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Heating & Air Conditioning

Best hepa AC filter for allergy

mayra's condo remodel

4 years ago

Need help for air conditioning filter for dust mites and dust

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Comments (4)

kevinande
4 years ago
HVAC filters are designed to protect the equipment, ie the heat exchanger, evaporator coil and fan blades. They are not designed to help with allergies. That said if you insist on using one, get one with a high MERV rating and change it often, at least once a month maybe more often depending on your location. Failure to do so can lead to system issues. I do not recommend any specific brand just look at the MERV ratings. The Higher the number the more restrictive the filter and the smaller particles it can filter out. Just remember this can have negative consequences for your HVAC system especially if you don't keep them changed.
Michael
4 years ago
Other alternatives are polarized media electronic air cleaner like Dynamic Air Quality Solutions.

Cleaner Air
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To the best of my knowledge, the two vacuum cleaners you are leaning towards do not have a "sealed" system. A sealed system feature is usually on higher end models of a brand like the Electrolux UltraOne, Oxygen or Oxygen3 Ultra. I would be curious to know why you must have a sealed system. Do you have really bad allergies? What brand and model are you presently using and is the filtration not enough for you? There are different levels of allergic reactions people have. What may be fine for me, may be worse for you. Vacuum cleaner design and filtration has evolved over the years. That Mighty Mite can filter much better than the Mighty Mite from 20+yrs. ago, if used with a microlined paper bag and exhaust filter. You will have a hard time finding the two style vacuum cleaner bags at a Walmart or Target. These stores usually only stock supplies for brands and models they currently sell. The Mighty Mite "MM" style bags will be the easiest to find, since it has been around the longest. The Ergospace will be the quieter of the two vacuum cleaners.
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I have a Dyson Animal and I absolutely LOVE it. In fact, with three very large dogs, I couldn't survive (or breathe) without it. I have carpet, hardwood, brick, and tile floors, and it manages to do a great job on all these surfaces. It's also terrific on furniture and drapes and in nooks and crannies. The first time I used it, the canister filled completely in the one carpeted room where the dogs spend most of their time. I emptied the canister and vacuumed in there again and got almost nothing. This room had been vacuumed a day earlier with my old Eureka, so the Dyson really demonstrated how much the Eureka had been leaving behind. To get to your question about emptying, I empty mine outside just as others have described. I haven't had any issues with dust getting everywhere during emptying. I agree with lenvt about the lack of useful directions with the Dyson. The design is not particularly intuitive, but once you figure out all the functions and use it for a bit, it's quite easy to operate. The Dyson is a lot more than $150, so you'll have to weigh the actual cost against the repair of your Miele. A year and a half after buying it, I still actually find vacuuming enjoyable. That's something I never, ever thought before the Dyson.
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Thank you all for your stories and experiences. Gives me hope that there are people out there with allergies that still manage to live with beloved pets. I just can't imagine my life without pets (cats especially.. I love dogs but my life is not condusive to dogs at the moment). So it looks like it will take a little effort on both our parts to make this work. He will have to experiment with different allergy medications and I will encourage him to talk to his doctor about different prescription medications, rather than just OTC stuff. And I saw a HEPA air purifier at Costco for a pretty decent price yesterday ($199 I think). Although I read the box and it didn't specifically mention pet dander.. but it would probably help I would think. Also yes, unfortunately I am a carpet person. I find that hardwood floors are too hard to keep clean.. the dust just goes flying everywhere, whereas with carpet you just run a vacuum over it and everything is sucked up (I also just got a brand new Hoover WindTunnel and love it!) Not to mention I love the feel of carpet much better on my toes than hardwood. Also I found that with my late sweetheart, Jelika, in my previous place I had hardwood and it was murder on her poor arthritic bones, but when I moved to carpet she was able to get around much easier and with a lot less pain. When I first moved to my current home it seemed like the carpet took years off her and she was moving like a 15 year old rather than an 18 year old! I truly believe she could have made it another couple of years if it wasn't for that horrible lung cancer. And with my current kitty, Kitty being about 12 years old I don't want her to have any unnecessary joint pain either. So again I really do appreciate your ideas/suggestions, and hope that we will be able to find a comfortable way to all live (one day) in the same household.
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User
4 years ago
A lot of people working on equipment pan the Filtrete filters for being too restrictive. I’ve used them for years, with old and new equipment, and never had an issue. The old systems both failed due to conditions unrelated to airflow restriction (one was simply so old the coil wore out, the other was damage caused by an out of level pad (before I was aware of that issue). It helps massively with allergies, and if you elect to try it, start with a 1200 or so before you go crazy on a 1800+.
Marc Well
3 years ago
Change the filter immediately if:

https://www.centralacwarehouse.com/

The filter is damaged. Whether it happened inside the packaging or while being installed, a damaged filter that has bent fins, collapsed cells or holes will not work as well as an undamaged filter, especially if it allows system air to bypass the filter at any point.

The filter is damp. A filter affected by moisture intrusion, system condensation, or even high indoor humidity can quickly become moldy and spread airborne mold spores throughout the home via the ventilation system.

There is evidence of microbial growth or mold on the filter. Mold spores already infiltrating the home via the HVAC system are not only bad for the unit itself, but they can pose a health hazard for the family, ranging from an irritated respiratory system to a serious allergic reaction.

The musty smell produced by a moldy HVAC filter is also unpleasant and may take a while to completely eradicate from inside the home. If you discover that you have moldy air filter, it’s important to have the cause investigated further.

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