When it comes to air filtration, the Merv rating system is a great way to determine the best filter for your home. Generally speaking, anything below a Merv 13 air filter should provide very efficient air purification in a home without affecting airflow. The Merv 11 filter is best for pet owners and people living with certain health conditions, such as mild allergies and mild asthma. It offers more filtration for cleaner air than the MERV 8, but doesn't filter as much as the MERV 13 (the highest option suggested for residential use).We recommend choosing a filter with a Merv rating between 8 and 13 for your HVAC system.
A MERV rating higher than 13 is likely to wear out or damage your equipment, and a MERV rating lower than 8 may not effectively remove particles from the air in your home. These filters will maximize airflow, but they will do very little when it comes to cleaning the air. Filters in this category can sometimes be referred to as rock traps because their job is to ensure that nothing too significant and devastating is absorbed by the HVAC unit at the very least. MERV 11 filters are more efficient than MERV 8 filters because they can capture smaller particles. They offer additional protection against pet dander, dust mites, self-emissions, and lung-damaging dust.
This is a good option for homes with pets or for those looking for even better air quality than what the MERV 8 can provide. It is also our most popular type of air filter. A MERV 9 will trap less than 50% of particles with a size of 1.0-3.0 microns, the MERV 10 will stop up to 64%, the MERV 11 will get up to 79% and the MERV 12 is capable of trapping up to 89%. Strict building codes and an increase in foot traffic generally mean that commercial properties must opt for a filter with a higher MERV rating. In operating rooms and other spaces where absolute cleanliness is required, filters with a MERV rating of 17 to 20 are used. What you probably already know is that the MERV rating is a measure of how effectively the filter removes materials from the air that flows through it. The best practice is to change the MERV 11 filter every 1 to 3 months for maximum efficiency, again, depending on the season and the labor intensity of your HVAC equipment.
Although MERV 8 is known to be effective at filtering contaminants such as pollen, dust mites, sawdust, mold spores, and lint from the air, higher Merv ratings will clean the air even more. MERVs 4 to 6 are not recommended for residential use, but have adequate removal efficiency in handling industrial applications. It is recommended to change a Merv 13 filter every 1-2 months, especially when the oven or air controller works a lot. Therefore, it is in the best interest of every homeowner to analyze the MERV rating system, what it entails and what rating would be right for their air filtration needs. Most modern HVAC systems have no problem working with higher MERV filters, which is why millions of homeowners depend on them. At the heart of an optimally functioning HVAC system is an oven filter with the right MERV rating for you. The thickness of the filter material in a MERV filter 11, for example, is greater than that of a MERV filter 8.This may not seem like a significant difference compared to the MERV 8 filter, but a MERV 11 is also better able to capture 65% to 79% of the smallest particles. In conclusion, if your home's HVAC system is unable to handle MERV 13, opt for a filter with the next highest possible rating.
The Merv 11 filter should provide very efficient air purification in a home without affecting airflow and offers more filtration for cleaner air than the MERV 8.It's best for pet owners and people living with certain health conditions such as mild allergies and mild asthma.
