Anyone with hay fever knows how miserable it is not being able to relieve allergy symptoms while in your own home. As long as air cleaners are used as part of a multi-prong approach, you can expect them to deliver on their promise of controlling indoor air pollution. As you weigh the possibility of using air cleaners in your home, consider the available features they can have and what they do:
Whole-House Air Cleaners
- Media air filters: All HVAC systems should be fitted with a media air filter, which traps dust and other particles that could damage the HVAC equipment. The more efficient filter you choose – or the higher it is on the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating scale – the more impact it has on maintaining clean indoor air.
- Ultraviolet (UV) lights: A less traditional way to clean indoor air is with a UV light system. The light kills microorganisms either in your airstream or on system components, giving your media filter a boost.
Tabletop Models
- HEPA: Some tabletop models come with High-Efficiency Particulate Absorption (HEPA) filters. These are more efficient than any other filters, rating 17 to 20 on the MERV scale. As air passes through the filter, it traps even the most minuscule particles. Because it requires a powerful fan motor to move the air through such a tightly woven filter, HEPA air cleaners are not appropriate for use in a whole-house HVAC system, unless they’re accompanied by system modifications.
- Electrostatic: This type of air cleaner places an electrical charge on metal plates, attracting dust, mold spores and other contaminants that flow through the air cleaner. The air that exits is purer than the air that went in. You must clean the plates periodically to maintain the cleaner’s effectiveness.
- Motorized fans: Models with motorized fans actively draw polluted air into the air cleaner, which is more effective at removing dust and other debris before it settles on the ground than passive air cleaners.
One thing you must take into consideration is ozone. As you filter through your options, be sure to choose an air cleaner that doesn’t produce this lung irritant. To learn more, please contact Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning, proudly serving the Twin Cities metro area since 1974.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air cleaners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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