Oven air filters protect oven mechanisms from getting dirty and also remove particles from the air you breathe. The filters are made of different materials, including fiberglass, polyester and cotton. Some oven filters are made of fiberglass, but not all. Fiberglass oven filters are very popular, but they are not the only type.
An oven filter can also be made of cotton, polyester, and other synthetic fibers. There are also carbon filters that use charcoal to improve air quality. As stated above, fiberglass air filters are commonly referred to as “rock traps” because of their abysmal ability to, you know, filter things out. These types filter less than 25% of particles in the range of 3 to 10 microns from the air.
Particles in that range include things like pollen, dander, and some bacteria. These are the main pollutants that reduce indoor air quality and three-quarters of them are not removed with fiberglass. For reference, a pleated filter of only a MERV 8 rating filters at least 75% of particles between 3 and 10 microns. This high-quality, plastic-based synthetic material allows filters to trap particles as small as lint, dust mites, mold spores, pollen, pet dander, fine dust, smoke, viruses and bacteria.
Carbon air filters are designed to trap gas molecules in charcoal, a viable process with a colorful history. I had purchased the wrong size filter and you did everything you could to get me the right ones. A Second Nature MERV 13 Health Shield filter will capture at least 50% of particles 0.3-1 microns in diameter. We offer pleated air filters in various sizes with MERV 8, MERV 11 and MERV 13 ratings, and you can order them in any quantity.
Finding the right MERV rating means finding the right balance between a filter that can remove most allergens without sacrificing airflow. Air filters are rated on a MERV scale of 1 to 20, the higher the number, which means the finer the particles they can filter out of the air. Creating a filter like this has been a difficult task because, generally speaking, the more efficient a filter is in actual filtration, the worse its airflow. While the airflow advantages once enjoyed by the fiberglass filter have been innovated basically without style, there is another element of system health that is not often discussed, and fiberglass is surpassed by pleated filters once again here.
And then, to make sure your filter continues to avoid the bad stuff, follow a three-month replacement schedule for a pleated air filter (and about twice as often for fiberglass filters). But they fall short compared to pleated filters when it comes to filtering out the smallest contaminants in the air, such as pollen, pet dander and bacteria. Pleated air filters are made of cotton, paper or polyester sheets that fold into folds, increasing their surface area. One of the decisions you'll need to make when finding the right filter for your home's HVAC system is whether you should buy a pleated filter or a fiberglass filter.
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