View Single Post
  #14   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
[email protected] trader4@optonline.net is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,500
Default Washable Electrostatic Furnace Filters - Use While Wet?

On Feb 18, 1:10*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Feb 17, 9:16*am, wrote:





On Feb 17, 2:56*am, David Nebenzahl wrote:


On 2/16/2010 8:59 PM DerbyDad03 spake thus:


I was looking at one of these "permanent" furnace filters at the Borg
the other day:


http://www.webproducts.com/Detail.bok?no=37


My question:


After you rinse one of these can you put back in while it's still wet
or should you keep a spare "regular" filter on hand while the
electrostatic one dries out?


Dunno, but funny thing: just today I helped a client who had washed out
his electrostatic filter units and couldn't figure out how to get them
back in. But these were the real McCoy, part of a Honeywell
electrostatic unit--you know, like with 20,000 volts and all.


How do these so-called "electrostatic" filters even work? There's no
source of electricity, so they must depend on some kind of static
charge. I can't believe they can be very effective.


That's what I was wondering as well. * Bottom line is whether these
filters really have some benefit or are just using the alleged
electrostatic feature as a marketing hype, hoping people think they
work like the real thing.


In any case, if I were using them, I'd probably let them dry out, at
least most of the way before putting them back in. * Seems that
wouldn't be hard to do if you clean them 2X a year when the ambient
temps are appropriate.


By the way, the real electrostatic units held just an incredible amount
of filth. Really black crap. (They hadn't been cleaned in a while.) So
they really work. And since they weren't quite dry, I advised my client
to dry them out first before putting them back in (we used a hair dryer).


--
You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it.


- a Usenet "apology"


"Seems that wouldn't be hard to do if you clean them 2X a year
when the ambient temps are appropriate."

Per the link I posted:

"simply rinse entire filter once a month then reinstall in system."

It doesn't say to dry them (or not) but at 12 times a year, leaving
them out to dry is probably going to mean at least a few furnace
cycles with no filter, especially in the winter.

If I bought one of those, I think I'd I keep a relatively inexpensive
one on hand for temporary use.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -



If the package said to clean them six times a day, would you do that
too? I'm sure there are some extreme conditions where you need to
clean a furnace filter every month. But I've lived in and had
experience with lots of houses and changing filters twice a year
worked just fine. At that point, they were a little dirty, but
easily could have gone even longer. IMO, a lot of telling people to
change filters frequently is to sell more filters. I know the ones
you are considering are washable, but I wouldn't be surprised the same
company sells disposable ones as well and the industry needs a
consistent message. And the more you wash them, the sooner you'll
need a new one of those too.

I have a friend who has a new house and I was showing him how to clean
his electrostatic filters last Fall. Real electrostatic ones, not
the dubious non-electric ones. He has two identical 4 year old
furnaces. Those filters were uncleaned for at least a year, which is
how long he owned the house. We don't know when the previous owner
last cleaned them. There was hardly anything on them at all. He
does have a very clean house, no pets, no kids, etc., which certainly
is a factor.

The best thing to do is see how fast they get dirty in your particular
application and adjust accordingly.