What is the Best MERV Rating for Your Home?

When it comes to selecting an air filter for your home, it's important to consider your HVAC system's capabilities and what type of particles you want to remove from your indoor air. The best way to determine which filter is right for you is to consult with an HVAC professional who can help you select a filter with a MERV rating that meets your needs. Overall, the best MERV rating for a home is between 8 and 10. These filters will capture a large part of the particles suspended in the air and improve the interior. In this MERV classification table below, we'll look at how several MERV filters for furnaces and air filters work to trap particles of certain sizes and how these capabilities correlate with filter efficiency. If your system is not capable of handling filters with higher MERV ratings, you can talk to your HVAC dealer about selecting a mid-range MERV rating, between 8 and 10. MERV 5 filters are not as effective as higher ratings, as they are only able to capture particles larger than 10 microns.

MERV 8 filters provide good filtration and remove most pollen, mold spores and dust mites. Once you understand how the MERV classification table works, you can choose air filters with the MERV ratings that are right for you.

MERV 13

filters, for example, also remove bacteria, tobacco smoke, car vapors, insecticide dust, pet dander, and more. Since a high MERV rating means more particles will be removed from the air, you may think that air filters with the highest MERV rating are the best. While MERV 8 is known to be effective at filtering airborne contaminants such as pollen, dust mites, sawdust, mold spores and lint, higher MERV rates will further clean the air. While the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommends MERV 13, it may not be the most efficient option for some residential HVAC systems. MERV 10 — MERV 12 air filters can trap particles as small as 1 micron, such as car exhaust, pollen and mold spores.

A MERV rating of 1 to 6 is the lowest of the MERV ratings, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a filter with a rating within this range should be ruled out. With the right filter in place, you can enjoy improved indoor air quality and better overall health. As an expert in HVAC systems and air filtration systems, I recommend selecting an air filter with a MERV rating between 8 and 13 depending on your system's capabilities.