Furnace Filter Rating System

If your filter is either too dirty or too resistant it can cause airflow problems hurting efficiency and performance.

Furnace filter rating system. Merv 17 through merv 20 filters are typically used in surgical operating rooms clean rooms and other contexts that require absolute cleanliness. Merv stands for minimum efficiency reporting value which is a rating system designed by the american society of heating refrigerating and air conditioning engineers ashrae. In general filters with a rating of merv 16 or below are considered to be hvac system grade filters for residential commercial and general hospital use. Many homes use filters with a merv rating of 1 4 which mostly filter out dust lint and pollen among other larger common particles they do very little to trap small microparticles.

Merv filter ratings and efficiency. With the correct merv rating and a pleated design this furnace filter improves the efficiency of your hvac system. To determine resistance filters use the merv rating system. It even captures extremely small particles that can negatively affect a person s health.

The other two systems were created by 3m mpr and the home depot fpr to differentiate their offerings. Fpr ratings are on a scale from 4 through 10. In short the higher the merv rating is the more resistant the filter is. The rating indicates the size of particles the air filter is designed to capture.

If we were looking to buy a new filter today for our hvac heating ventilation and air conditioning system we d aim for a medium efficiency filter with a merv rating in the 8 to 13 range which. It also factors in the weight gain caused by the filtration process over the filter s lifetime. The filter traps smog bacteria dust debris mold viruses and various other respiratory irritants. The filtrete ultra allergen reduction 1500 mpr filter earns a very good rating for removing smoke dust and pollen from the air with the system running on a high fan speed but is only.

Merv air filter ratings range from 1 least efficient captureability to 16 very efficient.