Furnace Filter Ratings Merv

An air filter s merv rating is a scale from 1 16 that describes the minimum efficiency of the air filter.

Furnace filter ratings merv.

Merv ratings range from 1 16. Owen said filters in this range like this merv 7 nordic pure were created as an improvement on the basic merv 1 to 4 filters and designed to also filter out midsize particles 3. A merv rating chart shows a numerical value. 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.

For reference a typical dust particle is between 2 and 8 microns while pollen starts at 7 microns and can get up to 70 microns in size. Minimum efficiency reporting values or mervs report a filter s ability to capture larger particles between 0 3 and 10 microns µm. The rating indicates the size of particles the air filter is designed to capture. This rating system reports how well the filter captures and holds.

The higher the merv rating on a filter the fewer dust particles and other contaminants can pass through it. This value is helpful in comparing the performance of different filters the rating is derived from a test m. Ranging from 1 to 20 the larger the number the better the filter is at catching small. Merv 5 to 7.

Merv stands for minimum efficiency reporting value which is a rating system designed by the american society of heating refrigerating and air conditioning engineers. There are a wide variety of sizes to choose from with this filter which has a merv rating of 13 the highest tier on the scale. Use this rating system compare filters made by different manufacturers. A low merv rating means that the filter does not remove as many particulates from the air.

Merv 17 through merv 20 filters are typically used in surgical operating rooms clean rooms and other contexts that require absolute cleanliness. While merv ratings reflect a filter s ability to trap both microscopic and macroscopic particles mpr ratings only grade a filter on its capacity to remove particles from 0 3 to 1 microns. Conversely a high merv rating indicates that the filter does a good job of removing particulates from the air. This is an industry standard rating system.

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. The american society of heating refrigerating and air. The range is from 1 lowest efficiency to 20 highest efficiency.