It's been my observation that an electrostatic air filter is made of a material that produces a slight static charge when air flows over it. This static charge encourages dust to stick to the filter. Many so called permanent filters are also electrostatic. The electrostatic air cleaner is washable (most people put it off because of the inconvenience). They end up being a big problem. 1/3 of the ones I've seen are seldom cleaned and that creates the service call I'm there for.
A Electronic air cleaner (EAC) requires power and works similarly to the Ionic breeze cleaners sold by sharper image. It has a corona wire that charges the dust particles and the dust settles on collector plates.
Honeywell makes the industry standard EAC of this type. These need to be cleaned every month or so and become so useless when the collector plates are dirty. Most of these I've seen have had the collector plates replace by a media filter.
The only one still in use that I've observed is used by a bedridden smoker. The collection plates get coated with tar and nicotine and I clean them every month as a service call.
It helps in this situation only because of the regular cleaning. It's the only filter on the furnace/AC and has been working fine for years. She also has several portable HEPA filters in her apartment.
There are a few electronic air cleaners with filter materials as part of the unit. Aprilaire makes a nice one that has an 4 or 5 inch deep media type filter included (maintain every 6-12 months).
Both Maytag and Amana have a 1 inch deep electronic air cleaner with filter pad that's ok. Maintain when dirty, in many homes that's every month.
Most 4 or 5 inch media type filters have dust free blower areas in the furnace.
Many EAC's and electrostatic filters don't.
The Aprilaire EAC with an integrated media filter have dust free blower areas.
These all assume the area between the filter and the furnace or air handler are well sealed. The blower door and any holes for wire penetration are well sealed.
Poor installation craftsmanship and lack of maintenance will cripple the finest equipment.
Last edited by allan38; 03-08-2007 at 05:49 PM.
“I am for doing good to the poor, but...I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”
― Benjamin Franklin