Being that dirty, I'm guessing there are some substantial air leaks in your Mom's house. Sealing up these would probably help her allergies.
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4 month old filtrete vs new
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Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Being that dirty, I'm guessing there are some substantial air leaks in your Mom's house. Sealing up these would probably help her allergies.
We have two cats, a dog, and 5 people living in one house. There is quite a bit of dust and other stuff that gets pulled into the air returns.
Being that dirty, I'm guessing there are some substantial air leaks in your Mom's house. Sealing up these would probably help her allergies.
We have two cats, a dog, and 5 people living in one house. There is quite a bit of dust and other stuff that gets pulled into the air returns.
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
Most 3M filters are very restrictive. In two of my returns, I use extended depth filters with high Merv ratings which have the same restriction as a fiberglass filter and last a year. The third return does not accomodate an extended depth filter, so I use the bottom of the range 3M which still filters pollen.
Overall, the difference in bills this winter was noticeable as was the airflow of the cheap 3M compared to the more expensive 3M.
I actually have some data on this, but I'll have to dig it out. A year ago I designed and installed a new duct system and learned quite a bit about cfm, blower tables, and pressure drops in the process. My unit was restricted on both ends: Supply & Return. I was paying the bill for a 3 ton unit, but only getting about 1.8 tons of cooling out of it. One thing I remember is that the majority of 3M's filters have a lower pressure drop than Purolators.
A common misconception is that a filter will 'clean' the air in your house. No, it won't. All it does is protect the coil & blower, which still need to be cleaned on a yearly basis to maintain peak efficiency & airflow & system life.
Most 3M filters are very restrictive. In two of my returns, I use extended depth filters with high Merv ratings which have the same restriction as a fiberglass filter and last a year. The third return does not accomodate an extended depth filter, so I use the bottom of the range 3M which still filters pollen.
Overall, the difference in bills this winter was noticeable as was the airflow of the cheap 3M compared to the more expensive 3M.
I actually have some data on this, but I'll have to dig it out. A year ago I designed and installed a new duct system and learned quite a bit about cfm, blower tables, and pressure drops in the process. My unit was restricted on both ends: Supply & Return. I was paying the bill for a 3 ton unit, but only getting about 1.8 tons of cooling out of it. One thing I remember is that the majority of 3M's filters have a lower pressure drop than Purolators.
A common misconception is that a filter will 'clean' the air in your house. No, it won't. All it does is protect the coil & blower, which still need to be cleaned on a yearly basis to maintain peak efficiency & airflow & system life.
I tried a 3M 1200 Filtrete at the beginning of one winter after just moving into the house. its an older house 1980 & I thought it would be common cold deterrent along with allergens etc, not sure if that was effective or not...anyway, I went to get a replacement after 3 months and found only a 3M 300 Filtrete available. Immediately, our house heated up so much faster and the air volume coming out of the registers almost doubled. I never went back to the 3M 1200.
If I suffered from any breathing disorder I would get rid of the creators of the pet dander and smoke etc way before I would rely on a filter IMO.
If I suffered from any breathing disorder I would get rid of the creators of the pet dander and smoke etc way before I would rely on a filter IMO.
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
I tried a 3M 1200 Filtrete at the beginning of one winter after just moving into the house. its an older house 1980 & I thought it would be common cold deterrent along with allergens etc, not sure if that was effective or not...anyway, I went to get a replacement after 3 months and found only a 3M 300 Filtrete available. Immediately, our house heated up so much faster and the air volume coming out of the registers almost doubled. I never went back to the 3M 1200.
If I suffered from any breathing disorder I would get rid of the creators of the pet dander and smoke etc way before I would rely on a filter IMO.
This is exactly my point.
Where I live, so many people are complaining about their houses not heating up. I'm sure it's at least partly due to filters. The remaining reason is poor installations.
Very easy tip. Buy a box fan for less than $20. Buy a 5 inch deep 20x20 Merv 12+ filter for less than $30. Attach the filter to the back of the box fan by running some string around it.
You will have a cost efficient, electricity efficient (box fan uses far less watts than your central air blower), air cleaner that is going to be better than a hepa filter (because it will move far far more air and achieve the same cleaning in less time).
The only downsize is noise. Consider running at full speed in a bedroom for 30 mins before bedtime, then run at the lowest speed overnight.
I tried a 3M 1200 Filtrete at the beginning of one winter after just moving into the house. its an older house 1980 & I thought it would be common cold deterrent along with allergens etc, not sure if that was effective or not...anyway, I went to get a replacement after 3 months and found only a 3M 300 Filtrete available. Immediately, our house heated up so much faster and the air volume coming out of the registers almost doubled. I never went back to the 3M 1200.
If I suffered from any breathing disorder I would get rid of the creators of the pet dander and smoke etc way before I would rely on a filter IMO.
This is exactly my point.
Where I live, so many people are complaining about their houses not heating up. I'm sure it's at least partly due to filters. The remaining reason is poor installations.
Very easy tip. Buy a box fan for less than $20. Buy a 5 inch deep 20x20 Merv 12+ filter for less than $30. Attach the filter to the back of the box fan by running some string around it.
You will have a cost efficient, electricity efficient (box fan uses far less watts than your central air blower), air cleaner that is going to be better than a hepa filter (because it will move far far more air and achieve the same cleaning in less time).
The only downsize is noise. Consider running at full speed in a bedroom for 30 mins before bedtime, then run at the lowest speed overnight.
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Mine takes an odd size 25x25x1. I used to get Ace's white ones for ~$5. They last 3 months as well. Last time they didn't have any in my size. That was OK, because I even found some cheaper ones at HD (white - 3mo).
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
I tried a 3M 1200 Filtrete at the beginning of one winter after just moving into the house. its an older house 1980 & I thought it would be common cold deterrent along with allergens etc, not sure if that was effective or not...anyway, I went to get a replacement after 3 months and found only a 3M 300 Filtrete available. Immediately, our house heated up so much faster and the air volume coming out of the registers almost doubled. I never went back to the 3M 1200.
You're not alone. Lots & lots of people are choking their HVAC units because of this. Most blower tables are only used with a cheap open 'furnace' filter when the measurements are taken. When I revamped my system, I had to add an additional 144 sqr. in. on the return side to balance it all out. So many factors to consider in the overall design....but they make a HUGE difference in comfort, performance, electricity usage, humidity removal, minimum temp deviations from room to room, and system life.
To add insult to injury is to put a brand new unit into an improperly designed, restrictive duct system. I'm willing to bet it's not the HVAC unit that's at fault, it's the duct system!! I'll add more later...
I tried a 3M 1200 Filtrete at the beginning of one winter after just moving into the house. its an older house 1980 & I thought it would be common cold deterrent along with allergens etc, not sure if that was effective or not...anyway, I went to get a replacement after 3 months and found only a 3M 300 Filtrete available. Immediately, our house heated up so much faster and the air volume coming out of the registers almost doubled. I never went back to the 3M 1200.
You're not alone. Lots & lots of people are choking their HVAC units because of this. Most blower tables are only used with a cheap open 'furnace' filter when the measurements are taken. When I revamped my system, I had to add an additional 144 sqr. in. on the return side to balance it all out. So many factors to consider in the overall design....but they make a HUGE difference in comfort, performance, electricity usage, humidity removal, minimum temp deviations from room to room, and system life.
To add insult to injury is to put a brand new unit into an improperly designed, restrictive duct system. I'm willing to bet it's not the HVAC unit that's at fault, it's the duct system!! I'll add more later...
Code:
Filter Manufacturer & type VS. Pressure Drop
Filter IWC MERV
Purolator KP-STD1-0301 1" Deep 0.24" 7
Purolator SYN-RG-2430 4" Deep 0.12" 8
Purolator HE40HC-STD1 1" Deep 0.24" 8
3M 300 0.15"
3M 600 0.14"
3M 1000 0.21"
3M 1500 0.18"
3M 1900 0.21"
3M 2200 0.21"
Typical cheap furnace filter 0.1"
*All 3M filters are 1" deep.
*IWC = Inches of Water Column. Lower is less restrictive.
Don't have MERV ratings for the 3M's. To help put this into perspective, I only had a ESP (external static pressure) of 0.3IWC to begin with in designing my new duct system. Using one of the Purolators or the higher end 3M would have cut my ASP (available static pressure) down to ~ 0.05IWC and I still have to account for pressure drops from DX coil, electric heat coil, supply outlet, balancing dampers, return grill, etc. In other words, I'd be left with a negative ASP, which won't work! So I'd have to increase the blower speed or use another filter and recrunch the numbers.
The 3M 300 has 40% less restriction than the purolator, right out of the box! As they get dirty, the more restrictive each will become. In a furnace, the heat exchanger will get really hot because there's not enough airflow over it, the over-temp switch will engage, your house will be cold and you'll wonder why.
Here in Tx where we only have two seasons: Summer & January, your evap core will likely turn into a block of ice due to lack of airflow, liquid refrig might make its way back to your compressor (especially if you don't have a TXV) and damage it or shorten it's life. Your house will be hot and there'll be very little air coming out of the vents. Meanwhile your indoor blower will be pulling against the block-of-ice (so to speak), the rpm's will greatly increase, it'll get really hot and greatly shorten its life.
And all because some ad on the filter said "this one will clean your whole house!". Bravo Sierra. No, it won't. Don't buy into the marketing hype. All the filter does is keep your furnace or evap coil and blower vanes clean. That's all.
Filter Manufacturer & type VS. Pressure Drop
Filter IWC MERV
Purolator KP-STD1-0301 1" Deep 0.24" 7
Purolator SYN-RG-2430 4" Deep 0.12" 8
Purolator HE40HC-STD1 1" Deep 0.24" 8
3M 300 0.15"
3M 600 0.14"
3M 1000 0.21"
3M 1500 0.18"
3M 1900 0.21"
3M 2200 0.21"
Typical cheap furnace filter 0.1"
*All 3M filters are 1" deep.
*IWC = Inches of Water Column. Lower is less restrictive.
Don't have MERV ratings for the 3M's. To help put this into perspective, I only had a ESP (external static pressure) of 0.3IWC to begin with in designing my new duct system. Using one of the Purolators or the higher end 3M would have cut my ASP (available static pressure) down to ~ 0.05IWC and I still have to account for pressure drops from DX coil, electric heat coil, supply outlet, balancing dampers, return grill, etc. In other words, I'd be left with a negative ASP, which won't work! So I'd have to increase the blower speed or use another filter and recrunch the numbers.
The 3M 300 has 40% less restriction than the purolator, right out of the box! As they get dirty, the more restrictive each will become. In a furnace, the heat exchanger will get really hot because there's not enough airflow over it, the over-temp switch will engage, your house will be cold and you'll wonder why.
Here in Tx where we only have two seasons: Summer & January, your evap core will likely turn into a block of ice due to lack of airflow, liquid refrig might make its way back to your compressor (especially if you don't have a TXV) and damage it or shorten it's life. Your house will be hot and there'll be very little air coming out of the vents. Meanwhile your indoor blower will be pulling against the block-of-ice (so to speak), the rpm's will greatly increase, it'll get really hot and greatly shorten its life.
And all because some ad on the filter said "this one will clean your whole house!". Bravo Sierra. No, it won't. Don't buy into the marketing hype. All the filter does is keep your furnace or evap coil and blower vanes clean. That's all.
I use Practical Pleat filters. They are HVAC return filters that measure 5" thick. Change every 6 or so months.
http://www.iaqsource.com/article.php/?id=139
http://www.iaqsource.com/article.php/?id=139
I looked them over. Didn't see any PD (pressure drop) data though.
Originally Posted By: bigmike
http://filters4yourhome.com/Documents/PracticalPleatFlyer.pdf
http://www.hvacsolutionsdirect.com/images/product_files/2601.pdf
The first is 0.12IWC, which is excellent performance. The second is even better at 0.09IWC, with a higher MERV rating. I like the idea of gaskets as well to prevent bypass. I gasketed my frame to prevent the same problem.
Thanks for the link, I'll look them up when I next need filters as I like the ability to put a much deeper filter into a 1" frame.
http://filters4yourhome.com/Documents/PracticalPleatFlyer.pdf
http://www.hvacsolutionsdirect.com/images/product_files/2601.pdf
The first is 0.12IWC, which is excellent performance. The second is even better at 0.09IWC, with a higher MERV rating. I like the idea of gaskets as well to prevent bypass. I gasketed my frame to prevent the same problem.
Thanks for the link, I'll look them up when I next need filters as I like the ability to put a much deeper filter into a 1" frame.
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