Do Air Filters Really Work??
3mo old filter
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Because you cannot see most of what you breathe, we often times do not realize how much accumulated dust, skin flakes and other things are floating around in our air.  It is only when you finally see the accumulation of these items that it starts to make sense.

Here are two air filters, on the left a new 5-Star Filter and on the right, a 3 month old 5-Star Filter.  If it had not been picked up by this filter, the contaminents on this filter would have been blown right into the air you breathe!


New Air Filter vs 3 Month Old Filter

Why Replace?
dustmite_encarta
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Why is it important to replace your air filter on a regular basis?

  • Reduces energy costs.  A dirty filter can reduce the air flow causing the system to work harder.
  • May help keep your home cleaner.
  • Poor indoor air quality can cause or contribute to the development of respiratory diseases.
  • Biological pollutants, including molds, pollen, dust mites and animal dander promote poor indoor air quality and a good filter can remove many of these pollutants.
  • Prolong equipment life: As the filter loads up with dirt, the amount of air moving thru the filter can be greatly reduced.  If you are not moving enough air thru the filter, it can not do its job properly.

    With a gas furnace, low air flow means the heat exchanger runs much hotter than it was designed to.  That excess heat will shorten the life of the furnace.  If you have an air conditioner or heat pump, the excess heat ends up in your compressor.  That heat can cause early failure of the compressor.

Dust Mites
  • Dust mites are microscopic, they about a quarter of a millimeter long.
  • Between 100 and 500 individual mites can live in one single gram of dust.
  • Dust mites live on a diet of skin scales, which we shed daily.
  • They thrive in a warm and humid environment, living and breeding in mattresses (up to 2 million can live in a mattress), blankets, pillows, under blankets, carpets, clothing and fabric-covered furniture.
  • Each egg-laying female can increase the population by 25 to 30 mites every three weeks.
  • Each day dust mites produce anywhere between 20 and 50 faecal pellets and these droppings are the most common cause of dust related allergies even after the dust mite has died.
  • While people thought they were allergic to dust, researchers now know that it's not the dust itself but rather the mites that live in it that cause the problem.

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    • SF