Hint to save on your Air Conditioning/Electric Bills.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by kell490

I think the biggest issue with the heavy 3m pleated filter is people don't change them soon enough which loads up the return air in a couple of weeks. These filters are catching way more dust then a normal filter so even once a month may not be enough.

I added a second filter-grille to my hvac system after learning the formulas & doing the math myself -

the standard for hvac airflow is 400 cubic feet of air, per ton of cooling capacity, per minute of runtime..

so if you look at a common hvac unit in a typical ~1500 sq ft house, we can do some math..

a 3 ton unit needs 1200 cubic feet of air per minute

60 minutes in an hour

and runs for 6 hours in a day

that's 432,000 cubic feet of air to be filtered in a day..

and most homes that size in Phoenix have one 20" x 25" or 20" x 30" filter grill.

if you do the math, you'll see you can either get enough air to the unit, or try to filter the air, but trying to do both at the same time isn't gonna work.

[tiger08]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

I just had an A/C guy come over to check out my units before it gets hot out and he took one look at the filters I was using in my house (A/C & Heating filters) and said they are way too restrictive and costing me $800-$1000 extra a year in energy costs. I've been using the expensive ones that are supposed to filter the air. He said I need to use the cheap "EZ Flow" ones that allow the proper air to move through the system and will do a much better job cooling and heating my home.

Just swapped them out and I'll let you know if it makes any difference over the summer but wanted to pass it on and see if anyone else had information on this?

I've mentioned this same thing to people here in Vegas but quite a few tend to be narrow minded.
The bad thing about some of those filters are, they also say "good for 90 days." I cant imagine running a filter for 90 days in my house!

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

I just had an A/C guy come over to check out my units before it gets hot out and he took one look at the filters I was using in my house (A/C & Heating filters) and said they are way too restrictive and costing me $800-$1000 extra a year in energy costs. I've been using the expensive ones that are supposed to filter the air. He said I need to use the cheap "EZ Flow" ones that allow the proper air to move through the system and will do a much better job cooling and heating my home.

Just swapped them out and I'll let you know if it makes any difference over the summer but wanted to pass it on and see if anyone else had information on this?

My technician told me the same thing, use the cheaper filters because it allows more airflow, saves energy and reduces costs.

Before this I used 3M filters which were supposed to suppress dust, allergens, and other irritants but they were suppressing airflow.

Shows how a more expensive product is not always the best way to go.

[Pink Jazz]

For those who were told to use fiberglass filters, I would be willing to bet with 99.99% confidence that your technicians don't even have a clue on what MERV ratings are. Not all pleated filters are created equal, and those with a lower MERV rating will be less restrictive to air flow than those with a higher MERV rating. Fact is, fiberglass filters will allow too much dirt accumulate on the coils, and those initial energy savings will be lost within a year or two and could lead to eventual damage to the coils. Making a blanket statement that all pleated filters are too restrictive to airflow is very narrow-minded, since they are available in different MERV ratings, and thus will have varying levels of air flow restriction.

Fact is, for current residential systems, the ideal range or MERV ratings is around 6-8 (MPR 300 to 600 in the 3M system), which provides a good balance between keeping your coils clean while not greatly restricting air flow. Any lower and you risk your coils getting dirty, while any higher you restrict airflow. If a high MERV rating is desired, a thicker filter is recommended. In terms of protecting your coils, a fiberglass filter is hardly any better than having no filter at all.

EDIT: Here is a link that proves my point:
http://ontimeairaz.com/use-blue-air-...h-buster-3.htm

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

* Making a blanket statement that all pleated filters are too restrictive to airflow is very narrow-minded, since they are available in different MERV ratings, and thus will have varying levels of air flow restriction.

the 1" thick pleated filters sold at costco and the various home stores are legendary amongst those in the trade for being overly restrictive. Unless your system was custom designed to use (inferior & undersized) filters, using them is a bad idea.

the link you posted refers to air filters "possibly causing a freon leak".. lol.. NOT!
ftfy.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

For those who were told to use fiberglass filters, I would be willing to bet with 99.99% confidence that your technicians don't even have a clue on what MERV ratings are. Not all pleated filters are created equal, and those with a lower MERV rating will be less restrictive to air flow than those with a higher MERV rating. Fact is, fiberglass filters will allow too much dirt accumulate on the coils, and those initial energy savings will be lost within a year or two and could lead to eventual damage to the coils. Making a blanket statement that all pleated filters are too restrictive to airflow is very narrow-minded, since they are available in different MERV ratings, and thus will have varying levels of air flow restriction.

Fact is, for current residential systems, the ideal range or MERV ratings is around 6-8 (MPR 300 to 600 in the 3M system), which provides a good balance between keeping your coils clean while not greatly restricting air flow. Any lower and you risk your coils getting dirty, while any higher you restrict airflow. If a high MERV rating is desired, a thicker filter is recommended. In terms of protecting your coils, a fiberglass filter is hardly any better than having no filter at all.

EDIT: Here is a link that proves my point:
Use Blue Air Filters for Better Air Flow -- MYTH BUSTER #3 | On Time Air Conditioning & Heating

I'd bet many techs do know what MERV ratings are but their job is to get the system to operate as designed within the manufacturer specs and as installed by the builder. It would seem to me that those 3 things either singularly or together cancel out being able to even consider increasing MERV ratings on filters. In fact, I'd bet the last variable is the biggest hinderance in the whole equation.

Like I was told, if you want to increase filtering then add more intakes or a better filter system. The air capacity has to come from somewhere for the system to run efficiently.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

the 1" thick pleated filters sold at costco and the various home stores are legendary amongst those in the trade for being overly restrictive. Unless your system was custom designed to use (inferior & undersized) filters, using them is a bad idea.

the link you posted refers to air filters "possibly causing a freon leak".. lol.. NOT!
ftfy.

Well, you might as well use no filter at all, since the fiberglass filters will allow most of the dirt to go straight to your coils. Try a pleated filter with a lower MERV rating and you will see it won't be too restrictive. Anyone who makes such a blanket statement about pleated filters is [mistaken.] Our Energy Star home came with MERV 6 pleated filters and we NEVER had any problem with air flow due to them.

[off topic]

[ji603]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Well, you might as well use no filter at all, since the fiberglass filters will allow most of the dirt to go straight to your coils. Try a pleated filter with a lower MERV rating and you will see it won't be too restrictive. Anyone who makes such a blanket statement about pleated filters is [mistaken.] Our Energy Star home came with MERV 6 pleated filters and we NEVER had any problem with air flow due to them.

You post a link from an AC company as proof that less restrictive filters cause damage to the unit? Lol. [off topic]

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by ji603

You post a link from an AC company as proof that less restrictive filters cause damage to the unit? Lol. You believe the black and white ads in the back of NewTimes too???

It isn't the filter that is causing damage, it is the all dirt that you are letting into your system to collect on your coils by using the cheap USELESS fiberglass filters, which are barely any better at protecting them than no filter at all. By letting all that dirt collect on your coils, your energy savings will be lost within a year and your coils could potentially be damaged. Fact is (REGARDLESS of the lies you want to believe), the ideal range for a current residential system is a MERV 6-8. Any lower, you are allowing too much dirt into your system.

[mod cut-- personal, bickering]

[observer53]

Everyone is going to just have to make their own decision about what filters to use. Closed.