Indoor Air Quality Services Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda FL and surrounding area

The most efficient way to filter household air is through your home’s central air conditioning system. The filters are built into the return-air duct-work, trapping particles as air passes through. Such systems are passive; as long as the system is running, they are constantly filtering all the air in your house. Whole-house filters come in three main types.

If you have a central air system, you’ve already got a rudimentary air-filtration system: That matted-fiberglass filter that should be changed every 30 days. This type of filter you can not change enough. When it clogs with dust, it stops working and overworks the central air system. In fact, those filters are designed to protect your system from large particles of dust, and while they might keep surfaces in your house a bit cleaner, they won’t block the microscopic particles that are most irritating to lung tissue. Pleated filters, which pack more material in the same amount of space, cost a few bucks more and do a slightly better job. By far the best pleated filters are electrostatically charged to attract allergens like pollen and pet dander. They cost around $15 and should be changed every two to three months.

These filters are like stacking 4 or 5 one-inch standard filters together to make one filter, now get the idea of an extended media filter. These boxy units contain an accordion like pile of filtration media, which makes them more effective than regular fiberglass filters. They require professional installation because the large filter holder must be installed into the ductwork. The price, including installation, ranges from $500 to $700; you’ll need to replace the $40-to-$60 filter every year.

These high-tech units are also incorporated into the duct-work. As air passes through, a high-voltage current puts an electrical charge on particles. At the other end of the unit, oppositely charged collector plates grab the particles like a magnet. Electronic filters work especially well on smoke particles too small to be trapped in media filters. One independent test found such filters worked about 30 times as well as regular fiberglass filters. Unlike media filters, electronic filters never need replacing, but the aluminum collector plates must be cleaned in soapy water every few months. The process of charging particles, called ionization, may produce trace amounts of ozone, a lung irritant. Electronic filters cost $1,000 to $1,500 installed and require a 120-volt electrical outlet.