foam strips on Air Bear filter no more?

[Waxer]

I replaced my Lennox Air Bear 20 by 25 by 5 filter for the AC season and realized that the fit was not as snug as it had always been in the past. I compared the old one and the new and realized that the new one no longer had the 4 gray foam strips which really snugged things up and made it 'air tight' at the edges. Anyone else notice this change or did I get a defective one?

[slice]

bought some other day and those had it

[reb77]

Depends upon the manufacturer/where you bought it. Brands sold at Lowe's or over the internet don't have them but still should.

[Waxer]

Originally posted by reb77
Depends upon the manufacturer/where you bought it. Brands sold at Lowe's or over the internet don't have them but still should.

This Lennox Air Bear came from an HVAC company. It is important to have that snugness that the foam strips provide right?

[reb77]

To the best of my knowledge, yes. They are your seal. I use/and sell Trion Air Bear or Indigo filters and they both have the seals. The Air Demon found on-line and at Lowe's don't and are also flimsier but they are charging about the same as I do.

[classical]

It is actually better to not have the open cell foam strips as far air quality is concerned. The better fiters on the market do not have them. However the Trion and other filter system do require them for a tight air seal.
If you have the Trion unit which includes old Amana units and the Lennox models replacement filters should have the foam strips.