“It’s a useful way to monitor the pressure drop in the filter—this is a good way to know when it’s time to change the filter because if it’s not, it’s a lot of guesswork,” says Li. He says the standard three-month replacement recommendation is based on assuming 20 percent of your HVAC system’s operating time (about five hours a day). Much of this depends on your climate, but Li says a recent study found that the average HVAC uptime for 20 homes over a year in Toronto was 10 percent, meaning those people would be able to replace their filters less often.
Regarding the MERV 13 rating, Li says the higher flow resistance will make HVAC fans work harder. Depending on your system, the fan can Wait working hard, reducing air flow and damaging the cooling coils. However, a high MERV rating does not equate to a high flow resistance. It depends on the quality of the filter, as Li says he’s seen MERV 13 filters with lower flow resistance than MERV 8. Ultimately, Li says the main factor is the age of your HVAC system.
“If this is a new system in good condition, and you’ve been using MERV 8 filters without a problem, then I don’t think there’s going to be a problem using MERV 11, MERV 13, or MERV 14 filters just because if there’s a difference in flow resistance, it is small in comparison,” he said. “I think most systems will be able to handle that, especially if you don’t change your filter throughout the year.”
People with older systems should be careful, as they may not be able to handle the most efficient filters at all. He suggests that you listen to the noise and feel the flow from the cooling and heating systems in your home.
The good news is that Woosh’s smart filter can detect problems with your HVAC system. The company claims to be able to quickly detect signs of coil freezing, which, if left untreated, can cause irreversible damage. It controls this by monitoring pressure drop and flow rate as well as temperature and humidity levels.
Thankfully, using the MERV 13 filter doesn’t seem to cause any negative effects on my system and I haven’t received any notices about problems with my HVAC. My only concern is that, in terms of the application, I still I don’t need to change my filter even though it’s been nine months since I installed it. My wallet is happy, but everything I’ve heard and read about filters suggests I should have changed it by now.
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