Trane Cleaneffects Field Charger Cleaning

[sam_hikes]

I didn't see any mention of a dehumidifier? I'll defer to the pros but I noticed even in dry Phx, AZ it is not suggested you run the fan in either continuous or circulate mode. You'll get humidity overload and you'll notice the very sticky dew point. High RH & DP are not good for overall IAQ.

Good luck with the CE as I hope the replacement equipment does better than my 2 did as I saw some of the same issues b/4 they deinstalled them.

I'm very happy with just the Trane 5" media which works better than the CE without the ozone & the mechanical issues.

[sam_hikes]

Here's a small thread on why the pros say not to run the fan during the summer A/C season.

http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=136837

problem is all the moisture evap/defrost from the coil... coils can stay cold/moist for a long time between A/C cycles.

an easy indication would be to check the temp & RH from a main supply vent during/after an A/C cycle with fan on and watch the numbers... I think you'll be surprised

[DrBermant]

I keep having to change the needle grid. After a few months, the grid needles shorten from the corrosion of the tips. What was once sharp needles become blunt. The cleaning process I use has been checked over and over again by the Trane field rep: I fold a piece of styrofoam cup and pull the collection of crystals and debris off the needle, starting at the plastic insertion to the tip. I need to clean the grid about once every 2 weeks in the winter and about once a week in the summer. I can feel when the needle build up has deteriorated the functioning of the unit, my skin and eyes burn while in the house. After cleaning (about 1 -2 hours) the symptoms abate. Over time, there is obvious corrosion at the tips of the needles as viewed through a surgical operating microscope.

The corrosion is not as bad with a new generation needle. The first needles were plated steel. Once the plating came off, the corrosion rate would be rapid. Some of the replacement grids seem to corrode much slower. Last month they gave me a defective grid that did not relieve my allergy symptoms and did not build up deposits at the end of the needles.

Does anyone have similar issues? Are there other fixes? I am sick of having to do perform all of this work on the damn unit. Trane is also dragging their feet about getting a back up grid to replace the worn one now! Their solution was to keep an extra working grid so that once the old one was no longer working, I could just put the new one in. I currently do not have a replacement, and can only pray that they get me one before this current one becomes dull and ineffective!

Are there other units on the market that have proven more effective, less work to maintain, or has there been an analysis of this Clean Effect defect?

Michael Bermant, M.D.

[pmeunier]

...
Are there other units on the market that have proven more effective, less work to maintain, or has there been an analysis of this Clean Effect defect?

Michael Bermant, M.D.

I learned my lesson with the Aprilaire 5000. I'll only buy media filters now, and my last MERV 13 lasted an entire year (with the fan continuously on from fall to spring) for very little money and no maintenance to perform. Also, there are no worries of chemical reactions in the filter producing burning sensations like you describe when the gases get to you.

[smooth_operator]

Also, there are no worries of chemical reactions in the filter producing burning sensations like you describe when the gases get to you.

I'm with you on that one 200%. Very often people think that more complicated devices will solve all their problems. But they accually make them more complicated.

[JWB]

We get a lot of the corrosion on the grids here.

[DrBermant]

I'm with you on that one 200%. Very often people think that more complicated devices will solve all their problems. But they accually make them more complicated.

It is not a gas problem nor ozone problem, it is simple physics. High voltage physics with a sharp electrode will produce a corona and create a field effect. Dull that electrode and it takes a much higher voltage to create the same corona or field effect. It is the same issue when you coat the electrode with crystals / material that is not conductive to the same degree as the electrode. The defect in the unit is that there is no voltage compensation as the electrode dulls or gets filled with insulating crap.

This is not rocket science, but basic electronics / physics. Up until now they have been forcing me to clean the electrode with styrofoam each 1 -3 weeks to keep the unit working and replacing them as they wore short and dulled.

Operating a corroded electrode or shortened worn out electrode is like having the cleaneffect filter turned off, my pain returns, the dust comes back in the house. Clean a salvageable electrode and its power to clean returns. Replace a dull grid with a new one and it starts working again.

Again, any ideas how to adapt or is there something else I can use to make my life bearable?

If I was redesigning this defective device, I would have the electronic charge vary based on the resistance present in the current state of the electrodes maintaining a constant corona effective cleaning device. Once the unit's resistance exceeded a certain amount I would then design a light to come on. Once the owner cleaned the grid and pressed a just cleaned button and the resistance indicated the needle was too worn, I would then light a lamp saying change grid.

Any thoughts or help?

Michael Bermant, M.D.
Board Certified
American Board of Plastic Surgery

[pmeunier]

"is there something else I can use to make my life bearable?"

I have lots of strong allergies so I understand the need (almost wrote "desperation"). I'd suggest the Lennox Healthy Climate 16 Media Air Cleaner. It's what I'd use if I wanted a brand-name filter. No cleaning required but it should be as effective as the Cleaneffects as far as particles and allergies are concerned. If it doesn't help, then you're having another problem than mere allergies.

[meccano9]

Two thoughts in response to many previous statements about this unit.
1) After cleaning and reinstalling the filters one must push/hold the reset button to get back to ground zero on the LEDs - (only the bottom green one flashing to indicate the unit is running ). Not prominent in the end-user instructions. Who writes these things? Very lengthy compared to how easy each step is.
2) Yes, they say to clean the field charger spikes with styrofoam, but there are lots of styrofoams out there. (should I spend $100 to see what they use?) My first attempt was with the stuff used for decorations/crafts 'cause I had some right next to my work area, and the spikes looked much better - little white collections of scuzz on the tips disappeared. Yes, we must not have our users stick their fingers on the sharp spikes or they will sue. In my generation we were taught that stcking our fingers was how we learned!

[Redtag]

Do you use a solution on your sponge?

[ChrisWNY]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I recently had to replace the field charger on my AccuClean (identical to the Trane TD175) unit, which was installed back in 2008 when my house was built. The field charger lasted 10 years before enough of the pins corroded to the point where the field charger was arcing through the plastic causing the AccuClean to throw error codes...those flashing red lights on the front display that mean the air cleaner has cut power to the field charger.

If @DrBermant still frequents these forums...there is a potential solution that might work for you to keep your field charger pins from corroding. I would recommend coating each needle in the field charger with a VERY small amount of CorrosionX. It's a type of oil used in marine/boating applications and safe for electrical and electronic components. You can submerge electronic components in the stuff and they'll work forever, with likely no corrosion. CorrosionX comes in a spray or spray-pump bottle. It runs about $20 per bottle on Amazon, and that bottle should be all you need for whatever uses you find for it. I replaced my field charger not long ago and I did end up coating every single needle with a small bit of CorrosionX, applied using a paper towel (carefully) on each needle. They look brand new to this day, and should remain looking that way. Not sure what's in the stuff that works so well, but it does work. It does have a slight odor but that odor will diminish quickly and should be negligible if you use a small amount.