Are Universal Air Filters the Right Choice for Your Home?

No filter is universal, so it's essential to make sure the filter you buy is the right size to fit your HVAC system.

Air filters

are designed to keep incoming airflow clean and anyone breathing safe from harmful irritants floating around. When air is pumped into your home through the air system, it needs to be filtered, or else there could be problems with incoming particles. Universal air filters provide an air system with a protective layer that keeps harmful particles out and the flow of clean, fresh air through it.

The universal filters you use will be able to adapt to a wide variety of types of HVAC systems, but they have their limits and will eventually need to be replaced. When it comes to air conditioner and oven filter sizes, manufacturers estimate these figures. This is called the nominal size. No matter what brand you choose, the nominal filter size will remain the same.

Still, it's important to understand how this nominal size compares to the actual size. Most HVAC systems are designed to accommodate 1-thickness filters. However, you can choose not to use factory-installed filter grids and have an HVAC professional install an external filter grid to get a coarser filter. Changing the HVAC filter is just one part of the routine maintenance you must perform on your system. These numbers relate to the standard size of your home's return ventilation grilles, responsible for controlling the movement of air to and from your HVAC unit.

The goal is for the filter to slide comfortably in the frame with a little wiggle room, but not too much. Round to the nearest inch to create the nominal filter size, which is the measurement you will use when purchasing a filter. Jamming a large filter where it doesn't belong can damage the HVAC system and won't clean the air properly. Note that the sizes of the air conditioner and oven filters must be smaller than the dimensions of the filter compartment. When you live in enclosed spaces with limited outdoor space, indoor air quality indoors can be less than exemplary.

Changing an air cleaner is one of the easiest apartment maintenance tasks once you know where the air cleaner is located and which one will work best for your system. Since the air in the apartment circulates more air through a wider variety of units, your apartment's air cleaner may get dirty faster than one in the house. Regardless of who is in charge of the change, apartment air filters should be replaced regularly to maximize air quality and HVAC efficiency. It is important to note that there is no need for a hermetic seal between the frame and the air cleaner. Apartment air filters are designed to clean the air of common contaminants before it circulates through your home.

By using a properly sized filter and changing it regularly, you can experience cleaner indoor air and fewer system problems. When it comes down to it, choosing a universal air filter for your home can be beneficial in many ways. Not only do they provide an effective layer of protection against harmful particles, but they also come in a variety of sizes that can fit most HVAC systems. However, it's important to make sure that you purchase a filter that fits your system correctly so that it can do its job properly.