"gs" wrote in message
...
Ecodude wrote:
Dubious Dude wrote:
As a gift, I received a circular Honeywell air purifier, model 50100.
It has a
"Lifetime HEPA Permanent Filter" which one is suppose to vacuum. I'm
trying to
make sense of this logic. When you vacuum the HEPA filter, you're
pulling the
fine particles away from the filter and spewing it everywhere via the
vacuum
cleaner. I'm sure there's some logic behind it, but it just isn't all
that
obvious right now. Insights are appreciated.
REAL HEPA filters are made from layered spun glass and they should not be
vacuumed. They need to be replaced when full. If you have to wash the
filter your taking the chance of mold or bacteria growth. Don't trust
Honeywell's off the wall claims! Also Honeywell HEPA air cleaners have
a VERY low air exchange rate per hour even in a small bedroom sized area.

I never like HEPA filters, but they work well in disk drives. For volume
efficiency, use an electrostatic filter. I have used several whole house
system filters on the furnace/air, and the best are the 3M but also have
lower thermal efficiency. You can also wash many of the fiber
electrostatic air filters, but the cardboard makes it difficult. If they
were made it out of plastic, you could easily clean them.

g

There are plastic, washable filters, but I wouldn't have one if it was given
to me. Unless you dissassemble the whole thing and wash out each individual
layer of filter media, then reassemble the whole thing, your never gonna get
everything out of it, and after a short whole they become unsanitary. Then
there is the matter of they create too much restriction in the airflow, and
they just don't work well. Try a MERV 11 pleated disposable filter... change
it every month. Use paying your power bill as a filter change reminder.
clean filter = better efficiency = lower bills

FWIW, a *true* HEPA filter in a resi setting is a waste of money....True
HEPA filters get used in clean rooms and such. THey are 95%+ efficient....in
a resi setting, your gonna get a whole lot more dust and dirt than a HEPA
filter can handle just by infiltration of outside air, and the system has to
be specially designed for HEPA filters.