This content was created by Derek Cole. This content was uploaded by Derek Cole. This is a podcast episode titled "558. Allergy Filters: Protect Your Home From Allergens" (published 2023-10-19) featuring Derek Cole from Simmons 1 Hour Heating & Air delivering a solo, instructional talk about home air filtration. The speaker explains MERV ratings and the trade-off between filtration efficiency and airflow, warns that overly high-MERV filters can reduce airflow and cause system problems (freeze-ups and drawing unfiltered air), and advises consulting an HVAC professional and maintaining a service plan. He also recommends air cleaners as a better option and mentions a specific product called a "micro power guard" (fits in the filter grill, captures particles while maintaining airflow) with a pad to be replaced about every three months. Note: the transcript repeatedly uses the term "algae filters," while the episode title and context indicate discussion of allergy/air filters.
Questions this episode answers
About every three months.
Chapters
Hey, what's up everyone? Derek Cole Here with Simmons 1 hour heating air and today I want to talk to you about air filters, specifically algae filters. Now, air cleaning is always better than an algae filter. But if you don't want to do air cleaning and you want to stick with filtration, stick with filters. You need to get up graded to the allergy filter. Now, depending on your system, your home, how it's set up is going to depend on which filter you use. There are a lot of choices. When you go to Home Depot or Walmart or Lowe's, you see aisles and aisles of filters and choices and ratings and what's a merv? And they're rated like this. A MERV rating is how efficient the filter is at collecting small particles. So the higher the number, the better it is at collecting those particles. The downside to that filter is you're going to have to sacrifice some airflow for filtration. So if you're not doing air cleaning, you have to strike that balance between airflow and then collecting those small particles in the air filter. So most cases you cannot have a really high MERV ready filter that's really good at cleaning particles because it's then going to stop the airflow to your system, in your system. And that's going to be a challenge, a problem. Your unit is going to freeze up. There's something, something is going to trigger that and you will start sucking air from under the house, in the attic, outside, because air is having trouble getting through the filter to the unit. So algae filters are always a good idea. Air cleaning is even better. But if you decide to go with the algae filters, be careful, get air professional involved. Hopefully have a regular service plan on your system so when that professional comes out or that technician comes out, you can have them look at your filter, say, is this too much or is this not enough? Can I go higher? Do I need to go lower? What, what should I be doing? An easy thing to check and tell the filter is too much for the system is when you, when the system is on and you put the filter in, you know, is it slamming shut to that filter or is it sucking in that filter? And you see four corners looking back at you of exposed space because now there is going through those corners and not through the filter because the filter is so efficient, so tight. Again, the more efficient the filter, the the worse it is on your airflow. So make sure your system can handle what you need. But the best option is air cleaning. Something we recommend and use here is called a micro power guard. It's actually, it fits right in your filter grill and actually sticks particles to it, allows for great airflow. As 24 volts are going to do it sticks particles to it, less airflow. And then every three months or so, you change out that pad, throw it away, put a new one in, you have a brand new air cleaner. So algae filters are a good idea. Just be careful.
