In most cases, a Merv 11 air filter is not too tall for residential use. Generally speaking, anything under a Merv 13 air filter should provide very efficient air purification in a house without affecting airflow. The short answer is that it can, but it's not really a problem except in extreme circumstances. Most modern HVAC systems have no problem working with higher Merv filters, so millions of homeowners rely on them.
The main risk of high-efficiency air filters comes from the fact that they remain unchanged for long periods of time. If you're aware of changing your filters regularly, you're unlikely to experience filter-related issues with your HVAC system. Using an oven filter with a higher Merv rating than your use case requires may have adverse effects. The thickness of the filter material in a Merv 11 filter, for example, is greater than that of a Merv 8 filter.
Therefore, in order for enough air to pass through the filter, a greater amount of energy is consumed. More use can lead to increased wear and tear, so be sure to maintain your oven regularly. However, Merv 11 filters are not considered too high for residential use. Anything higher than a Merv 11 is designed for commercial households or households with family members suffering from respiratory problems. If your furnace's Merv rating is too high, it can force it to work too hard and leave it vulnerable to damage.
In addition, you may not get the air velocity needed to reach all parts of your house, leaving inconsistencies in temperature. Generally, a filter with a higher Merv rating will reduce airflow. However, there are many other factors at play, such as the size of the filter and the type of fan motor of the HVAC system. Merv 11 is better, and Merv 13 could be called the best leak among these three. Of course, it's important to consider how well an air filter traps particulates, but there are other factors to consider when answering the question: What is the best Merv? Merv 8, 11, or 13 may be the right Merv rating for your oven or air handler, depending on your circumstances.
Created by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), it is a porosity scale ranging from 1 to 16, with most household air filters ranging from 4 to 13 Merv. For most Canadian households, furnace filters with Merv ratings in this range are sufficient to filter a good majority of impurities in the air. Increasing a filter to increase a filter to a higher Merv can increase the delta P through the filter. Not all filters have a Merv rating &, many of them are purchased at big box stores. However, high Merv filters offer superior filtration, trapping everything from construction dust and tobacco smoke to bacteria.
If you want you to at least clean your air and handle dust, mold, pollen and bacteria, then a Merv 8 will do the job. If your home's HVAC system isn't capable of handling Merv 13, opt for a filter with the next highest possible rating. A higher Merv rating often means lower airflow, which can cause the system to work harder and use more energy to do its job. Merv ratings range from 1 to 20, with 1 being the lowest filter capacity and 20 being the highest filtering capacity. Many people don't consider how a filter with a high Merv rating will affect other parts of the HVAC system.
