What is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)?
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is the improvement of indoor air to make the air more comfortable and cleaner. There are many different products that will help your indoor air quality, but some are much better than others. Below is a broad explanation of some indoor air quality products.
There are two main types of indoor air quality products.
- Single Room Type
- Whole House Type
The single room type products can be bought at a local hardware store, plugged in and immediately begin working. These products are a good solution for a room specific problem where the product can be placed near the source of the irritant. These products are not, however, a good solution for the whole house. They will only affect the air in the immediate vicinity of their location. These products are generally best for a minor issue in a small, contained area.
The whole house type products can be installed by a Professional Heating and Cooling Technician. These products are installed in the Duct work of you home. This is the more comprehensive solution for indoor air quality. These products will affect the air for the entire home. There are few tips below for selecting the right method for cleaning the air in your home.
- The heating and cooling industry uses an efficiency rating for media air cleaners called “MERV”. The higher the MERV number the more particulates the filter will remove from the air. For example, in general terms … a MERV 8 filter will remove a very large percentage of particles 1 micron and larger while a MERV 12 will remove nearly all particles of that size.
Filter loading is a term used to reference how dirty an air filter is. Most all of the filters installed by a Professional Heating and Air Technician will be pleated. A pleated filter will catch more particulates before it has to be changed. This means less expense for replacements and less hassle because the filter doesn’t need to be replaced as often as a non-pleated filter. Another reality of air filters is that the more loaded (dirty) they get, the more efficient they become. This is because the dirt will find its way into the small recesses of the filter and not allow dirt to pass through that small space again. Because of this, it is very important to change your filter based upon the manufacturer or technicians recommendations. This will keep your heating and cooling equipment running efficiently.
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