Tuesday, April 30, 2024

How to Change a Home Air Filter

house air filters

The good news is that fresh HVAC filters can be budget-friendly and are usually simple to replace. They are fast and efficient, and the filters they provide are top quality. Cost data is based on actual project costs as reported by 663 HomeAdvisor members. Our team then discusses and co-ordinates our first hand experiences using these products, as well as gather independent opinions and feedback through Youtube and customer reviews. At Air Conditioner Lab, our team follows a similar process when evaluating all products reviews before formulating our final lists for readers.

house air filters

​​What is BHG Recommends?

Speaking of the filter, swapping it is as simple as unscrewing the lid, popping out the old filter and sliding in a new one. The power button isn't the most sensitive, making the purifier harder to turn on and change settings for than we would have liked. The device is compact and best for small spaces or targeted use, such as at your desk, near a litter box, or in a small nursery.

How HVAC Filtration Is Measured: The MERV Scale

In fact, our years of testing have shown that any appropriately sized purifier will deliver filtered air rapidly into the farthest corner of a room. In addition to the following models, we have reviewed and dismissed hundreds of purifiers since 2013 based on their specs, features (or lack thereof), livability, and price. Some well-known brands that have never made our cut include Alen, Bissell, IQAir, Rabbit Air, and TruSens, generally based on their elevated up-front and running costs relative to those of our picks. Set on high, the AP-1512HH reduced the particulate concentration by 99.9% in the first hour.

house air filters

Bissell air400 Air Purifier

It’s exceptional at capturing particles—on a par with our large-space pick, the Blue Pure 211i Max—and competitively priced, but it lacks some of the liveability features we value. It’s louder than the 211i Max, consumes considerably more electricity, and lacks smart capability. The Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto and 211+ are former also-great and upgrade picks.

Can an air purifier keep me from getting sick?

But a filter that’s too dense for your setup can make it harder to heat and cool your home effectively and efficiently. It might also damage your furnace, AC, or heat pump over time as parts overheat or freeze solid. You might need to replace the filter more frequently if you have a few very furry pets, for example, or you live in an area with a lot of air pollution, such as from wildfires. When HVAC filters get dirty and clogged with debris, air can’t flow freely through your ducts, which makes your home less comfortable and can eventually break your HVAC equipment. For these reasons—and because every forced-air heating and cooling system uses at least one filter—it’s important to know how and when to replace it.

For more details, see our article on what, exactly, an air purifier can catch. Portable room air purifiers are designed to filter the air in a single room. They’re separate from whole-house air purifier systems and air filters, which are integrated into a home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system and designed to clean the air in the entire house. Dan DiClerico has extensively tested and written about air purifiers for over 20 years. He has also spearheaded numerous investigative reports on the topic of indoor air quality, working closely with outside experts from government, industry and the home services spaces. In her former role as chief technologist and director of engineering at the Institute, Rachel helped develop the test protocol for this category.

Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty

You can also program the air purifier to kick into standby mode when you leave the house and turn on when you're close to returning. Because most air purifiers have several speed settings, we test for dust and smoke removal both on the highest speed and at a lower speed that runs at a noise level no louder than 50 decibels. We also measure noise levels at every speed setting that a machine has. And because air purifiers must be running at all hours to be effective, we calculate annual operating costs, which include filter replacements and energy use to run the machine 24 hours a day for an entire year. The Blueair Blue Pure 211i Max, meant for large spaces around 500 square feet, is a stellar performer, reducing smoke levels in our test room by more than 99.9% on its high and high-medium settings.

Save Money and Breathe Easier this Spring with K&N's New Washable, Reusable Home Air Filters - GlobeNewswire

Save Money and Breathe Easier this Spring with K&N's New Washable, Reusable Home Air Filters.

Posted: Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

The Newest Must-Have Home Amenity for the Rich: Purified Air - The Wall Street Journal

The Newest Must-Have Home Amenity for the Rich: Purified Air.

Posted: Tue, 05 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Following the combined 50-plus hours of data review, Lab testing and at-home evaluations, we arrived at our list of best air purifiers out of 45 reviewed models. Controlled Lab tests measured an air purifier's ability to capture specific contaminants, such as smoke and other VOCs (volatile organic compounds). At-home testing checks for general improvement of freshness, as well as overall usability. Some air purifiers will require that you purchase replacement filters. Some, like our budget pick, the Kenmore 850e, have reusable filters that will need to be cleaned about as often as you would need to replace a filter on another model. If your goal is to purify the air in a smaller room in your house, you don't need to splurge for a massive unit designed for a much bigger space.

Do Not Ignore These Questions When Buying a Whole House Air Purifier

Due to their massive surface area, they don’t need to be changed as often. Depending on the filter and your unique home, a replacement is only required every six months to a year. Standard air filters, on the other hand, must be changed every one to three months. A whole home air filter integrates into your existing HVAC system to remove pollen, dust, pet dander, and other pollutants.

The Turonic PH950 has an impressive 8 fan speeds, meaning that at the lowest speed, the sound will be nearly silent. Next to all of the products on this list, you may have noticed our BHG Recommends seal of approval. Products that earn the seal have been put through rigorous testing to make sure they're worth a spot in your home. We buy most of the products we test ourselves, but occasionally we are provided samples by companies if buying isn't an option. In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products.

But these are usually just filters with a rating of at least MERV 11, the rating where filters begin to catch the majority of particles that are the size of common allergens. There’s nothing uniquely anti-allergenic about these filters, and other filters with the same MERV rating should capture allergens just as well. At MERV 13—the highest rating you’ll find for most of the popular residential HVAC filter sizes—you can count on the filter to stop bacteria, smoke, and other microscopic particles.

In spite of the power, it’s extremely energy efficient and quieter than you’d expect. You can shut off the display while it runs, which helps if you’re light sensitive while trying to sleep. Its air-quality sensor reads your room’s particulate-pollution levels at 1, 2.5, and 10 microns (aka PM1, PM2.5, and PM10—broadly equivalent to smoke, dust, and pollen). It’s priced accordingly, and if you’re considering this for a small to medium room, you can get more than ample purifying performance for at least $100 less with our other picks. The main consideration here is the price of replacement filters, which can range from $20 or less to $100 and up. Since you might need to replace the filters a few times a year, depending on your home's air quality, the expense can add up.

This cleaner has a built-in pollutant level monitor that auto-adjusts the fan to create optimal air quality. I love that I can monitor air quality from anywhere or give my air purifier voice commands, freeing up my hands and allowing me to multi-task as I tackle chores around my home. While it’s predecessor only has 4 fan speeds, this one has a total of 9 fan stages. The Medify Air MA-112 V2 is my top recommendation for parents with children who would benefit from a large space air purifier. Next, we identify brands that have performed the best and proved the most reliable through more than a decade of air purifier testing at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

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