Pet Owners – Which MERV Rating Is Best for You?

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Pet Owners Which MERV Rating Is Best for You?
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• You love your furry friends, and you consider
  your pets to be a true part of the family.
  However, you also know that the pets have dander
  and they can shed, and this can cause problems
  with the quality of air in the house.

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• Having clean air in the home is essential and
  having the right air filters in place can help
  immensely with this. However, you do need to make
  sure you are getting the right type and quality
  of air filter that can deal with all of the pet
  dander and fur.

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• This means you need to understand MERV filter
  ratings.

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What Are MERV Filter Ratings?

• Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, MERV, is a
  universal rating for air filters. The filters
  will have a MERV rating that is numbered. The
  number value will range from MERV 1 to MERV 20,
  but not all of those filters are going to be
  ideal for pet owners.

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• You need to make sure that you have the correct
  option for your HVAC system that will handle the
  dander. Lets look at the different rating values
  so you can see what you should avoid and what is
  going to work best for your home.

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• The MERV filters that are rated from 1 to 4 are
  generally used for window AC units, and they do
  not do much to improve the air quality for a
  home. Dander is still likely to be a problem in
  these cases.

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• The next tier would be the filters from 5 to 8.
  While these are more robust, and they are going
  to work well for many homes, they are still not
  ideal for those who own pets.

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• Instead, you will want to concentrate on looking
  for MERV filters with a rating from 9 to 13.

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• These are top-quality filters that have the
  ability to trap around 90 of the particles that
  are between three and 10 microns, and up to 70
  of particles that are between one and three
  microns.

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• Those who have pets will find that the filters
  that are in this range are going to be the best
  option for their homes.

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• Of course, you also need to do more than just
  look at the MERV filter rating when you are
  choosing an air filter for your system. You also
  need to think about the size of the filter to
  make sure it will work with the system.

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• HVAC systems will be able to accommodate these
  filters without modification, but you still need
  to be sure you are getting the correct air filter
  by size for your particular system.

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• If you have a filter that is either too small or
  too large, it will cause issues. It could allow
  some of the dust and dander to get into the air,
  as well as into the HVAC system.

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• If this were to happen, you would eventually
  have a system that is inefficient and even has
  some damaged components. This would require
  repairs that you would likely want to avoid.

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Change the Filter Often

• Those who have pets will often find that their
  air filters are going to need to be changed more
  frequently than those who do not have pets. This
  is because of the added dander and fur in the air.

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• Make sure that you are changing out the filter
  and replacing it about every three months.

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• This will ensure that the filter is going to
  continue working properly, and that a clog will
  not cause your HVAC system to have to work
  overtime trying to provide proper airflow.

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• With the proper MERV filter in place, you can
  enjoy your pets, and be sure that you have clean
  air in the house.