On Feb 18, 9:34*am, wrote:
On Feb 18, 1:10*am, DerbyDad03 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?

....Snip ...

"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? *

A question not worth answering.

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. *

Why would any industry need a consistent message for dissimilar
products? In fact, this company alone has various furnace filters with
specs that range from "rinse once a month" to "lasts 90 days" to
"lasts up to 1 year".

And the more you wash them, the sooner you'll
need a new one of those too.

Per the link I posted:

"Comes with a Lifetime Warranty". The receipt is in the filing
cabinet.

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.

I have 2 dogs, a indoor/outdoor cat and 4 kids.

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

Of course. Past experience already tells me that "2X a year when the
ambient temps are appropriate" will not be enough. There will still be
periods during mid-winter in the north-east when the furnace will be
cycling while the filter is drying, thus the reason for the question
in my OP.