MERV 13 filters are more efficient at removing large particles from the air, while HEPA filters are more efficient at removing small particles from the air. MERV 13 filters can remove up to 99.97% of particles from the air, while HEPA filters can remove up to 99.99% of particles from the air. If you used the HEPA test on a 95% ASHRAE air filter, you would get an efficiency of approximately 50% on 0.3 micron particles once loaded with dust. HEPA filters can capture up to 99.7 percent of all contaminants of 0.3 microns or more using a dense layer of fibers arranged in a specific configuration.
Most heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have a HEPA filter at one end of the air duct. The purpose of the MERV standard is to make it possible to compare the filtering efficiency of various air filters with Apple. HEPA air filters are tested with DOP, mineral oil and other materials that generate a monodisperse particle, which are all of them. To help clarify things, let's see what exactly these numbers mean and why HEPA filters should never be used in a residential air conditioning system.
Adding an activated carbon prefilter to a MERV or HEPA filter can help remove contaminants such as VOCs, odors, smoke, formaldehyde, and gaseous vapors. An incredibly powerful HVAC system is required to be able to properly draw air through a HEPA filter. While you can find HEPA filters in some air purifiers and vacuums, their use is actually very limited. Therefore, filtration systems with HEPA filters can be useful for those with severe allergies, like you.
You can also get MERV 13 filters in portable filtration systems to support an HVAC with HEPA filtration. A filter with a MERV rating of 13 to 16 is considered a high-range MERV filter and can remove up to 75 percent of all airborne particles of 0.3 microns or larger from the air. One of the main issues to be addressed is filtration and the difference between MERV 13 and HEPA filters. The MERV rating of an air filter describes its efficiency as a means of reducing the level of particles from 0.3 to 10 microns in the air they pass through.
through the filter. Typically, these filters trap up to 90% of particles between 1 and 10 microns, and MERV 13 filters can even trap up to 75% of the smallest particles between 0.3 and 1 micron. Part of the reason HEPA filters are used so infrequently is that they are extremely restrictive in airflow terms.