The heating, air conditioning and ventilation equipment that helps regulate temperatures inside your home or business premises in Richmond represents a significant investment. You can extend the functional life of your HVAC equipment with routine upkeep and maintenance services. Simple tasks like duct cleaning and changing HVAC air filters in Richmond may be able to help you save on costly repairs further on.

Maintaining Your Air Conditioner

Clogged and dirty filters impede the flow from your air conditioning unit, thereby reducing its efficiency and raising the costs associated with operating it. Additionally, when the normal flow of air from an air conditioning unit is blocked, the air that escapes from the unit may deposit dirt and debris directly on your evaporator coil. Over time, this may cause your evaporator coil to start malfunctioning. That’s why HVAC experts recommend cleaning or changing your air conditioning unit’s filter every one or two months.

What Are Air Conditioning Filters Made Of?

Air conditioning filters are engineered to trap particulates like dirt, dust, mold, pollen and even bacteria. Filters are made either from pleated paper, pleated cloth or fiberglass that’s enclosed in a cardboard frame so that it can be easily slid into the slot provided for it. Some filters contain activated charcoal or some other absorbent catalyst that is capable of trapping volatile compounds or noxious odors in the air.

Air conditioning filters are designed with pores, and these pores correspond to a scale called the Minimum Efficiency Rating System (MERV). The higher its MERV rating, the better a filter is at capturing and removing dust and dirt. This gives consumers a way to compare the efficiency of filters that are made by different manufacturers.

Filters with high MERV values between 13 and 16 may be most appropriate for medical settings since they are capable of trapping and removing bacteria; filters with low MERV values between 1 and 4 will remove dust mites, pollen and carpet fibers but may not be able to remove mold spore and certain types of aerosols like hairspray. Most HVAC experts recommend using filters with MERV values between 8 and 13 in homes.