QUESTION FROM diane

hello what merv rating filter should home furnace use. i have been advised to upgrade to merv13 from 10. witll the 13 restrict to much air flow and damage my furnace.

thanks

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD

Dear Diane:

The MERV rating of a filter designates how the filter performs at removing very small particles out of the air (MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value). The lowest MERV filter is rated a "1", and the highest rating for the most effective filter is a "16." As you can imagine, a higher MERV rated filter will cost more, and it will also cause your furnace blower to have to work harder to push air through the more dense filter (which consumes more electricity, and shortens the life of your blower motor). The decision of what MERV rating to choose for your home's filters will basically come down to your sensitivity to dust and other pollutants, and the air quality issues you face in your home. A 8 MERV filter will handle most of the larger air-borne particles that are common in most homes. However, if someone in your family has respiratory problems (e.g., asthma, bad allergies, etc.), then you may want to go with a higher MERV rated filter (e.g., 13 or above). One last point, you will want to double check with the manufacturer of your furnace to make sure that your particular furnace can handle a very high MERV rated filter.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com