MERV 4 Air Filters Review
This review looks at the MERV 4 air filter. MERV is an industry-standard for how much an air filter pulls out of the air that passes through it. And MERV 4 is on the low end.
Not everyone needs the highest level filter to have clean air in their home. But MERV 4 is below what we recommend. The rest of this review will look at why.
First, what are the benefits of a MERV 4 air filter?
The primary benefit of MERV 4 is its cost. They’re cheap. And there’s not much more beyond that.
If you have to choose between a MERV 4 and nothing, then you should definitely go with the MERV 4 air filter. But if you have a choice, we recommend you choose a higher rating.
So why should you consider a higher rating?
Simply put, you spend a lot of time in your home. And, unlike outside, which has regular airflow, the air in your house can get stale. When using a filter with too low a rating, the bad particles that come in can get stuck rotating through your HVAC system, causing you to breathe them over and over.
And so, many of the particles that are regularly around us, such as pollen and dust mites — even hair spray and mold spores — are not filtered out by a MERV 4 air filter.
Because of that, for homes we recommend a MERV rating above 4.
Which MERV ratings do we recommend instead?
MERV 8 is a good place to start. If no one in your house currently has any breathing issues, such as allergies or even more serious issues, then MERV 8 should be suitable. At least, safe enough to start with.
If you do have allergies or other milder breathing problems, taking a step up to the MERV 11 would help you breathe more comfortably in your home. A MERV 11 is also good if you have a newborn baby in your house. Their lungs are not as developed yet and they are more sensitive to particles floating in the air.
MERV 13 is for you if your home has smokers in it, or if you’re in a city with smog — or even if you have a wood-burning fireplace in your home.
(For a look into what MERV ratings mean and other considerations, check out the beginning of our MERV 13 review here.)
What’s next?
Buying an air filter for your home is not always as straightforward as it first seems.
And, at Filter King, we understand that.
But we want to help.
To get started, use our handy filter-size tool. Just select the size filter you need. We have hundreds of custom sizes that you won’t find anywhere else. And, if you’re not sure what size you need, give us a call or send us a message, we’re happy to help.
Next, select which MERV rating you need, and how many filters you’d like to order. We recommend a year’s supply. You’ll save the most money that way.
And there’s one more thing…
We know that it’s very easy to forget to change your filter.
And a dirty filter — no matter what MERV rating it has — is a bad filter. All the stuff it used to keep out, it doesn’t anymore. And just as bad, an old filter could be clogging up your HVAC system, which can be quite expensive to fix.
So to help you avoid all that, we developed a completely FREE and automated reminder service.
Just sign up, pick how often you want to change your filter (hint: we recommend 2 months, or, at most, 3), and then we’ll send you an email or text message when it’s time to change your filters.
Simple as that.
Oh, and when you check out, be sure to use the 5off code to save $5 on your next order.
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