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Air Conditioner Filter

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It is essential that as much effort and time be put into the selection of the air conditioner filter as you invested in the search of the machine itself. After all the air conditioner is merely responsible for cooling and maybe dehumidifying to some degree but it is the filter that will improve indoor air quality. It today’s day and age when it has been declared that the pollution indoors may be 2 to 5 times worse that that outdoors this is an issue that can hardly be ignored.

Further more filters are important for the protection of your air conditioner itself. They prevent dirt and debris from getting to the cooling coil and gathering on the fan and causing expensive damage to them. At the very least they ensure the good performance of your air conditioner, reducing the load on the cooling system and consuming less energy.

There are several different types of air conditioner filters available in the market varying in the technology they are based on, the dimensions of the air conditioner filter and the pricing. Here is a run through the entire list to help get you get more informed.

The cheapest of the lot is the fiberglass variety. They provide the basic protection required for you air conditioner but do very little when it comes to cleaning the air. You can’t expect much even from the slightly upgraded heavy duty fiberglass filter but then are extremely favorable to the pocket being cheap priced.

Synthetic pleated air filters are next in line. They do a fairly good job at trapping larger air particles as they come in the form of interwoven fibers which grabs the air particulates as they pass through them. The Electrostatic air conditioner filter is a more advanced form of these as they attract the particles to themselves through the electrostatic energy that is generated between its fibers. They are very efficient at capturing even the minutest of dust mites, mold spores, pollen and is a premium grade allergen reduction filter; however do keep in mind that they are quite expensive.

If you are looking for some serious air purification then we recommend to you what experts in the health industry rely on – HEPA filters. This is possibly as efficient as an air conditioning filters can get removing up to 99.97% of all air particulates to the size of even 0.1 microns.

Now do take notice that all of the above mentioned air conditioner filters are the disposable kinds; which is good because they are low on maintenance but then it also means that you need to regularly shell out money on replacements. So make sure you take that into consideration while making your decision. Most of the air conditioner filters discussed so far need to be changed on a monthly basis. However the more advanced ones like the electrostatic and HEPA filters could last 90 days. The maintenance aspect should never be ignored though because the good condition of the filters and the air conditioner’s efficiency are directly correlated.

There are reusable air conditioner filters too like the washable electrostatic filter. These come in the form of either a metal or a plastic mesh and environment friendly since they just have to be washed periodically with water and mild soap before being put back to use.

You also have the duct mounted UV air filter which is basically a lamp that shines ultraviolet radiation on the air as it passes through the air conditioning system killing all the disease causing bacteria and viruses in it.

The most revered of technologies in the arena of air purification are the Electronic Filters. They are the “Cadillac” of air conditioner filters if you will – despite being extremely expensive they are well worth the money spent. Especially when supported by a cased evaporator coil when this baby is hooked on to your whole house cooling system, you can rest assured complete elimination of contaminants from the air in your homes. The Aprilaire media whole house air cleaner models are worth checking out in this segment.

That is the gist of your choices in air conditioner filters. Let me conclude by reminding you that when you use a good air conditioner  filter in your conditioner you are more or less doubling up its usability by using it as an air purifier too. And that’s a really smart thing to do!