When it comes to industrial use, a rating between 1 and 6 is the best option for air filters with a 16x25x1 opening. These filters are designed to trap particles such as pollen, dust mites, sandpaper dust, carpet fibers, and lint. Installing a smaller filter will not be able to effectively block out unwanted contaminants from entering your home's air and air conditioning system. The filters can be changed from behind the intake grilles (often referred to as air filters or air conditioning filters) or from the boiler case of the central air unit (often referred to as “heating filters”).The ventilation function of an air conditioning system uses an oven filter to clean indoor air and replace it with fresh outdoor air; this removes everything in the air, such as smoke, dust, moisture, and undetectable gases that decrease ambient air quality.
However, some air conditioning systems have filters inside the return air ducts scattered throughout several rooms in the house. From a scientific point of view, oven filters with a MERV rating of 1 to 4 are less than 20% efficient at eliminating air particles. When used in the real world, because the air in your home is constantly recirculating through ducts and through filters each time, the cumulative effect of the filters increases. It is important to make sure that you install the new filter facing the correct direction. Look for arrows on the filter frame that indicate the direction of the air flow.
Although MERV filters with a high rating are more effective at removing airborne particulates, they lose their effectiveness faster than other filters and can also impair proper air flow in the air conditioning. Timely replacing your oven filter is much easier when you know what size air filter you need. If your air conditioning system uses a thicker filter (usually 4 to 5 inches and is usually mounted on the air controller), it is likely that it was specifically designed for medium-efficiency MERV filtration. Most air filters have a MERV rating of between 1 and 20. The MERV 1 filters are only capable of removing larger debris and the MERV 20 is capable of filtering microscopic particles, such as viruses and bacteria, from the air.
For best results, buy replacement air filters from a trusted air filter manufacturer like Filterbuy. On the other hand, a fiberglass filter has a minimal surface area and the oven filters larger particles, such as dust and lint, and is not very effective. Read on for a complete guide to HVAC air filters that will answer all your questions, or watch a short video to learn how air filters work. If your air conditioning system requires a thicker filter, it will most likely be a bit expensive than other standard filter sizes.
