Allergy Sufferer - Best Filter Option

Hello All, Thank you for this great resource and to everyone who participates... I am new to the forum as I just purchased my first home yay! I have found a few threads on this, but would like some updated information if possible. I live in Canada and suffer from terrible allergies in the summer time, as well as pet allergies throughout the year (we have a short-haired dog that sheds a lot). I have read quite a bit about Electronic / Electrostatic filters and such, but have gotten a ton of mixed reviews as every company says that their way is the best way... central is better than distributed... 1 can work just as good or better than 4-5, etc. Upon checking this forum, I have seen that the default 1 furnace filter may restrict airflow and potentially damage my furnace if I try to filter too much and add electricity into the mix with something such as the Aircleen 1500 or the Toxbox. I am looking for my best option for this, information on whether or not I can do it myself (ie: can I change my return duct from a 1 gap to a 4 or 5 gap easily myself, or do I need to call a pro). I am looking to install something like the Aprilaire 2410 with the 1413 upgrade kit and 413 filter for allergies, but am not very Do-it-yourself savvy for HVAC. I live in a 2310sq foot house in a newer subdivision, the house is 2 years old and has a builder-installed (cheap) Lennox furnace with a current 1 filter hole which takes a 16 x 25 x 1 filter. Of course I would love to keep the 1 opening and use a good 1 filter to do the trick... but want some experienced recommendations about what the best and most cost-effective option is. I have even been looking into single-room HEPA filters from IQAir (bedroom / living room), but want to try my luck with the Central option first. Any suggestions / help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Also: The last furnace tech that came mentioned that I should keep the furnace fresh-air intake pipe just drawing air from the basement (small 4 or so pipe stick up from the furnace in the basement) opposed to having it run outside. Wondering if you have any suggestions on this. Thanks! Best Regards, dg6464 Wow this might be very hard to do here! Ok u have pet allergies. What are your summer allergies. If there as bad as u say then stay away from electronic because they produce ozone and I'd bet u have issues with it. Electrostatic are junk and worse than your 1 inch filter. A good media filter like the spaceguard would be a very good choice but should be installed at a cost of around 500.00. Hope this helps Thank you very much for your reply. My allergies aren't super severe to pets or seasonal, but can get bad during particular times (when trees reproduce and dogs shed their winter coats ). My main allergies are to Alder / Birch / Oak / Grass / Weeds and such, but the trees are the worst time for me. As for the Dog, I am not too worried about them (it was our choice to get one after all ). At this point I am just looking for your best recommendation for a centralized solution that you would recommend to anyone that wants to keep their furnace safe (ie: minimize dust that gets through the filter into the furnace / house) and also potentially keep the air clean in the house and hopefully minimize the amount of allergens, dust and viruses in the air. I saw a couple of other posts from you a while back recommending the Aprilaire (formerly Spacegard) 2400 as a good option. Just wondering if yours / anyone else's opinions would still be the same with the newer Aprilaire 2410, and how difficult you think the installation might be for myself, or a friend that does commercial HVAC for a living. If it's not a Do-it-yourself type of project and I need to get a pro and spend $500.. that is not a problem - just need to know what I am getting myself into at this point. Thanks! Best Regards, dg6464 I still have mine and love it! Any 5 inch media filter I would recommend. I like the spaceguard/aprilare because it's very easy to find replacement media. There are so many things that u can do to help with your allergies. I run with the main ones real fast. HEPA filtered vacuums, shoes off at the door (wife doesn't like that one) run your fan 24 7 in your bad times of year ( in AC areas this can cause other issues I can explain if needed). If dogs get on bed put comforter in dryer on high heat for ten minutes this will kill dust mites. Zyertec Zyertec Zertec Yes a good hvac guy could install this. Or yourself. You will have to get transitions made for the duct to match up to the filter. Less than $100 once you have that it's all down hill. Hope this helps. I'm not spell checking all this so hope it's not to bad  If you have duct work that transfers heat from the furnace to your floor registers (vents), nothing will filter out all the dust. In virtually all the homes that have duct work, the dust comes from the duct work itself. The return air intake where the filter is located sucks in dust and simply recycles it through the furnace and back into the duct work to enter you house once again via the registers. It's a continuous cycle. Over time accumulated dust builds up inside the duct work. Most duct work, especially in older houses, have small cracks and openings in it; leaks heated air; and allows all kinds of undesirable things such a mold, mildew, bedbugs, roaches, mice and lizards to get inside and thrive and die. You never know what kind of air your family is inhaling. A heating and air conditioning system which uses no duct work is the cleanest and most desirable (steam heat, base board hot water heat, electric). Also carpet aggravates allergies. Carpet is naturally nasty because it collects and harbors dust and bacteria.

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