Air conditioning filters play an important role in the management of clean air for the home and office. You may already know how air conditioner cools the living space and makes it more comfortable during summer but you should also be aware that it performs another function. Air filters filter the dust out of the room and substitute it with clean air. So aside from cooling, air handlers have a medically beneficial effect on the living space as well. For the air handling unit to be able to endlessly clean the air and deliver it free from harmful bacteria, it will need a good filter. These air filters filter out the dirt in the air so that the breeze returns from the appliance is clean.

The filters are positioned along the grill of the air conditioner so they serve as the last point the air passes before it is released to the room.

Air conditioning filters shield us from evil little things known as respirable particles. You can easily observe particles accumulate on your dining room table or sofa. Respirable particles are undetectable to the naked eye but are nevertheless present in the air. You can easily inhale them. Once in the human body they can easily lodge in our lungs and can cause serious respiratory diseases. Air conditioning filters extract these fine particles from the air so that you obtain both cleaner air and a pollen-free atmosphere in your house.

You will appreciate the importance of filtering your air if you consider the fact that the average human breathes in 1.3 million particles of dust each day. The Environmental Protection Agency that issues these facts also claims that the air inside our homes is more polluted than that open air due to the fact that air inside has no chance for dispersion.

So the call for high quality air conditioner air filters becomes paramount. We need to install them them to help protect us against allergies and contamination.

A/C filters need to be replaced over time as they gather dust. But as a homeowner how does one decide on which A/C air filters to purchase? There are numerous manufacturers but basically they manufacture the same types of filters. Depending on how they are supposed to operate, the dominant ones are High Efficiency Particulate Air (or HEPA) which provides pollen (and smoke) filtration, Pleated with a larger surface, Electrostatic which uses a phenomenon that creates static attraction for dust, and Activated Carbon which applies carbon filtration. Of all of these, the Charcoal and the Pleated types are most commonly used.

There are essentially 2 kinds of air conditioner air filters - regular throw-away air filters and washable filters. Of the four disposable filters that we tested, the 3m filtrete line came out a clear winner. Of the 3 washable filters that we recently tested, the Boair 5-stage filter won top place because it was the easiest to clean and filtered out the largest amount of dust.

Prior to placing your order for new A/C filters, you'll need to determine if the new one fits your model. It's not enough to know the size of the intended replacement; you must be able to ascertain the functionality of the filter as well. For example, there are air conditioning air filters with UV sterilizers that neutralize harmful bacteria in the air so they can not get into the body. You might need this style for more crowded spaces. High Efficiency Particulate Air (or HEPA) air filters are well known for screening out microscopic particles from the environment so the space remains clear of pollens. These variants serve areas like smokers rooms.

A/C air filters make living rooms safe places to spend our time. They screen dirt from our air and destroy any bacteria that may be lurking. We need to replace them regularly so they keep functioning to protect us.

Posted under Allergies