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Indoor Air Quality
Air Filtration
Every time you pay your electricity bill should be a reminder to check your filter!
The first thing you will want to familiarize yourself with is the MERV Rating. MERV is an acronym for "minimum efficiency reporting values". The higher the number, the more efficient the filtration. Most filters range from MERV 1 to a MERV 16 with MERV 8 thru MERV 13 being the most common modern household filters. MERV 11 is a good solid choice for overall performance.
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MERV 1 thru 4 - Filters down to 10 microns
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MERV 5 thru 8 - Filters down 3 to 10 microns
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MERV 9 thru 12 - Filters down 1 to 3 microns
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MERV 13 thru 16 - Filters down .30 to 1 micron
Typical 4" Filter Cabinet
Ideally, every system should have a main Whole House 4"-5" Pleated Filter Cabinet installed as the main air filter. This filter is usually located at the furnace or Air Handler return opening. These filters usually have a MERV rating of 11 to 16 and can be the sole filter for the system. You you can also opt to pre-filter at each return grille in your home with a low level filter such as a MERV 8, to extend the life of this main filter and to help keep your return ducting clean.
These whole house filters generally come in 3", 4" and 5" depth sizes and usually have a pleated media, which adds lots more surface are of filtration. This added surface area is key to the efficiency.
Honeywell makes a 5" filter that has a rim around the edges so it can fit into a standard 1" filter grille, as long as the grille duct is deep enough to allow it to fit.
These pleated filters that fit into a standard 1" filter grille, allow you to install a much more efficient and longer lasting filter, and have less static resistance to the airflow. These 5" filters that fit into a standard filter grille are made by Honeywell and are the FC40R series. They only come in certain sizes. Click here to see if these are available in the size you have. Remember to make sure that they will fit up into the grille! The site I am referring has about the best consistent pricing. IMPORTANT: Remember that these filters are available in MERV 8 thru MERV 13. The order in which the offerings are placed on their webpage, make things a bit difficult to figure out, so shop carefully. Pricing drops significantly with quantities greater than 1.
At this point, we need to discuss a bit of engineering. This concept is easy to understand. If you move a lot of air through a 12 x 12 opening and put a filter in the opening, the filter will clog quicker than say a 20 x 20 opening. Another factor is restriction to airflow. This same scenario would add a burden on the blower, and will cause problems.
The reason we bring this to the forefront; is in case your return grille is undersized. Below is a bit of information that may help you determine the proper course when ordering these high efficiency filters. If you put a MERV 13 filter on an undersized grille, it will have a similar effect as putting a piece of cardboard in your grille! Higher efficient filters are going to have more resistance added to the airflow.
You will first need to know the size of your AC. Let's say it's a 2.5 ton. Now, take the size of filter you use for your grille, let's say its a 20 x 20. Multiply the filter size to get square inches. In this case there are 400 square inches for the 20 x 20 filter.
Looking at the chart below, we see that we are lacking 80 square inches. In this case, you may want to stay at a MERV 8 or a MERV 10 filter, as the more efficient MERV 13 may cause restrictions.
You may have more than one grille, add them all up to assure you are in good shape for allowing the more efficient filters.
Note: The chart below is sized for 300 fpm to allow for higher efficiency filters
MERV 13 Allowances for fitler surface area
1.5 Ton System needs at least 288 square inches of surface area
2.0 Ton System needs at least 384 square inches of surface area
2.5 Ton System needs at least 480 square inches of surface area
3.0 Ton System needs at least 576 square inches of surface area
3.5 Ton System needs at least 672 square inches of surface area
4.0 Ton System needs at least 768 square inches of surface area
5.0 Ton System needs at least 960 square inches of surface area
We highly recommend that you order your filters a case at a time, or with the 3" and up filters, at least several at a time so these are always on hand. Online ordering can save you some money and sometimes provide a much higher quality of filter than the big box stores.
Remember, just because your filters are discolored, does not mean that its time to change it. These filters actually become more efficient the dirtier they become. Use some common sense with this advise please. The old sayings, like "change your filter every month" may not apply. Checking your filter every month still does.
If you would like us to take care of your filter needs, let us know and we will supply your filters during our maintenance servicing.
We recommend purchasing your filters from www.Filterbuy.com
Dehumidification
50% Relative Humidity & 78 degrees has been the agreed on perfect summertime climate control sweet spot for the majority of us. Since having more humidity in the air decreases our comfortable level, having a system that is efficient in moisture removal is of primary importance. Properly tuned, your air conditioner system uses around 20% of its energy for moisture removal. Homes with basements or damp crawl spaces may require the additon of a mechanical dehumidification system. These systems can run stand alone or be ducted into your AC and heat systems ductwork to more evenly extract and distribute the air needing processed.
We represent several brands of whole house dehumidifiers. Please visit the links below for more information:
Humidifiers
We highly recommend the Aprilaire Steam Humidifier as the premier system that works extremely well. Our budget recommendation would be a Fan Powered Evaporative system. We do not recommend standard bypass systems. Some thermostats have the humidity sensing already installed in the thermostat body. If you do not have one of these, you may want to upgrade. The other choices are a separate humidity controller on the wall within the home, or at the furnace with a control sensing the ducted return air.
Link to Aprilaire Steam Humidifier
Link to Aprilaire Fan Powered Evaporative Humidifier
Photo Catalytic Oxidation (PCO)
These systems are whole house air and surface sanitizers. These devices are installed in the supply air ducting and work when the air is flowing. The results are truly amazing. Odors simply disappear. The oxidation process kills mold, bacteria, viruses and a host of pathogens. Please visit the video link and the manufacturers link for further information.
Link to the Air Scrubber Photo Catalytic Oxidation Air Cleaner
Bi-Polar Ionization
These devices are needle point bi-polar ionizers, meaning they produce equal amounts of positive and negative ions.
They come in many different types to accommodate
different HVAC systems. The most popular unit mounts inside the furnace blower or air handler. The output of ions is triggered by the velocity of the air flow. The ionizers come as fan mounted, duct mounted, ribbon type for ductless units and modular for large commercial systems.
Link to GPS Website
Link to iWave's Website
UV Light Sanitation
UV-C Light has been utilized for sterilization and sanitizing for decades. In the 1990's UV was first utilized to assist in keeping Air Handling systems and ductwork clean. As more and more tests and after decades of effectiveness vetting, a general consensus has been agreed on within much of the industry as follows:
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Air moves too fast in velocity within the ductwork system and air handler, to effectively sanitize the air.
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Annual bulb replacements are expensive.
One key manner in which the UV Light shines, is in keeping the evaporator coil sanitized. Installed on the entry side of the evaporator coil, the UV light will keep the evaporator coil free from contamination and biological growth. We recommend this usage as a part of your overall indoor air quality package.
Indoor Air Quality Packages (IAQ)
The five key components for our top tier Indoor Air Quality Package will involve the following:
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4"-5" Filter Media Cabinet using MERV 11 Filtration (Ducts must be sized properly for certain applications)
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1" Pre-filtration (MERV 8) at indoor grilles
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Air Scrubber Photo Catalytic Oxidation Device
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iWave or GPS Bi-Polar Ionization
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UV Light on the underside/entry of the evaporator coil
The order in which these items are placed would reflect our view on the priority when budgetary constraints may limit funding.