The Air Filter Conundrum
The Problem:
All filters, be they commercial or residential, battle the same three forces of nature
Resistance to airflow
Amount of dust they will hold
Efficiency or ability to remove particles from the air
Just when you think you have a filter with high efficiency, it won’t hold much dirt or the resistance to airflow is too high. Conversely, when you get low resistance to airflow, the filter usually will not be very efficient.
(The National Air Filtration Association – Residential Air Filtration)
What’s a homeowner to do?
Most older homes have air handlers, with a slot to accommodate a one-inch filter.
New homes have filter grilles, located at the return air opening that accommodate a one-inch filter.
Regardless of where the filter is located usually there is only one-inch depth allocated for the air filter. Because of the one-inch limitation homeowners have become limited as to their choice of filters, without retrofitting their systems.
Return air grille imperfections allow particles to be pulled around the filters and into your ventilation system. Particles that are pulled around or through the filter enter the ventilation system where they can accumulate and some will be blown into inhabited areas.
An accumulation of 1/20th of an inch, on the evaporator coils, can increase energy consumption up to 37%, for that unit.
(HVAC Magazine)
In commercial and residential HVAC systems both large and small gaps are common, thereby, destroying the integrity of the MERV rating, i.e., a 10 mm gap (bypass) decreases the rating of a MERV 15 filter seven points, to a MERV 8.
The Solution:
The Patented 5 inch MERV 14 Practical Pleat
Fits into one-inch filter grilles!
No Expensive Retrofitting Required
Installation is simple! Place the Practical Pleat in a one-inch filter grille – the self sealing gasket holds the filter in place – excess depth protrudes into the open duct
Say “Bye-Bye” to the cost of retrofitting!
Eliminates Filter Bypass
The Practical Pleat’s unique self-sealing gasket conforms to imperfections in the filter frame eliminating filter bypass and preserving the integrity of the MERV 14 rating.
Say “Hello” to clean air!
Reduced Resistance to Air Flow
The Practical Pleat’s extended surface area is up to 433% greater than a typical one-inch pleat, allowing airflow resistance to decrease up to 41%.
Breathe easier!
Improved Indoor Air Quality
MERV 14 efficiency captures toxic airborne pathogens as small as 0.3 microns (A micron is; 1/25,400th of an inch) and is 99% efficient at capturing airborne particles 2.5 (+) microns i.e., animal dander, pollen, dust mite feces, plant spores and parts of dead insects, etc.
Be confident you air is clean!
Overcome the Conundrum – The Practical Pleat has many more benefits!
- Effective lifetime up to six times longer than typical one-inch pleats
- Reduces energy consumption up to 68%
- Reduces equipment maintenance
- Extends effective lifetime of equipment
- MERV 14 Initial Resistance .16 in. W.G
- Average Dust Weight Arrestance 99%
- Minimum Efficiencies; 0.3 to 1.0 micron - 77%. Includes: toxic airborne pathogens - i.e. smallpox virus, meningitis bacteria, tuberculosis bacteria, anthrax bacteria, bronchitis bacteria (98.5% (+) of particles that float in the air are less than 1 micron)
- Minimum Efficiencies; 1.0 to 3.0 microns - 92%. Includes: larger airborne pathogens – i.e. bacillus anthracis, mycobacterium, and airborne mold spores, fungi, etc
- Minimum Efficiencies; 3.0 to 10.0 microns - 99%. Includes: allergens – i.e., dead human skin flakes, bed bug feces, pollen, dust mite feces, animal dander, parts of dead insects, etc.
- Also available in MERV 11 efficiency
- MERV 11 initial resistance .11 in. W.G.
*Many factors need to be considered in determining whether use of an air cleaner will be effective in a given environment. FMI makes no health claims for products either expressly or implied.