The air duct sometimes serves as a breeding space for molds, mildew, and some other bacteria when we fail to dislodge noticeable water deposits or buildup in them. Although with a proper filter in place, it should be technically impossible for them to make their way into our homes, when the filter becomes faulty, it will become easy.
Unfortunately, there are lots of things that can be airborne into your room through the air vent is as long as they are tiny enough to get through your AC’s air filter. One question I am usually frequently asked is “can pollen enter through the air conditioner” considering their small size. This article is my answer to that question and you are therefore enjoined to read to the very end to grasp the full detail.
Can Pollen come through the window air conditioner?
Yes, pollen can come through the window air conditioner. When your air conditioner, especially the filter is not properly maintained, small particles present in the air like, mold, dust mites, pollutants, and pollen get trapped in them and then get airborne into your room when you switch on your AC unit. Therefore, you must ensure your unit always stays clean and also see to it that your filter is regularly replaced to improve the overall air quality of your room.
Do air conditioners filter pollen?
Yes, air conditioners help to filter out pollen. When you open your windows to allow ventilation, the air coming to your house comes in without any filtering mechanism that can ensure that the air is completely allergen or bacteria-free. And because of this, most allergists often recommend that homeowners install air conditioners to improve their air quality.
Most air conditioners come with HEPA-certified filters that are effective at filtering the air coming into your room through the air vent. The filter prevents the pollen and other allergens from coming to your room by trapping them in its pleated cloth or paper before transferring them to the duct.
Does pollen damage the aircon system?
According to EPA in the united states, it was stated that one of the greatest causes of underlying health issues in the US is poor indoor air quality. According to the information provided, when dander, dirt, fungus, microbes, pollen, hair accumulate in the air duct of your HVAC equipment, they cause health problems.
Not only that, but they also maintained that the pollutants can also cause the internal component of your HVAC system to malfunction, leading to constant breakdown and repairs.
How to keep pollen out of air condition
Many homes usually experience pollen invasions during spring. Although most of these people have a working HVAC system (useful equipment for air quality improvement), unfortunately, most of them hardly know to keep pollen and other allergens out. In this section, I will be discussing how you can use your AC unit to keep out pollen.
1. Get matching HEPA filters for your AC unit.
We have 4 different types of air filters, but unfortunately, not all these filters are capable of keeping out small spores and allergens from the air in circulation in your room. Therefore, it is recommended that you check the filter model you have in your AC unit to see if it is the required filter for your unit or you can ask your HVAC technician to do the verification for you during the weekly or monthly maintenance of your system.
To curb the growth, of prevent pollen and other allergens from infesting your room, make use of a HEPA filter or a top-rated filter capable of improving the air quality of your home. However, these kinds of filters have downsides, they are usually thicker than the regular filters and therefore, contribute additional workload to your AC unit. Consequently, to avoid overworking your HVAC system, you should change them more often.
2. Trust your air conditioner
Many times, I have seen friends and neighbors who have a working HVAC system open their windows for ventilation. Anytime I ask them the reason for their action, their response is always the same, “nothing compares to fresh air and saving up on bills”. Although the second reason might be cogent, that’s not enough reason to make your house vulnerable to pollen and allergen invasion.
These allergens are so minute that they are capable of escaping through the mesh of your window no matter how effective they are. Therefore, during the peak of allergy seasons, you should always keep your window shut and allow your air conditioner provides all the indoor cooling you want. If you are so bothered by the cost of energy consumption, you can make use of a window unit as it can be run with minimal cost.
3. Keep your condenser away from pollen and other plants
You are likely to see more pollen around your house during spring as this is usually the time when flowers blossom. To ensure that you have clean air around your house, make sure the area around your condenser is clear of plants. Trim or cut any weed or plant growing around your condenser regularly to discourage their growth or you can make use of herbicides instead. You can also create a border for your unit with gravel or brick, just make sure the airflow of your unit is not blocked.
Best AC filters for allergies and asthma
Like I said earlier, there are lots of filter choices for homeowners to choose from, but choosing the one that can protect against allergens is usually difficult even for some experts. And that is why in this section, I have compiled a list of the top 5 best filters that are effective against dander, pollen, and every other capable of causing allergens.
- Filter king’s MERV 11 filter
- Filterete MRP 1000 Micro Allergen defense.
- AIRX filter Allergy MERV 11
- Aerostar AC and air filter MERV 13
- Filterete AC furnace healthy living ultra allergen.
Recommend air conditioning unit with pollen filter
The truth is, no air conditioner is designed specifically to keep out pollen. However, most brands like the Daikin, Toshiba, and Mitsubishi come with HEPA filters that can help you keep out pollen and every other allergen-causing air contaminants.
Curious to know why sometimes we have snake in air conditioner, cockroach in aircon, bats in air conditioning vents or dead gecko in air conditioner? We also strongly recommend you learn how to prevent pigeons from sitting on ac and how to keep bees out of air conditioner too.