The general rule of thumb is to change the filter after no more than three months. However, if you have a pet, live in an overly dusty environment or smoke indoors, you should change the filter closer to every month. Why is this task so important? Here are the top reasons to change the filter today:

Maximize HVAC Efficiency

If you have an air conditioner and furnace, you rely on forced-air heating and cooling for year-round comfort. You can lower your utility bills simply by changing the HVAC air filter regularly. A clean filter lets air pass through unrestricted, which helps prevent the blower motor from experiencing undue strain.

Help Your Equipment Last Longer

More efficient operation saves money, and it also prolongs equipment life. Anything you can do to help your equipment last longer saves you money on repairs and replacements.

Ensure Ideal Airflow

A clogged filter prevents air from traveling as quickly through the ductwork. You can feel this by placing your hand over a supply register. Weak airflow affects the comfort level across your home, but you can instantly improve it by replacing the dirty air filter.

Purify Indoor Air

The primary purpose of an HVAC air filter is to prevent dust and dirt from settling on heating and cooling equipment. If you have an efficient enough filter, it also serves to clean indoor air and remove contaminants that worsen asthma and allergies. Replacing the filter regularly ensures the filtration system can continue to do its job to the fullest. A clean air filter is also less likely to harbor mold and mildew, which could compromise indoor air quality.

For more information about how and why you should change the HVAC air filter, please contact Aladdin Heating & Cooling. We’ve proudly serve the residents of Warren, Lake Orion and surrounding areas since 1945.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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• Know where dust comes from. The average American home accumulates a lot of dust throughout the year – about 40 pounds between January and December! While some dust particles may be produced by shed skin cells, dander, food particulates and dirt, a lot also comes from clothing, upholstery and other fiber sources.
• Vacuum regularly. It’s best to include a HEPA filter in your vacuum to make sure it’s pulling in and capturing dust instead of just stirring it up around your home. Vacuuming your home’s furniture and carpet can help keep everything clean.
• Balance your humidity. When your indoor air is too dry, furnishings and upholstery tend to shed more fibers. However, when humidity is too high, dust mites – small insects which feed on dust, and whose droppings are common allergy triggers – can thrive. Use humidifiers and dehumidifiers to keep humidity at an optimal range.
• Keep your living areas tidy. If you have a lot of nooks and crannies that aren’t easily cleaned, dust will naturally gather and accumulate in these areas.
• Change your furnace air filter every month. Your air filter protects your HVAC equipment from dust buildup, which can become clogged overtime. A clogged filter can impede the circulation of air through your home, resulting in dirtier air.

If you want to learn more about how to reduce dust buildup in your home and how to manage other indoor allergies, call Aladdin Heating & Cooling in the Warren area today!

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about dust and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Choosing the best air filter for your HVAC unit is the best way to maintain peak energy efficiency. If you have done any construction lately in your home, this is especially important. Even if you take precautions during a remodeling project, some dust and debris will find a way to enter your ductwork.

The efficiency level can differ greatly from one filter to another. The industry standard for measuring air filter efficiency is the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value or MERV rating. The numbers run from 1-20 with higher numbers being the most efficient. There are several types available at home improvement centers.

• Disposable fiberglass filters – These are the most inexpensive and less efficient filters. A thin, single panel construction with cotton filter material enables the filter to trap large particles, but small pollutants can pass through and enter your air circulation. The MERV rating is 1-4
• Disposable pleated filters – A folded design provides a large area for capturing small and large particles. Changing the filter regularly is important, due to superior filtering ability. The MERV rating is 6-12.
• Washable filters – Time-consuming maintenance is necessary to maintain the efficiency which makes this an unpopular choice with homeowners. A filter that is still damp when installed can lead to the formation of mold. The MERV rating is 1-4.
• High-efficiency filters – The dense cotton filter material gives this design of filter extreme filtering capability.  This design can restrict airflow through the system. Homeowners with special air quality concerns can benefit from high-efficiency filters. The MERV rating is 13-16.

Please contact Aladdin Heating and Cooling for more information about choosing the best air filter. We have been proudly serving Warren, Bloomfield Township, and the surrounding areas since 1945.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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• Fiberglass air filters – The thin flat panel design gives the fiberglass filter the ability to trap large particles, but small airborne pollutants are able to pass through and enter your home’s air circulation. Inexpensive and disposable, these filters have a low MERV rating of 1-4.

• Pleated and polyester filters – The folded design gives pleated filters a large area for catching both small and large air particles. This filter is also available in a model that employs carbon-infused  material to remove odors and a version that incorporates anti-microbial-infused material to remove allergens. A MERV 6-12 rating is assigned to the pleated air filter.

• Washable air filters – Extensive maintenance is needed to keep the efficiency level at acceptable levels. The filter must be thoroughly washed and dried before re-installing into the HVAC unit to avoid fungus from forming on the filter material. Keeping an extra filter on hand to replace the original during this process is helpful. The MERV rating is 1-4 for washable filters.

• High-efficiency filters – A dense filter material gives this filter superior capability to catch airborne particles. Unfortunately, airflow through the system may be reduced by high-efficiency filters. Modifications may be needed to install this type of filter. The MERV rating is from 13-16. Homeowners who use a filter with ratings this high may have air quality concerns.

Please contact Aladdin Heating & Cooling with any air filter or home comfort concerns. We have been proudly serving the Southeast Michigan, Detroit Metro Area since 1945.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Change the Filter, Reap Rewards

Air filters help protect household members and HVAC comfort systems from damage caused by airborne contaminants, dust and debris. Following are benefits you gain with regular filter changes:

• Allergy and asthma sufferers may breathe easier season to season with fewer allergens in the home.
• High-efficiency filters capture viruses, such as the flu virus, and a host of other contaminants from your Farmington home, such as auto emissions, pesticide dust and mold spores.
• Filters help prevent debris buildup on HVAC system components, which reduces wear, saves energy and extends the life.

Filter Changes: How Often and How To

Air filter packaging should provide instructions about how often the filter should be changed. Changing also depends on the frequency with which the cooling and heating systems are operated. During peak usage, it’s a good idea to check the filter monthly, and no less than once every three months.

Filters are typically located behind return grilles or in the duct trunk just before the furnace and A/C. Inspect the filter you have in place to see if it fits well. There shouldn’t be any wiggle room if it is the correct size. You may need to measure the filter if the dimensions aren’t clearly visible. Filters lined with gaskets are designed to fit air-tight with no bypass.

Filter Selection

The quality of air filter you select really depends on how clean you need or want the air in your Sterling Heights home to be. If there are household occupants with respiratory issues, such as asthma and allergies, you may want a higher-efficiency air filter, as indicated by the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating. The higher the MERV rating (up to 16), the better efficiency.

For more air filter and air quality tips for your Warren home, please contact Aladdin Heating & Cooling.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Understanding MERV

“MERV” is the acronym for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, the industry-standard scale which rates air filters’ effectiveness. MERV is the go-to measure by which manufacturers, installers and consumers judge performance. It was instated more than a quarter-century ago by ASHRAE — the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers — and is both accurate and consistent.

Importance of Ratings

The performance of the air filter(s) in your whole-house HVAC system has two major impacts:

• Particulates that can cause abrasion inside your air mover (sometimes called the blower) are largely removed before they reach that appliance. This extends the working life of your equipment, and minimizes the need for maintenance.
• Pollutants that can aggravate allergy sufferers, people with asthma and with pulmonary illnesses are also largely removed. This function improves indoor air quality, making life healthier for everyone.

Installing the wrong air filter, then, can be a very bad idea.

Pretenders to the Throne

Some air filters are marketed without MERV values; instead, their manufacturers refer to a scale they’ve named “FPR,” or Filter Performance Rating.  While MERV is a universal rating established, and adhered to, by almost the entire HVAC industry, FPR is a sales ploy. It is not an equivalent.

In an effort to sell their product, these manufacturers have chosen higher numbers to describe FPR than are used to MERV-rate filters. Higher numbers convey better function, so they charge more. But the scales are not comparable, thus neither are the products. Confused consumers can end up paying more money for less effective products.

To avoid falling for this, and then suffering the mechanical and environmental consequences of using a deficient air filter, consult with Aladdin Heating & Cooling. Our expert technicians serve all of southeast Michigan, and are all fully up-to-date on this and other deceptive practices.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Higher Efficiency, Greater Rewards

Air filters are designed to provide basic protection for the components of your forced-air system and household air from common dust and debris. So, it makes sense that the higher efficiency filter you use, the greater rewards you’ll reap for system performance and clean indoor air.

A basic air filter may remove the largest of airborne contaminants from indoor air, but a host of harmful contaminants are not captured, and re-circulate through the home to collect on surfaces of forced-air components and inside ductwork.

Debris collects on furnace blowers and the cooling coil of A/C systems, which increases electricity consumption for both and noise levels for furnace blower motors, and also reduces cooling performance of the A/C coil.

Air Filters and Indoor-air Quality

The indoor air of the typical Ferndale and Clawson home is likely more polluted than outdoor air, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is because indoor air becomes encapsulated inside homes, especially during the heating months in tightly sealed homes without adequate ventilation.

By replacing a disposable filter with one of higher efficiency, such as a pleated filter rated MERV 9 to 13, you’ll protect heating and cooling components, and help remove viruses, bacteria, mold spores, allergens and a host of other airborne contaminants that would continue to circulate and collect on surfaces in your home.

This is a basic guide of air filter quality:

• MERV 1-4: Disposable and ineffective; not recommended.
• MERV 5-8: Better quality for removing allergens and mold spores.
• MERV 8-13: Higher efficiency air filters offer a host of benefits for removing allergens, auto emissions and humidifier dust.
• MERV 14-16: High-end filters which remove most tobacco smoke, all bacteria and tiny sneeze droplets. HVAC modifications may be necessary.

For help selecting the best air filters for your needs, please contact us at Aladdin Heating & Cooling today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about high efficiency air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, and these ratings classify filters by their capacity to capture particles from the air. MERV ratings specify the size of the particles each filter is capable of trapping, with higher ratings signifying greater efficiency in trapping smaller particles. Here is a simple breakdown of what those ratings mean to you:

MERV 1 to 4 – Air filters with ratings in this range are typically disposable flat, or panel types. These very basic filters have a medium efficiency in trapping large airborne particles, such as dust, dust mites, pollen and carpet fibers.

MERV 5 to 8 – Filters in this ratings range may be flat panel or pleated and can capture smaller particles that include mold spores, hair spray and cement dust.

MERV 9 to 12 –  Filters in this range collect fine particles, such as humidifier dust, lead dust and auto emissions.

MERV 13-16 – This range indicates filters designed to capture even smaller particles, including bacteria and tobacco smoke.

MERV 17-20 – Used in hospitals and industrial applications, these filters remove the smallest contaminants, such as viruses and all combustion smoke.

A factor to keep in mind as you choose air filters for your home is that the higher the MERV rating, the more airflow will be restricted. For the typical home, ratings of 9-12 are generally best, offering air quality improvement without excessive airflow restriction. However, if you’re currently using a lower rated filter, it is important to check with your HVAC service tech before upgrading to ensure that higher rated ones are appropriate for your system.

For more information on choosing the best air filters, please contact Aladdin Heating & Cooling. We’ve been serving customers in Farmington, Southfield, Oak Park and throughout Southeast Michigan for over 50 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Detroit, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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When it comes to finding the best air filter, taking a look at its Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating helps tell the story. MERV ratings for the average air filter range from 1 (the least efficient) to 16 (the most efficient), with top-rated filters capable of removing extraordinarily small airborne particles. Most residential HVAC units recommend air filters with a MERV rating between 8 and 11, while filters with a MERV rating between 12 and 13 are able to trap more airborne pollutants than lower-rated filters.

Nevertheless, MERV ratings are not the only consideration when it comes to air filters – size also matters. Without a snug fit, the filter won’t be able to operate efficiently. When replacing your filter, make sure the length, width and height of the replacement matches the original.

How often you need to replace your air filter is dictated by the type of air filter you’re using, your home’s overall air quality, and whether you have pets in your home. As a given, one-inch to three-inch air filters should be changed every 60 to 90 days. Some larger filters work efficiently for up to 12 months before they need changing.

Keep in mind that some HVAC systems can use true HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance) filters in lieu of a MERV-rated filter. These filters excel in removing airborne pollutants but offer very restricted airflow when used outside of recommended applications.  This restricted air flow can potentially damage some types of HVAC equipment and/or reduce efficiency which would result in higher energy bills. It’s best to consult your contractor if you think your home is in need of HEPA filtration.

Whenever you need help finding an air filter for your HVAC system, don’t hesitate to contact us at Aladdin Heating & Cooling. We offer the best in heating and cooling service to residents of Grosse Pointe, Sterling Heights, West Bloomfield and Clarkston.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Detroit, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about Air Filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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1. Filter Efficiency Rating

When purchasing an air filter, take a look at the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV). Although low-cost fiberglass air filters with a lower MERV rating may be the most tempting option they are unable to capture as much unhealthy particulate matter. It is wise for homeowners to select an air filter with at least a MERV of between 8 and 13. The higher the MERV number, the more efficient your air filter will be.

2. Pressure Drop

Because air filtration devices are typically proportionate in their efficiency and pressure drop ratio, your air filter’s efficiency can be improved by lowering pressure drop. The most effective way of achieving this is to incorporate more filter surface area into the air filtration system. By talking to your HVAC contractor you can decide whether you should do this by utilizing a filter with greater amounts of surface area, or by increasing the amount or size of filters in your system’s air stream. Your contractor can also show how to best mount your filter slots in order to lower pressure drop.

3. Monitor Pressure

It’s a good idea to install a simple pressure differential gauge which will take the guessing out of knowing when it’s time to replace an air filter. This can save money and the environment by stopping the early disposal of filters that could still be used, as well as eliminating health and maintenance problems associated with overloaded and clogged filters.

For more advice on air filtration, contact the professionals at Aladdin Heating & Cooling. We’ve been serving southeast Michigan since 1945.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air filtration efficiency and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Aladdin Heating services Novi, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, Ferndale, Beverly Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp., Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Madison Heights, Clawson, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Detroit, Utica, Shelby Twp., Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston.

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