Furnace Filters

Furnace filters available at our A1 Oakville office

A1 sells a wide variety of conventional and premium HEPA/air cleaner filters. Our selection of filters is available for mail delivery or curbside pick-up at our office location at 1420 Cornwall Road, Unit 3, in southeast Oakville, L6J 7W5.

Our A1 office is open to the public and our facility is accessible to all. We follow proper COVID-19 protocol so we ask that you wear a mask if you need to enter our office. If you don’t have a mask, we can make one available for you at the door.

Why furnace filters are important

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is possible for the air inside your home to be up to 5 times more polluted than the air outside. The air becomes more stagnant during the winter when your windows are closed, so you could be just recycling poor quality air through your home each hour of the day.

Air filtration is critical for two very big reasons.

First, air quality affects our health and well being.

Stale air and little to no airflow can affect how you feel – you can get headaches, become lethargic and lack daily energy
Allergens in the air – like dust, mould, mildew, pet dander – can lead to sneezing, irritated nose and throat, congestion, and asthma flare-ups
Inadequate air filtration and circulation keeps this bad air recirculating in your home. The naked eye can see particles in the air as small as 25 microns thick. That’s about the size of a small grain of sand, but 90% of particles in the air you breathe are 0.3 microns or smaller

Second, cleaner air prolongs the operation and efficiency of your HVAC system.

When your furnace is not running efficiently from a clogged filter, you can unknowingly drive up both your natural gas and electricity costs
Indoor pollutants can also reduce the life expectancy of your equipment
Using cheap filters in your furnace – and not changing your filters regularly – leads to a dirty and grimy furnace inside
Furnace parts wear out faster which can be very expensive to replace.

Clean things run longer and better. Makes sense, right? So, save your money in the long run by getting a good quality air filter and changing it regularly.

A dirty filter can negatively affect both your furnace and air conditioner

The most common reason a heating and air conditioning system breaks down is because of a dirty filter.

Dirt is the primary enemy and can trigger a series of equipment failure issues
Dirt and particles collect over time on the filter and this film restricts the airflow for normal heating cycles in the winter
The blower in your furnace has to work extra hard to overcome the reduced airflow and repeated shutdowns can cause premature failure
Blowers are expensive to replace so a clean filter is a must to avoid replacement costs

Your air conditioner will also stop working properly and will eventually start to freeze up. When the unit thaws, the condensate drain may not be able to handle the amount of water, causing water damage to the furnace and surrounding area.

My furnace already has a basic filter that I change out – isn’t that okay?

Some basic furnaces that are just installed come with a basic 1-inch filter. That cheap thin filter you change every so often only has one purpose – to protect your furnace’s motor.

Contrary to what most people think, this thin filter is not designed to remove pollution from the air in your home.

What is a MERV rating?

All filters come with a MERV rating – a standard, non-bias rating that compares filtration functionality.

MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) is a rating that indicates how well an air filter can collect particles in your home’s air and still move the air efficiently through your HVAC system.

The higher the MERV rating, the smaller the contaminants a filter can trap
It is a rating of air filters based on a minimum particle capture size – a rating of 1 is least efficient with 16 being the most efficient
A MERV rating between 8 and 11 is adequate for most homes for basic air filtering

But if you have allergy or asthma sufferers in your home, you might want to go with a MERV 13 or higher. A MERV 13 filter will effectively remove about 75% allergenic contaminants down to 0.3 microns, like pet dander, smog, bacteria, some viruses and tobacco smoke. MERV 16 is the best – removing up to 95% of harmful particles and bacteria.

Is it time to upgrade your basic furnace filter?

If you want to better purify the air quality in your home, the simple answer is yes!

For a healthier home air environment, A1 recommends our Genius Mechanical Air Cleaner. It is inserted into your current ductwork and has an easy to change filter.

Genius Mechanical Air Cleaner

Our Genius air cleaners can help get rid of nasty particles and contaminants that are floating around in your air.

How does it work?

All air passing through the deep pleats in the filter is thoroughly cleaned. The filter immediately grabs and traps airborne contaminants.

Thicker air cleaning filters (4-5” wide) are more effective than thin filters from big box stores which have to be changed up to 12 times a year.

This filter has 25 times larger cleaning surface than 1” filters. More surface area means more collection area resulting in longer filter life. Plus, your blower fan does not have to work as hard, which saves you money in the long run.

High-efficiency MERV 14 filter removes particles as small as 0.3 microns (1/84,000 of an inch)
Heavy gauge galvanized steel cabinet is long-lasting and provides solid installation
Can last up for one year
Provides high levels of filtration during the entire life cycle
Easy to change out

Next level up is our Healthy Climate Air Cleaner Filter System. It has a MERV rating of 16 (even better) and is a two-stage system. It also includes UV lights that remove VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from the air so you can breathe in fresher, cleaner air.

Healthy Climate PureAir Air Purification System

Breathe easier, every day. Single-area air cleaners may help the air in one room, but they don’t address all the pollutants that can circulate throughout your entire home. Germs, odours and bacteria can be harmful to your family. PureAir™ is a whole-home solution that means cleaner air in every room.

Your new purification system will work with your existing heating and cooling system. Air purification systems are attached by A1 to your furnace or air handler, where contaminants are removed and destroyed before air is recirculated throughout your home.

Powerful two-stage filter with UV lights to zap dirty air on the spot
Removes 99.9% of all particles like pollen, dust and pet dander
Combats 90% of germs and bacteria down to 0.01 micron
Destroys household odours and chemical vapours from sources like pets, cleaning products and cooking appliances. Works quickly to break down chemical smells and vapours, rendering them odourless and harmless. Your nose will thank you!
Does not produce ozone. Many other air cleaning solutions generate ozone, a known lung irritant. In fact, its carbon filtration actually reduces ozone generated by other sources in your home. And that’s a good thing.
Easy on your utility bills. It’s a smart solution for preserving the quality of the air in your home.

Did you know?

Did you know that air fresheners add to indoor pollution and can aggravate respiratory illnesses such as asthma? Childhood asthma has risen from 40% to 72% in recent years.

Need more information about filtration products at A1?

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Book an appointment with A1

Our triple-certified Technicians at A1 can help answer any further questions that you have about indoor air quality.
Contact A1 today to learn more! If you prefer, call us directly at: (647) 370-7968.

For your piece of mind - this is our promise

Our A1 team always wear PPE (masks, gloves, foot covers)

We thoroughly disinfect all surfaces that we touch

You can prepay for your service. No need to touch a handheld payment unit