If you find yourself sneezing or feeling lethargic and you do not know why there is a good chance it is because the air quality in your home is not being filtered properly. There is a lot of scientific evidence to suggest that the air quality in a person’s home can significantly affect their health.
A great HVAC system requires a high-quality filter, and Honeywell has a reputation for being the best in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning business.
A Bit About Honeywell
Founded in Indiana in the 1930s, Honeywell originally manufactured mercury seal generators for the air conditioning industry. Soon, they were heading up engineering projects for the US military during WWII.
Today the company is an innovator in everything from energy to travel to safety and security. The company is divided into four different segments, which are:
- Aerospace
- Performance Materials and Technologies
- Safety and Productivity
- Building Technologies
The air filters that Honeywell makes fall under the building technologies category and are amongst the most well-known and popular types of air filters in the country. Sales of their air filters and air conditioning products went up during the COVID pandemic because people trusted the name.
How Can You Tell the Quality of a Honeywell Air Filter?
Air filters are rated by the size of particles they can remove from the air. The EPA uses a rating system called MERV. It stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. The higher a filter’s MERV rating, the better it will clean the air.
Filters have a rating of anywhere from 1 to 16. Filters with ratings from 1 to 4 can only capture particles that are 3.0 to 10.0 microns and will capture less than 20% of these microns. Filters that are rated from 5 to 6 can capture 49% of particles up to 3.0 to 10 microns.
Filters with a rating of 7 or 8 also capture microns that are around 3 to 10 microns, but they capture 84% of the pollutants in the air.
Most homes have filters with a MERV rating between 5 and 8 and Honeywell filters start out with a MERV rating of at least 8.
Honeywell has filters you can get for your home that go all the way up to 16, and you can view more options here. Filters with a rating of 9 or 10 can capture up to 64% of particles that are from 1.0 to 3.0 microns large and 85% of micros that are larger than that.
Filters with a rating of 11 or 12 can capture 80% to 89.9% of particles from 1.0 to 3.0 microns in size. They can capture 90% of microns that are 3.0 or greater.
FIlters with a rating higher than 12 are generally not used in residences. You are more likely to find them in hospitals and laboratories with advanced HVAC systems.
Different Styles of Air Filters
There are seven basic types of Honeywell air filters that people use in their homes:
HEPA Filters
High-efficiency particulate air filters are considered very efficient and can remove over 99% of pollutants in the air. They have a very high MERV rating, and the federal government recommends them.
Electrostatic Filters
This type of filter creates a static magnet that collects particles in the air. The filters are made out of cotton and paper.
Washable Filters
As the name suggests, these are filters that can be washed rather than replaced. They are known for being environmentally sound and economical. They have a rather low MERV rating, and are not known for filtering the air particularly well.
Spun Glass Filters
This filter is made of spun fiberglass and is standard in many HVAC systems. They are inexpensive, but have a very small surface area. They have a low MERV rating and are not particularly good at filtering out particles in the air.
Pleated Filters
Pleated filters are generally made of cotton or paper. The pleats increase the filter’s surface area and a greater surface area makes a filter more efficient. Honeywell air filters were named the best-pleated air filters by The Spruce, an online magazine devoted to home improvement. Honeywell makes every type of air filter.
Media Filters
Media filters rely almost completely on their large surface to filter the air. Although they have a low MERV rating, they are considered effective because of their large surface area.
UV Light Filters
These filters use UV light to kill viruses and other contaminants in the air. Although they can destroy very small particles in the air, they can also turn oxygen into ozone which can be dangerous to your health.
Choose The Right Filter For Your Home
You may think that the best thing to do is just go out and buy the air filter with the highest MERV rating. However, the kind of filter you select will depend largely on the type of HVAC system that you have.
If you buy an air filter that is too dense for your HVAC system, the system will have to work harder to push air through it, which will cause your HVAC system to over-exert itself. When this happens, your energy bills will go up. Your HVAC system may end up falling apart if it has to work too hard on a regular basis. You may find that the system will leak fluids, and air conditioner repairs are very expensive.
Conclusion
Remember to check your HVAC owner manual to find out what kind of filter the manufacturer recommends. In some cases, you may be able to use a higher quality filter, but you may have to have modifications made to your HVAC system to do this.
Finding the right air filter for your HVAC system can make a significant difference in the comfort and livability of your home. Honeywell air filters have a very high quality, and the company is one you can trust.
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