When it comes to heating and cooling your home, the importance of furnace filters cannot be overstated. They not only ensure the efficient operation of your residential HVAC system but also significantly improve indoor air quality. However, homeowners often find themselves at a crossroads deciding between expensive and cheap furnace filters. Is the higher cost of premium filters justified by their performance, or is it merely an inflated price tag? Let’s delve into the nuances of this debate. Are all furnace filters created equal, or do you truly get what you pay for, and is it worth the extra spend?
What Is The Purpose Of A Furnace Filter?
The role of a furnace filter is to catch particles from the air and prevent them from going through your hvac system and going back into your house.
The benefit of trapping these particles for disposal later, stack up around the block.
Furnace Filters Prevent Clogs In Your Furnace
Without a furnace filter in place, your furnace will clog up, work harder than it has to, and in doing so, not last as long, or heat your house as well as it was designed to. Without maintaining a clean furnace filter in your furnace, you are essentially throwing away money. You may find yourself with more frequent and more expensive repairs, or even a full furnace replacement. With a clogged furnace, you are not only receiving inadequate heating, airflow is significantly reduced in the event of a clog, which means less particles are removed from the air.
Furnace Filters Improve Indoor Air Quality
Furnace filters, in addition to taking care of your furnace by removing particles from the air, are also trapping mold spores, bacteria, dust, and even viruses that would make their way into your lungs. Air filters, when air flow is stable, remove moisture from the air to cut down on mold growth and mildew.
Do Expensive Air Filters Perform Better Than Cheap?
So we have talked about what air filters do and why they are important, but what is the return on investment?
Expensive Air Filters Have A Sturdier Composition
Expensive air filters are made up of higher quality components that can take more of a beating, and last longer in between replacements. Cheaper furnace filters often composed of paper and cardboard do not fair as well with air moisture, or even simply the long days of being assaulted by standard airflow. The more expensive furnace filters are often comprised of fiberglass, polyester or other high quality materials that can last for up to 12 months for thicker furnace filters.
Expensive Air Filters Trap More Particles
With the use of quality furnace filters, more particles are snatched from the air. Whether it is simply a better filter material, or the filter surface has a better design or both, the results are undeniable. If there are people in your home who have asthma or allergies and you have pets, or a larger amount of people regularly in the house, a cheap furnace filter will likely be inadequate and your furnace may suffer for it.
Expensive Filters Usually Come With A Higher MERV Rating
A furnace filters MERV rating is a measure of how well it can filter particles from the air. MERV stands for “Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value”, and the higher the MERV rating, the better the filter is better at removing particles from the air. Cheap furnace air filters typically have a MERV rating of 6 or less, where as expensive filters can have a MERV rating of up to 13.
Pleated Vs Non-Pleated Furnace Filters
If you are looking to get more out of your current furnace filter, go for pleated and a higher MERV rating. Pleated furnace filters contain more suface area and are able to have smaller pores to captures smaller particles without sacrificing airflow as opposed to non pleated. Non pleated furnace filters are simply flat filters, and do not have the added filter surface area gained from their superior plated counterparts.
What Furnace Filter Is Best For Your Home?
To know which is the best for your home you need to take note of the amount of people, pets, and the outdoor air quality as well. Outdoor air inevitably ends up indoors. Look for fiberglass pleated furnace filters with a higher MERV rating to get higher indoor air quality through your existing HVAC system, and keep that system running longer.
Contact Ventec For Furnace Repair, Maintenance and Installation
Ventec offers true expertise when it comes to commercial and residential furnace repair in Pittsburgh. We also factory certify all our technicians to ensure the best quality installation, or maintenance. Give us a call if your furnace stopped working during the cold months, and we can send someone to help!
