I went down a bit of a rabbit hole today. Many HVAC techs I know and trust (friends and family, some with 60-70+ years in this field!), have always told me a MERV 5-7 cheap pleated filter was the way to go. The hog-hair filters let too much dust hit the coils of the HVAC system, and the MERV 13's provide so much backpressure you can have issues. However, I always try to do my own research, as well. It led me to this, which I have found very interesting, and will change how I buy filters.
TL/DR: Merv 13 Filtrete 1900 filters provide less backpressure than MERV 5 Basic and lesser filtering filters in many cases. Wild! Also, Filtrete factory flow ratings were typically PESSEMISTIC vs. actual lab data from 3rd party. A manufacturer who sells their product short...WOW!
My purchasing habit has altered, and I will now use the 3M Filtrete MERV 13 "1900" series filters, as my system is a 20x25x1"
TL/DR: Merv 13 Filtrete 1900 filters provide less backpressure than MERV 5 Basic and lesser filtering filters in many cases. Wild! Also, Filtrete factory flow ratings were typically PESSEMISTIC vs. actual lab data from 3rd party. A manufacturer who sells their product short...WOW!
My purchasing habit has altered, and I will now use the 3M Filtrete MERV 13 "1900" series filters, as my system is a 20x25x1"