High Efficiency Air Cleaners

Yes. They can actually play a big part in your complete home comfort. Your qualified contractor has a variety of whole-house filtration devices. Some high efficiency air cleaners can even remove dust particles and pollen as small as .10 micron.

A micron is 1/25000th of an inch. A human hair is about 150 microns; the smallest thing that can be seen with the naked eye is about 10 microns. It is the largest particles, above 5.0 microns, that cause equipment problems and are what most filters are able to catch. However, 98% of the particles in the air are smaller than 1.0 micron. These sub-micron particles are not caught by most filters and can get through our bodies' natural defenses when inhaled.

Further, they can stay suspended in the air for days until they are breathed in. An increasing number of studies have found these sub-micron particles to be a significant health hazard. As an allergy sufferer can tell you, what you can't see can hurt you. To effectively clean the air the sub-micron particles must be removed.

Environmental Protection Agency studies have shown that the air inside our homes and workplaces is often 10-100 times more polluted than outside air. Harmful airborne pollutants such as dust, pollen, mold, viruses, bacteria, pet dander, carpet fibers, and second-hand smoke are constantly being re-circulated and inhaled while indoors. Besides allergies, poor air quality is linked to a number of problems like fatigue, asthma, respiratory ailments, the spread of flu and other diseases. According to the EPA, a person breathes in 2 teaspoons of these pollutants each day. This can result in harmful health conditions such as allergies, asthma and other respiratory problems.

Every month, you should inspect your air filter and replace it if necessary, to keep your equipment running at peak efficiency. Typically, the need to change a high efficiency air cleaner filter will vary a little from home to home. Generally, we recommend that the media filter be changed twice annually or sometimes more often depending on your environment.

Your air filter is located in either the blower compartment of your furnace, in an attached filter case, or in a wall-mounted return air grille.

Any air cleaner can only be effective if air is moving through it. Therefore in most areas, for maximum effectiveness, we recommend that your thermostat be turned to the fan "on" position rather than the "auto" position. This will give continuous air cleaning. This takes only a small amount of electricity, but makes a significant difference in the air quality in your home. It will also greatly reduce the amount of dusting required in your home. Otherwise, the high efficiency air cleaner will only be cleaning your air when your furnace, heat pump or air conditioner is running. In the spring and fall when your air conditioning system is not on very often, you won't be cleaning the air very often either.

You can purchase replacement filters from your qualified contracting company.

No. It costs about $5 a month to ensure clean, fresh, safe, healthy air in your home.

Slide out your current furnace air filter; the size should be written on the side of it. If your filter does not indicate the size, just measure the height, length and width.

Most supplemental room air cleaners can help clean the air in a room or two. However, by installing an air cleaner in your home's central forced air system, you will clean the entire house. Furthermore, many room air cleaners use high efficiency passive filters, which require powerful (and loud) fans to move the air. This can be an annoying.