Air Filters: Electronic, Filterless, Furnace - Which One?

When you are trying to make the air in your home cleaner you are presented with a variety of options to choose from. There are electronic air filters, filterless air purifiers, humidifiers and basic furnace filters and hepa cleaners.

It can be difficult to know which one is the best option for your home. If you have a basic knowledge of each of the air cleaning systems it will help you to better determine which is right for you.

Electronic air filters charge the dust particles using a high voltage direct current and then they collect the particles on a grate with the opposite charge. They are extremely effective at reducing the air pollutants in your home.

Many electronic air filters trap up to 98 percent of the pollutants that pass through your heater and air conditioner. These systems can be purchased with a washable filter so you don't have to keep investing in replacement filters. These are also known as filterless air purifiers.

Using a humidifier helps improve the quality of the air in your home and moisten the air so that it is not so dry. The optimal humidity level in a home should be between 30 to 50 percent.

Humidifiers also have filters on them so they can help clean mold and mildew out of the air (through the intake) and balance the air quality of your home. Honeywell makes a great line of humidifiers (search the Internet for discounts) that are rated well and have been used successfully for a long time.

Your furnace filter is not intended to clean the air in your whole home. It is more meant as a measure of keep your duct work from developing a build up of dust particles.

Traditional furnace filters are only able to collect larger particles of dust, but newer hepa filter and electrostatic air filtration systems for the furnace do a better job at trapping smaller airborne particles.

Electrostatic air filters use an electric field similar to an air purifier to trap particles, but it is less sophisticated than a hepa filter.

Using a combination of the different air purifiers is usually the best method of keeping the air in your home clean. It is best to use a high hepa furnace filter along with an air purifier and a humidifier to keep your home's air free of pollutants.

Hepa filters may restrict the flow of your furnace so you will have to change them frequently for efficiency sake, but if you desire clean air this combination works best.