Thanks for the response. Our filters are very high on the walls. One is in our vaulted great room 15' in the air and the other is on an 8' ceiling upstairs.
In doing more research, I see that the blue filter is an excellent filter to use with a HEPA (so I see what Bolton was talking about now). I'll look into getting a HEPA when we redo the cooling system (should be soon).
Is it possible to change a wall/ceiling mounted 1" filter box to a 5" box or is this something that should be at the furnace?
So, now I am leaning toward a cotton/polyester type filter. Is there any difference in pressure drop between a flat filter and pleated filter? (ie will a pleated be more prone to pressure drop)
I designed and installed my own system in my house that I built 1 year ago.
My Honeywell rep provided all of my IAQ and controls for free so I went hog wild!
My actual setup is an F-200 mounted on the return of my furnace, an F-500 HEPA, and a blue fiberglass filter in my return grill to keep the big dirt from getting into my rteturn duct.
I have alot of stuff there, but I also designed my duct system per Manual D to accomodate.
Most standard duct systems will not handle this set up.
Yes, after reading some more I see exactly what you are talking about. HEPA for the allergies and the most free flowing filter to keep the returns in generally good shape. I'm assuming that you have some maintenance ritual for cleaning/replacing return ducts on a yearly/2year/5year/etc basis as well as cleaning the furnace, motors, etc.
I'm going to talk to my reps about the HEPA today to get an idea of cost. They just replaced my furnace last year, so I think there would be a fair amount of movement to put the HEPA in. My setup in the attic is like this:
They would have to move the furnace/AC Coil further down (a few inches) to make room for the HEPA. We're planning on having the AC coil replaced at some point in the near future as it is getting pretty worn out.
In the meantime, I'd like to use a quality 1" to do a little of both (filter and free flowing air). Whatever will do the least amount of damage (due to pressure drop) on my motor.
I really don't have a cleaning ritual for my evap coil because it never gets a spec of dust on it.
I just clean my outdoor unit and check pressures. (freon and gas)
You need to make sure your return duct and grill are sized correctly to move enough air.
The HEPA install really isn't a concern because it is mounted external to the system and bypasses a certain amount of air to be filtered. It doesn't restrict airflow for your system...
Originally posted by BoltonNC Triton,
Look into the Honeywell FC40 series return air filter.
It's a 4" thick pleated and fits into your return grill...
Hi Bolton,
My system has a wall mounted metal frame with a 1" recess that the filter fits in. The grate is henged onto the metal frame. How would a 4" filter fit?
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Originally posted by Triton46
Originally posted by BoltonNC Triton,
Look into the Honeywell FC40 series return air filter.
It's a 4" thick pleated and fits into your return grill...
Hi Bolton,
My system has a wall mounted metal frame with a 1" recess that the filter fits in. The grate is henged onto the metal frame. How would a 4" filter fit?
You can modify your current frame to fit 4" filters,as long as there is enough space behind it accept the 4" filter.Then a standard filter fits fine and likely costs less.
There's no point in using rock catchers ! What you need is a good quality filter with a high Merv rating and a whole lot of surface area !!! Something like a GeneralAire model AC-1 or a Spacegard filter... basically an extended surface media filter to keep the pressure drop in check. An AC-1 Filter for example has approximately 78 square feet of media in a 20x25 unit. How much area does a 20x25x1" filter have ?
For right now, the one that is up 15' on a wall in our great room has a rock catcher. I spoke with Bolton the other day on the phone (great guy and very informative). He is sending me a brochure for one of the 4" filters.
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