Air Filter

Pollution is a problem everywhere in the modern world. But what surprises many people is that there is so much extra pollution inside the home. While you can keep your home clean, the dust mites, pollens, and other pollutants enter when a door or window is open, but may never leave. Part of your home’s energy efficiency and tightness against the weather also serves to lock in the allergens that can make you feel terrible and can possibly even cause long-term harm to your respiratory system.

Flat Physical Whole House Air Filter

A flat whole house air filter system is typically what you see in most central air units. This kind of whole house air filter can help to keep your home cleaner to an extent. However, its main purpose is to protect your system from the largest dust particles. Unfortunately, these types of filters provide little in the way of allergen reduction. And frequent changes are necessary due to how quickly they clog up. Flat filters clog with particles, and then the efficiency of your system goes down. This causes the motor to work harder in order to make up for sucking air through a clogged filter. There are cheap or expensive filters. However, the purpose of this type of filter is to protect the unit, not you.

Extended Media Whole House Air Filter

Extended media whole house air filter setups look like an accordion. They are different from the flat filters because they have more material in them. Generally, these types of whole house air filter setups are deeper and require professional installation. A special box must be installed in order to accommodate these air filters. Their size makes them unwieldy and won’t fit into standard-sized openings that air filters generally require.

Standard Electronic Whole House Air Filter

Electronic whole house air filters use electricity to impose electric charges onto the dust and dirt that passes through the system. Once this charge is present, a collector plate carrying the opposite charge collects these particles. Unlike standard media air filters, electrostatic filters are able to capture extremely small particles such as smoke. Replacing these filters is not required, only needing a good cleaning every few months.

UV Whole House Air Filter

Ultraviolet radiation kills bacteria that hang in the air and keeps them from harming you and your family. By pumping the air through areas where UV light is on, the bacteria is broken up cell by cell and killed. This works as a complement to other types of whole house air filter systems to help avoid illness.

Installing A Whole House Air Filter

Only a qualified technician should upgrade your air filter. Installing the wrong filter can cause damage to your system or keep it from working well. The technicians at Forrest Anderson Plumbing & Air Conditioning will make sure you get the proper air filter for your health needs and your system.

Contact Forrest Anderson Today!