Heating and Air Guide

One of the most costly appliance investments in a home is the the central heating and air unit. Relied on throughout the year to provide much needed heat in the Fall and Winter and to take that same heat out of the air in the Summer and Spring, the air conditioner can also be one of the easiest appliances in the home that we forget to maintain. In fact, many people never even think about air conditioner maintenance until something goes wrong with theirs. For those who prefer taking a more proactive approach to air conditioner maintenance, the easiest thing to do is ensure your air conditioner filters get changed on a regularly scheduled basis. While this may seem trivial, it can make a dramatic difference in the performance of your air conditioner year round.

What Is An Air Conditioner Air Filter?

You central heat and air unit is a very sturdy piece of machinery, however, in some aspects it can be very sensitive. While your outdoor air compressor can brave the forces of wind, rain, sleet, and snow, your indoor air handler is much less tolerant of the elements, dust and debris in particular. Air conditioner air filters, also called ac filters for short, are designed to install on the various intake vents around the home that work to pull air in to be cooled down. As the air is pulled in, the ac filter catches the dust and other particulates circulating in the air, preventing them from passing into the air conditioner unit itself. This not only helps keep the debris from entering the unit, potentially causing mechanical problems, it also helps keep the air being cooled and released back into the home much cleaner.

Are All Air Conditioner Filters The Same?

While many people mistakenly believe that all filters are created equal, there will find themselves sorely mistaken when they attempt to purchase a new filter for their unit and are faced with the multitude of choices on the market. Filters for air conditioners come in a variety of sizes and types and are manufactured to address a number of specific household issues.

Standard AC Filters

At the bottom of the food chain, there are standard ac filters. These are the most common appearance wise and are easily identified by their cardboard frames and typically blue filter material. While standard filters are the least expensive to purchase, they typically only filter about one tenth of the particulates in the air, making them very inefficient. They also have to be changed on a monthly basis, increasing the potential annual filter cost. For many years, these were the filters of choice, however, as consumers demand higher levels of performance from both their air conditioners as well as their air conditioner filters, manufacturers have risen up to meet the challenge.

Pleated AC Filters

The next generation of air conditioner filters still tended to retain the signature cardboard frame, however, the filter itself resembled a thick fiber like paper that was pleated within the frame. It was shown that by pleating the filter material, it allowed a higher percentage of particulates to be trapped, raising the average to nearly forty percent. This was a significant performance increase over standard filters and, even though their cost was slightly higher, they also offered a longer life span over standard filters, sometimes lasting up to three months with light usage or one month with heavy usage.

Electrostatic AC Filters

For the next advancement in filter technology, consumers were presented with a range of electrostatic air conditioner filters. These higher end filters relied on a form of static charge that was created by the filter itself, allowing the filter to actually attract particulates from the air, instead of just passively filtering them as they passed through. When compared to both standard and pleated filters, electrostatic filers remove a significantly higher percentage of material from the air, often able to pull nearly ninety percent of foreign matter out of the air before it is allowed to pass into the ac unit. For people with allergies to dust, pet dander, or other common contaminants found in the air, these filters can significantly improve the quality of the air inside, offering a tremendous health benefit as well. In fact, many of the electrostatic filters on the market were originally marketed towards allergy sufferers. Their cost is dramatically higher than both standard or pleated air filters, however, they can last three months with heavy usage.

HEPA AC Filters

For consumers who demand the best products money can buy, or those who simply value the quality of air in their homes and want the best air environment possible, there are HEPA filters. High Efficiency Particulate Arresting filters, are HEPA filters for short, are the top of the line in air conditioner filter offerings. While electrostatic filters may seem as good as it gets, trapping up to ninety percent of air contaminants, studies have shown that HEPA filters can successfully remove 99.97% of air contaminants in the home. HEPA filters are highly valued with individuals with more severe allergies than those eased by electrostatic filters. Homes with multiple pets can greatly benefit from HEPA filters as well as they are able to not only greatly eliminate the pet dander in the air, but help to control pet odors as well. While HEPA filters are the most costly variation of air conditioner filters on the market, they are also the most effective. In addition to the health benefits that a HEPA filter provides, it can also have a lifespan of up to six months, factoring in greatly to the long term cost if filter replacement.

Permanent Filters

For the environmentally friendly consumer, there are a small selection of permanent air conditioner filters on the market. While they are referred to as permanent filters, they do require a certain level of maintenance. Instead of replacing the filter every few months, however, you simply wash it off with a garden hose, let it dry, and then reinstall it. The cleaning process is simple and straightforward and does not require the use of any potentially environment damaging chemicals. It also eliminates the hassle of shopping for new filters. The filters themselves can last for several years, as long as they are maintained properly on a regular basis. They are truly as permanent as their name implies, but they do last dramatically longer than any other filter on the market.

Related topics:

1. Cleaning Air Conditioner Filters
2. Window Air Conditioner Filters
3. Split Air Conditioner Installation