High Efficiency Furnace Filters Merv Rating
When shopping for furnace air filters don t confuse merv with other rating systems that may appear on packaging especially from big box home improvement stores.
High efficiency furnace filters merv rating. Learn how to maintain your home and hvac this fall. To determine resistance filters use the merv rating system. Merv rating is essential for finding the proper furnace filter for your home. In short the higher the merv rating is the more resistant the filter is.
If your family has health or allergy issues then you may want to look for a high efficiency filter that s merv 11 or higher. Merv is short for minimum efficiency reporting value. Filters with higher merv ratings trap small particles more effectively than filters with lower merv ratings. An air filter s merv rating is a scale from 1 16 that describes the minimum efficiency of the air filter.
Conversely a high merv rating indicates that the filter does a good job of removing particulates from the air. Download your maintenance checklist. Merv has a scale of 1 to 20 with 20 as the best. The higher the number the better the furnace filter is in capturing particles.
But for most households a merv 7 or 8 filter might be the sweet spot between performance and cost. So what does merv stand for anyways. A low merv rating means that the filter does not remove as many particulates from the air.