Home air filters (also commonly called furnace filters) keep the coils and heat exchanges on the heating and air conditioning system clean. Dirty coils and heat exchanges make the system work harder. Keeping the filter clean helps prolong the life of your heating and air-conditioning unit. These filters also clean the air that you and your family breathe. The variety and amount of particles in your home's air will depend on how many people and pets live in the house and what types of activities go on there. People with allergies or asthma should be extra diligent about keeping home air filters clean. Depending on the type, filters are capable of capturing dust mite debris, mold spores, pet dander, smoke, bacteria, dust, pollen and more. The most important thing to remember about home air filters is to change them regularly. Even the highest-quality filter can't do its job right if it's clogged with a thick layer of particles. Different filters are meant to be changed at different intervals, but once a month is a common time frame.

Brand new homes, as well as homes where there is remodeling or construction going on, will need more frequent filter changes to compensate for the extra dust and residue in the air. Air Filter Types: Size, Shape, Material and Style The first thing you need to know is the size of your air filter. Simply check the existing filter to get the dimensions. There's nothing worse than thinking you know it, and then getting to the store and drawing a blank. Most filters for residential HVAC systems are 1-inch thick, but some houses require up to 4-inch filters because of the volume of air circulating in the home. Adjustable filters are available for non-standard ventilation openings. Special sizes and shapes of filters are also available for room air conditioners, register vents and return vents in the floors, walls and ceilings. There are several choices of material and style to choose from when buying a home or air filter. Performance is affected by the size and density of the material used, as well as the size and volume of the particles being filtered.

The least expensive filters have a layer of fibers (most often fiberglass), in some cases covered by a honeycomb-shaped grille. Pleated filters are more efficient because the pleats provide a greater surface area to trap particles. Many pleated filters are electrostatically charged to help them attract and hold microscopic particles. should i cover my air conditioning unitReusable filters are made of material that can be rinsed clean with water.how to determine size of central ac unit Most filters are labeled with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating number, which measures a filter's ability to trap particles ranging in size from 3.0 microns to 10.0 microns. ac units for homes costA residential air filter commonly has a MERV rating of 1 to 12.

The higher the MERV rating, the more efficient the filter is, and the more particles it can filter. MERV is an industry standard rating, so it can be used to compare filters made by different companies. Some manufacturers also have their own rating systems. MPR (Microparticle Performance Rating) is one example of a vendor-specific rating system.  MPR is a measurement of efficient capture of particulates, such as bacteria and smoke. As with MERV, a higher number indicates higher efficiency Shop for Air Filters Shop for Air PurifiersPITTSBURGH (KDKA) – If you’re considering buying an air conditioner, but you don’t want a lot of fuss with a window installation, you might be tempted to go with one of those portable floor units. But beware, Consumer Reports tested a bunch of them and found they’re not much better than your average fan. With temperatures rising outside, a seemingly easy fix is a portable air conditioner. They’re designed to draw in warm air, cool it, then exhaust it outside through a hose that connects to your window.

Consumer Reports tested eight of them, brands like Honeywell, Haier and Frigidaire. Prices range from $250 to more than $500. Consumer Reports used a special chamber to test their cooling power. The temperature outside was kept at 90 degrees and the humidity at 70 percent. Inside, each air conditioner was set to 75 degrees. Strings of thermocouples recorded temperatures throughout the room. The results were disappointing. “None of these units, not even the biggest ones, could get our test chamber below 80 degrees, even after an hour and 40 minutes,” Bob Markovich, Consumer Reports, said. That was true even of the most expensive unit tested – a $550 Honeywell, which promises to cool up to 550 feet. It struggled to cool the test chamber, which was half that size. “Window air conditioners are much more effective, and they tend to cost less,” Markovich said. Consumer Reports found at least one window unit to recommend for each sized room. For larger rooms and medium sized rooms, two LG brand air conditioners won, costing $350 and $240 respectively.

For smaller rooms, Consumer Reports’ best buy is a $210 GE. The reason these portable air conditioners don’t work is because while they use conditioned air from inside the house to cool the condenser and force the hot air out through that vent, it creates negative pressure, which actually draws more hot air into the room you’re trying to cool. Also, because the entire unit is inside the house, they’re often much louder as well. More Reports by Susan Koeppen “Ralph fixed my AC within an hour - he made my life better - it was the best service call experience of my life.” “We had a 7 year old problem with the drain on our home AC unit and we have had a few local AC guys come out and never really fix the problem.”In warmer months, it's tempting to crank the AC or plant yourself in front of the nearest fan. But these aren't the only tricks to keeping cool. It turns out there are plenty of ways to buffer your home from the heat without racking up your electric bill.

And they’ll make you feel like a DIY champ, too. Keep your cool, and… 1. Keep your blinds closed. As simple as this tip may seem, Family Handyman notes that up to 30 percent of unwanted heat comes from your windows, and utilizing shades, curtains and the like can save you up to 7 percent on your bills and lower indoor temperatures by up to 20 degrees. In other words, closing the blinds essentially prevents your home from becoming a miniature greenhouse, which is especially the case for south- and west-facing windows. 2. Be smart about your doors. Closing off rooms will prevent the cool air from permeating these areas during the hottest part of the day. You'll want to capitalize on the cooler night hours, too, letting air flow naturally through your home. 3. Hack a fan instead of turning on the AC. Not even an air conditioner can give off a faux sea breeze... but this simple trick can. Fill a mixing bowl with ice (or something equally cold, like an ice pack) and position it at an angle in front of a large fan, so that the air whips off the ice at an extra-chilled, extra-misty temperature.

Trust us: it's magic. 4. Swap your sheets. Not only does seasonally switching up your bedding freshen up a room, it's a great way to keep cool. While textiles like flannel sheets and fleece blankets are fantastic for insulation, cotton is a smarter move this time of year as it breathes easier and stays cooler. And as an added bonus, buy yourself a buckwheat pillow or two. Because buckwheat hulls have a naturally occurring air space between them, they won't hold on to your body heat like conventional pillows, even when packed together inside a pillow case. 5. Set your ceiling fans to rotate counter-clockwise. Whether you know it or not, your ceiling fan needs to be adjusted seasonally. Set counter-clockwise in the summer at a higher speed, the fan's airflow will create a wind-chill breeze effect that will make you and your guests "feel" cooler. 6. Focus on the temperature in your body, not the house. If your ancestors survived without air conditioning, so can you.

From sipping tasty iced drinks to applying a cold cloth to strong-pulsed areas like your neck and wrists, cooling yourself from the inside out is not a bad idea. Other tricks include being smart about your clothing choices and telling your partner you won't be cuddling until the leaves start changing color. 7. Turn on your bathroom fans. ...or the exhaust fan in your kitchen, for that matter. Both of these pull the hot air that rises after you cook or take a steamy shower out of your apartment. 8. Heat-proof your bed. Go straight to the source, and put a cool-inducing Chillow under your head while you sleep. For feet, fill a hot water bottle and put it in the freezer before placing at the foot of your bed. And it sounds strange, but slightly dampening your sheets before bedtime will majorly help you chill out. 9. Let the night air in. During the summer months, temperatures may drop during the night. If this is the case where you live, make the most of these refreshing hours by cracking the windows before you go to bed.

You can even create a wind tunnel by strategically setting up your fans to force the perfect cross breeze. Just be sure to close the windows (and the blinds) before things get too hot in the morning. 10. Ditch the incandescent lights. If you ever needed motivation to make the switch to CFLs, or compact fluorescent lamps, this is it. Incandescent bulbs waste about 90 percent of their energy in the heat they emit, so tossing them to the curb will make a small difference in cooling your home while lowering your electric bill. It's obvious, but we're going to say it anyway: Using your oven or stove in the summer will make your house hotter. If it already feels like 100+ degrees in your home, the last thing you want to do is turn on a 400-degree oven. Besides, who doesn't want to get more mileage out of their outdoor furniture and seasonal accessories? 12. Make a few long-term improvements. If you're really, really committed to the whole no-AC thing, you can make a couple changes to your home that will keep it cooler for seasons to come.