Whether you live next to a construction site or in a region with heavy pollution, maintaining your air conditioner filters can help mitigate some of the issues that you may have with air quality. You have to make sure that the filter is rated well, and that it will cover the space in your home. In most cases, whoever planned and built your home also installed the air conditioner, but new installations should be carefully reviewed to be sure that air flow is not obstructed.

Additional filters placed in the public areas of a home can also help, but deciding on the best filter for your needs takes some knowledge of how air filtration systems work.

Basics of Air Filtration

Filters trap dust particulates that are harmful for our respiratory system. The difference comes in the type of filter you use. Standard air filters use layers of fiberglass cloth to trap dust that flows between them as air is pushed through the ducts and into the building. Some filters use ions to add a static charge to particles that cause particles to cling to the walls.

What you end up with is a kind of dust cake. It’s a collection of particles you can easily wipe away with a microfiber cloth. However, not every filter is reusable. You should check your manufacturer’s guide to see how often you should change your filter.

Buying a Filter

The type of filter you use depends on the needs of your home. A smoker who clean frequently might require a middle-grade filter, while a warehouse would require something stronger to filter out larger dust particulates. Install 3m filters in your central cooling system, and then use air purifiers in individual offices or rooms to improve the quality of air in places where you spend the bulk of your time.

Installation should not require any tools, and it should be fairly simple. Find the filter in your home’s mechanical room and slide the dirty one out. Be careful when you install the new one, as some filters have a preferred direction for air flow, and incorrect installation can obstruct circulation in your home.

You should check your filters monthly, just to be sure that you are breathing clean air, but your manufacturer will have specific recommendations on how often you should replace your equipment. Cleaning the coils on your air conditioner can also provide a boost to the performance of your unit. Dusty coils can inhibit cool air flow, and damage your unit overtime. A vacuum or a brush will usually do the trick, but you can use household bleach if you want to be very thorough.

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This guest post was written on behalf of Your Filter Connection. You can order a Honeywell furnace filter replacement online at Your Filter Connection.