Furnace Filter Rating System

It even captures extremely small particles that can negatively affect a person s health.

Furnace filter rating system.

Merv filter ratings and efficiency. The merv filter rating is the domestic and international industry standard rating system established by the american society of heating refrigerating and air conditioning engineers. Merv 17 through merv 20 filters are typically used in surgical operating rooms clean rooms and other contexts that require absolute cleanliness. The filter traps smog bacteria dust debris mold viruses and various other respiratory irritants.

If your filter is either too dirty or too resistant it can cause airflow problems hurting efficiency and performance. Fpr ratings are on a scale from 4 through 10. 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. 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 rating indicates the size of particles the air filter is designed to capture. Merv rating is essential for finding the proper furnace filter for your home. The other two systems were created by 3m mpr and the home depot fpr to differentiate their offerings.

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

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.