The Downside Of A High Efficiency Filter

The air filters that are used in heating and cooling systems are becoming more and more efficient (see MERV ratings) every year. Marketing brochures from filter manufactures do a great job raising our awareness of all the horrible unseen airborne enemies that threaten our peace and tranquility when we’re at home.

What they don’t tell you is that the fan in today’s typical modern day furnace is designed to deliver the rated Btu’s and efficiency at its design Total External Static Pressure (TESP) (see engineering data plate), and a high efficiency filter will probably cause the system to exceed this.   When that happens, airflow plummets like a rock and so does the rated Btu output and efficiency of your system.

In fact, a “high efficiency” filter can easily turn a 94% AFUE furnace into a 50% AFUE and a 13 SEER cooling system into a 7 SEER system.

A properly trained contractor knows a high efficiency filter can greatly improve the air you breathe inside your home and he also knows the downside of installing a high efficiency filter without testing the system for static pressure.

Needless to say, the most important part of improving the quality of air you breathe inside your home and having your heating and cooling system delivering its rated Btu’s and efficiency is in the hands of the contractor installing the high efficiency filter.

Contact the air experts at Nevada Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. Ask our tech, request a service or offer feedback, please.