Why Switch to HEPA Filters Especially During this Pandemic

Because of the pandemic, homeowners have become more aware of the importance of keeping healthy indoor quality. This awareness is helpful because airborne particles are everywhere, putting your health at risk, even at the comfort of your home. What makes indoor air pollution more alarming is that if you have dirty, standard HVAC filters, these unseen enemies are being re-circulated throughout your abode. If you have children, the elderly, or family members with preexisting respiratory conditions, you should all the more consider upgrading to a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.

Four Seasons Air Specialists is your trusted HVAC company in Woodbury MN. We offer effective solutions for your indoor air quality problems, including HEPA filters.

Overview

Many factors can pollute your indoor air, including pathogens (like viruses), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dust mites, plant spores, mold, mildew, dander or pet hair, fungi, pesticides, aerosols, cigarette or tobacco smoke, cat litter, cooking smells, toxins, radon, and formaldehyde.

Repeated exposure to indoor air pollutants has both short-term and long-term effects. Some of these impacts may be experienced immediately after a single exposure or recurrent exposure to one or more contaminants. Poor indoor air quality may result in irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, coughing, and upper respiratory congestion. Overexposure to household pollutants can lead to more serious health concerns such as lung disease.

The Importance of Filter Management

Since filters regularly collect household pollutants, they should be changed every 30 days, particularly during summer (or winter). By changing your filter regularly, you keep significant amounts of dirt and debris from accumulating in your HVAC systems — not to mention your lungs. When ignored, too much dirt compromises your indoor air quality and can lead to respiratory diseases, allergies, and expensive utility bills. It can shorten your equipment’s lifespan, too.

Understanding HEPA Filters

HEPA filters are mechanical filters that can sift small particles much more effectively than standard filters. They are typically used in semiconductor manufacturing plants to avoid contamination that can negatively affect the miniature circuitry on chips, in pharmaceutical manufacturing to ensure medicines are safe, and in medical facilities to protect intensive care unit patients who may have high exposure during surgical operations.

These filters were first developed in the 1950s as a means of filtering microscopic radioactive particles during the construction of nuclear weapons in World War II. In the 1960s, the technology was offered to the commercial market. Today, HEPA filters are also available for residential use.

The performance of air filters is determined based on their minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) scale from 1 to 16. Anything higher than 16 is considered a HEPA filter. The higher the MERV rating, the more contaminants a filter can catch. Certain filters may even capture certain viruses, bacteria, mold spores, and cigarette smoke. These filters also minimize allergens and respiratory irritants.

It’s important to understand that HEPA filters are not intended to capture 100 percent of airborne particles. However, they can eliminate at least 99.97 percent of particles 0.3 microns or larger from your indoor air. This gold standard for allergen and airborne particle removal is being enforced by the United States Department of Energy.

HEPA filters help you breathe cleaner air that will allow your lungs and other organs to work better, usually leading to better oxygen absorption by your brain.

Besides improving your indoor air, a whole-home air purification system packed with a HEPA filter helps your furnace or air conditioner run at peak performance. This results in lower energy consumption and extended equipment lifespan.

Connect with Indoor Air Quality Experts

Keeping your indoor air clean is an essential task to ensure your family has an effective line of defense against airborne particles. You may or may not know that the air that circulates throughout your home is actually more polluted than the air outside. Therefore, it’s best if you take the necessary measures to help improve your indoor air quality. And upgrading to a HEPA filter is a step in that direction.

If you need more information about indoor air quality, be sure to call Four Seasons Air Specialists, your reliable Vadnais Heights heating and air conditioning company.