What Exactly Does MERV Mean?

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What Exactly Does MERV Mean?
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• MERV is an acronym that stands for Minimum
  Efficiency Reporting Value, and it is a shorthand
  way of letting someone know the efficiency of an
  air filter when it comes to removing particles
  from the air.

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• The MERV was created by the American Society of
  Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning
  Engineers as a guideline when choosing air
  filters.

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• Why Are Air Filters Important?
• Having quality, clean MERV Air Filter is
  important to the cleanliness of the air. If there
  are too many particles in the air, it can cause
  respiratory problems, and it can make life very
  difficult for those who suffer from allergies,
  asthma, and COPD, for example.

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• The air filter serves another purpose, as well.
  It is also meant to provide a layer of protection
  for the HVAC equipment that is being used.
  Without a filter, it would cause dirt and
  particulates to build up on the equipment. Over
  time, this could cause a substantial amount of
  damage to the equipment, which would necessitate
  a replacement.

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• What Do the MERV Ratings Mean?
• Having quality, clean air filters is important
  to the cleanliness of the air. If there are too
  many particles in the air, it can cause
  respiratory problems, and it can make life very
  difficult for those who suffer from allergies,
  asthma, and COPD, for example.

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• However, there are some homes that may utilize
  filters with a higher MERV rating if a resident
  has severe allergies, for example. Now, lets get
  a better look at the ratings, the particle sizes
  the filters can handle, and their typical
  application.

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• MERV Rating 1 4 These air filters are on the
  lower end of the value scale, and they can keep
  out particles that are gt 10.0 µm (microns). Some
  examples of the particles that they can keep out
  include dust mites, pollen, fibers from carpets
  and textiles, and cockroach debris. Most of the
  time, these are used on residential window air
  conditioning units.

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• MERV Rating 5 8 These filters are used to
  keep out particles that are sized 10.0 µm to 3.0
  µm. Examples of particles that can be kept out
  with filters of this MERV rating include spores,
  mold, dust mite debris, hair spray, and cat and
  dog dander. These can be used for applications
  including higher quality residential units,
  general commercial units, and industrial
  locations.

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• MERV 9 12 These are very high-quality
  filters that tend to be the highest range you can
  use for a residential setting. They can keep out
  very small particles (3.0 µm to 1.0 µm).

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• The type of particulates that would fall into
  this category and that the air filters will
  protect from include lead dust, milled flour,
  dust from humidifiers, and particulates stemming
  from auto emissions. They are often used in
  high-quality residential setups, as well as
  high-quality commercial setups. You will often
  find these air filters used in hospital
  laboratories, as well.

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• MERV 13 16 These are some of the highest
  quality filters you will find, and they can keep
  out particles between 1.0 µm and 0.3 µm. They can
  keep out bacteria, smoke, dust from insecticides,
  paint pigments, face powder and even droplets
  from sneezing. These are typically only used in
  hospital and surgical settings.

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• MERV 17 20 These MERV filters can provide
  high levels of protection from particulates. They
  can keep out smoke, carbon dust, and viruses, and
  they are typically used in clean rooms for
  electronics manufacturing and for pharmaceutical
  manufacturing.

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• Now that you have a better overall understanding
  about what MERV filters are and what they mean,
  it should be easier for you to find the right
  filters for your particular setup.