Furnace Air Filter - The Heart of the Heating System to Maintain Your Home"s Environment
The heating and air conditioning system in your home is extremely important since it maintains a constant livable temperature for you.
But as important as the entire system is the lifeblood of the unit is the furnace air filter.
There are many different makes and models available and each kind is set up to give you a different benefit.
Here is how the filter works.
Room temperature air is pulled into the furnace by an intake.
The air is either cooled or heated, depending on the system you have on at the time and then the air is forced into the home.
The air has to pass through a filter before being dispersed into the home.
With some heating systems, the filter is placed in the path of the air pulled in to be warmed.
This is an efficient way of cleaning particles out of the air and making it cleaner and easier to breathe.
The type of furnace air filter you choose will depend on what you are looking for.
An electrostatic model is permanent and has an electric charge built in that attracts particles from the air and traps them.
These are great for people with breathing difficulties.
Pleated models are very effective because of their design.
Since they have ridges this gives more area for the particles to become trapped in.
Some of these varieties are also electro statically charged, as well.
Special varieties, such as activated carbon, uses the same technology as a face mask.
It screens and absorbs fumes, odors and chemicals from entering your home.
Besides the standard allergens, some are also designed to pick up ozone material and VOCs or volatile organic compounds.
These are gases that are emitted from certain liquids or solids.
Maintenance of your furnace air filter is mandatory.
If it is a model that can rinsed off and reused then this needs to be done on a regular basis.
If you have a model that is disposable, meaning you can only use it once, then it should be routinely replaced when it becomes dirty.
Continuing to use a furnace air filter that is filthy will not only cause the air quality to be diminished, but it will cause the system to work much harder by forcing air through a barrier and increase your heating costs.
But as important as the entire system is the lifeblood of the unit is the furnace air filter.
There are many different makes and models available and each kind is set up to give you a different benefit.
Here is how the filter works.
Room temperature air is pulled into the furnace by an intake.
The air is either cooled or heated, depending on the system you have on at the time and then the air is forced into the home.
The air has to pass through a filter before being dispersed into the home.
With some heating systems, the filter is placed in the path of the air pulled in to be warmed.
This is an efficient way of cleaning particles out of the air and making it cleaner and easier to breathe.
The type of furnace air filter you choose will depend on what you are looking for.
An electrostatic model is permanent and has an electric charge built in that attracts particles from the air and traps them.
These are great for people with breathing difficulties.
Pleated models are very effective because of their design.
Since they have ridges this gives more area for the particles to become trapped in.
Some of these varieties are also electro statically charged, as well.
Special varieties, such as activated carbon, uses the same technology as a face mask.
It screens and absorbs fumes, odors and chemicals from entering your home.
Besides the standard allergens, some are also designed to pick up ozone material and VOCs or volatile organic compounds.
These are gases that are emitted from certain liquids or solids.
Maintenance of your furnace air filter is mandatory.
If it is a model that can rinsed off and reused then this needs to be done on a regular basis.
If you have a model that is disposable, meaning you can only use it once, then it should be routinely replaced when it becomes dirty.
Continuing to use a furnace air filter that is filthy will not only cause the air quality to be diminished, but it will cause the system to work much harder by forcing air through a barrier and increase your heating costs.