On Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 1:10:41 PM UTC-4, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote:
Allie m wrote:

Ok so I didn't notice his post was from 2006..let's move on. Can a 2" work
with an adapter? Need help, not scarcaism. And I'm a woman, not a man.

The filter material is fan folded, so by using a thinner filter, you are
reducing the surface area available for air to flow through. The net effect is
that dust will restrict airflow much faster, and require changing far more
often.

its like changing your oil

it's more important that you check it and change it when needed compared to
worrying about what exact brand or type you use...

if you check your filter often and change when needed, almost anything will work fine
m

replying to Ralph Mowery, Allie wrote:
No dirt floor..haha. Not. Non smoker, 3 dogs. Florida humidity..sand not dirt
outside.

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In article .com,
says...

replying to Ralph Mowery, Allie wrote:
No dirt floor..haha. Not. Non smoker, 3 dogs. Florida humidity..sand not dirt
outside.



With 3 dogs it could be lots of dog hair. If this is the case it would
probably be beter if you switched to a less expensive filter and changed
it once a month.

I guess that if Florida you run the unit most of the year. I am in the
middle of NC and have a heat pump so it runs much of the year. No
animals in the house and the 1 inch filter changed every two months
seems to filter it out very well. Not too dirty and the coils were
cleaned after several years by an AC repair man. He said they did not
really need it, but was part of the service.

On Wed, 2 Nov 2016 13:56:09 -0400, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article .com,
m says...

replying to Ralph Mowery, Allie wrote:
No dirt floor..haha. Not. Non smoker, 3 dogs. Florida humidity..sand not dirt
outside.



With 3 dogs it could be lots of dog hair. If this is the case it would
probably be beter if you switched to a less expensive filter and changed
it once a month.

I guess that if Florida you run the unit most of the year. I am in the
middle of NC and have a heat pump so it runs much of the year. No
animals in the house and the 1 inch filter changed every two months
seems to filter it out very well. Not too dirty and the coils were
cleaned after several years by an AC repair man. He said they did not
really need it, but was part of the service.

The pleated paper filter is far more effective in taking out small
particles.
I ended up with both. My air handler is in a closet with a louvered
door. I used "cut to fit" media on the door to stop the big stuff and
a "space guard" on the intake for the rest of it.
I can take the door media out in the yard and wash it with a hose and
it seems to stop most of the stuff. The paper filters last at least a
year. I have a gauge on the air handler that tells me when it is
degraded.

replying to Ralph Mowery, Allie wrote:
Thanks Ralph. Talked a specialist/ac company she said same thing. She said
there's no reason to have such a big honking filter..more money for these
filter companies. That I could tape a 1" filter to the unit/handler where air
draws it,,change every month. Plus, my unit must be freezing up from the dirty
filter causing water leaking in house. Yes, drain outside is free.it has to be
that filter.

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On 11/2/2016 12:44 PM, Allie wrote:

my unit must be freezing up from the
dirty filter causing water leaking in house.
Yes, drain outside is free.it has
to be that filter.

I live in a dusty climate and when using the standard cheap filters the
dust would go through them and collect on the cold wet coils (inside the
unit). Eventually the dust would wash down and clog the pan's drain exit
hole (still inside the unit) while the drain pipe itself appeared clear.
This resulted in the pan overflowing and leaking into the garage and
house. I solved the problem by using an allergenic filter. I get them at
Target for $12.95. (My filter is 20x30x1 and I generally get 3 months
which is what's recommended on the filter.)

On Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 4:30:47 PM UTC-4, AL wrote:
On 11/2/2016 12:44 PM, Allie wrote:

my unit must be freezing up from the
dirty filter causing water leaking in house.
Yes, drain outside is free.it has
to be that filter.

I live in a dusty climate and when using the standard cheap filters the
dust would go through them and collect on the cold wet coils (inside the
unit). Eventually the dust would wash down and clog the pan's drain exit
hole (still inside the unit) while the drain pipe itself appeared clear.
This resulted in the pan overflowing and leaking into the garage and
house. I solved the problem by using an allergenic filter. I get them at
Target for $12.95. (My filter is 20x30x1 and I generally get 3 months
which is what's recommended on the filter.)

That's what some people apparently don't realize. There are filter specs
on what particle size they will filter out. The 5" filters will remove
smaller particles from the air. The downside is that if you have dirty air,
they will need replacing sooner. Sure, you can replace them with a cheap
2" or even 1" filter, but then you won't get the same filtration.
It's up to everyone what they want, less frequent filter changes or
clean air. They just need to check the specs. I bet the cheap filters
don't even have specs. Those 1" fiberglass ones never trapped much of
anything, as far as I can tell.

In article s.com,
says...

replying to Ralph Mowery, Allie wrote:
Thanks Ralph. Talked a specialist/ac company she said same thing. She said
there's no reason to have such a big honking filter..more money for these
filter companies. That I could tape a 1" filter to the unit/handler where air
draws it,,change every month. Plus, my unit must be freezing up from the dirty
filter causing water leaking in house. Yes, drain outside is free.it has to be
that filter.

There are usually tow common reasons for the unit to freeze. Low air
flow and low refrigerant (Freon to most people). While it seems
backwards, when your unit runs low on refrigerant the coils actually get
colder and if cold enough the water that condenses on the coils will
freeze up and restrict the air flow even more.

Look for ice on the coils and see if there is any. If not and just
water, you have some kind of drain problem. The aircondition unit acts
like a big dehumidifier if working and sized correctly and lowers the
humidity in the house so you feel more comfortable.

replying to makolber, Allie wrote:
Thank you, I agree. I'm changing a $40 filter every 4 weeks. I can just as
easy change a 1" one in a month. I found a " air sponge " filter I like. With
an aluminum frame. Filter factory.com. going to try it. Can return if doesn't
work.

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replying to Arthur Conan Doyle, Allie wrote:
Found a merv 8, air sponge filter going to try. Has to be better than these
5" expensive things. Its not normal that it should freeze up unit cause filter
is dirty. Only after a month.

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replying to trader_4, Allie wrote:
An ac company that has many years experience. Check out their site. Filter
factory.com


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replying to gfretwell, Allie wrote:
I had two filters also, at the outside grate and the 5" filter. Ac man said
not to have the grate one. Will effect the air flow. I also looked into the
"media" filters. I may get those. I also like the air sponge ones that fit in
a metal frame.

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replying to Ralph Mowery, Allie wrote:
I think in my case it's the low air flow, again, that dirty filter. I don't
mind changing it every month of Theyre not $40 each.

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replying to trader_4, Allie wrote:
Trouble is, this is a brand new unit. I never had to replace filters that were
this dirty after one month. The old unit never froze up or leaked due to bad
filter. I'll try med prices $10 to $15 filters..not the $1 ones..

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On Thu, 03 Nov 2016 01:14:01 +0000, Allie
m wrote:

I had two filters also, at the outside grate and the 5" filter. Ac man said
not to have the grate one. Will effect the air flow.

The media I have on the louver door is over 12 square feet. That is
not doing much to the air flow. It does catch a lot of stuff that is
not making it to the pleated filter, it also keeps the closet a whole
lot cleaner.

On Thu, 03 Nov 2016 01:14:01 +0000, Allie
m wrote:

replying to Ralph Mowery, Allie wrote:
I think in my case it's the low air flow, again, that dirty filter. I don't
mind changing it every month of Theyre not $40 each.

I buy my space guard filters on line (generic) and they are about $16

On Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 9:14:05 PM UTC-4, Allie wrote:
replying to trader_4, Allie wrote:
Trouble is, this is a brand new unit. I never had to replace filters that were
this dirty after one month.

Put a crap filter, like those cheap 1" fiberglass ones, in a dirty
air stream, with particles from large down to smoke size. Take a
Merv 14 and put it into the same dirty air stream. The MERV will
dirty up quickly, the fiberglass crap one could last orders of
magnitude longer, because it's not catching much. And a decent
MERV 14 filter will have the deep pleats so that it can take more
dirt, while still maintaining a low pressure delta.

On 11/1/2016 4:44 PM, Allie wrote:
replying to Rick Brandt, Allie wrote:
Thank you. I too have the 5" slot for the filter on my new ac unit. Had I
known how expensive those dang 5" filters were, I never would've gotten
it. I
want to use 1 or 2" filters too, with a rigged system to keep it in
place. Can
you post pics of how you made yours?


I want to switch to a 4 or 5" system so that I can maintain a higher
flow volume getting through the system.

--
"If you're going to kick authority in the teeth, you might as well use
two feet."
- Keef

replying to Allie, Ivan Z wrote:
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.f...000668615.html
can't find US version of this, but apparently "they do exist" - Filtrete
filter adapter for 4€œ and 2" openings down to 1" filter.

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replying to chuckk, johnny wrote:
I have the same thing - a 20x25x5 slot, but those filters are very expensive.
I found a better deal on filters 20x25x4 (1 inch smaller). I plan on just
using these. When the furnace/airconditioner starts up, I expect it will just
suck it into place (since there is 1 inch of "play"). Alternatively I might
build a small 1 inch shim to stick in there. The different websites make it
sound like rocket science, but I bet this will work just fine

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replying to scott21230, johnny wrote:
I think that is a perfectly good idea. On the other and you may not even need
it. When the system kicks on, the air pressure will just suck it into place. I
wouldn't worry about it.


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replying to Allie, johnny wrote:
Great idea. I think that will work fine. I am going to do the same thing.

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replying to Allie, johnny wrote:
I think the idea of using a frame to take up the extra space will work fine. I
plan on doing exactly that.

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On 7/12/2020 1:44 PM, johnny wrote:
replying to chuckk, johnny wrote:
I have the same thing - a 20x25x5 slot, but those filters are very
expensive.
I found a better deal on filters 20x25x4 (1 inch smaller). I plan on just
using these. When the furnace/airconditioner starts up, I expect it will
just
suck it into place (since there is 1 inch of "play"). Alternatively I might
build a small 1 inch shim to stick in there. The different websites make it
sound like rocket science, but I bet this will work just fine


Better deal but less filtering surface. Less surface means more
frequent changes. False economy.

On Sunday, July 12, 2020 at 3:28:16 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 7/12/2020 1:44 PM, johnny wrote:
replying to chuckk, johnny wrote:
I have the same thing - a 20x25x5 slot, but those filters are very
expensive.
I found a better deal on filters 20x25x4 (1 inch smaller). I plan on just
using these. When the furnace/airconditioner starts up, I expect it will
just
suck it into place (since there is 1 inch of "play"). Alternatively I might
build a small 1 inch shim to stick in there. The different websites make it
sound like rocket science, but I bet this will work just fine


Better deal but less filtering surface. Less surface means more
frequent changes. False economy.

Might still work out if the 4" ones are significantly less expensive though.
IDK about relying on the thinner filter being sucked into place part.
IDK what kind of situation they have. I have what's either a 4 or 5
inch pleated filter, I change it once a year or once every two years
depending on how it looks and it doesn't get dirty fast.

The purpose of the filter is to protect the equipment, not the people. You want to keep the coils clean.

The air that hits the filter comes from inside the house. You've already breathed it.

On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 8:07:39 AM UTC-4, TimR wrote:
The purpose of the filter is to protect the equipment, not the people. You want to keep the coils clean.

The air that hits the filter comes from inside the house. You've already breathed it.

I thought it was actually both. And that to protect the eqpt, even a
minimal filter will do that. That's why they put a spot for a 1"
filter in the typical furnace. To filter out allergens, finer particles
requires the higher rated filters. I've liven for many years in homes
that just had the 1" filter, never had any eqpt problems.

On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 8:38:13 AM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 8:07:39 AM UTC-4, TimR wrote:
The purpose of the filter is to protect the equipment, not the people. You want to keep the coils clean.

The air that hits the filter comes from inside the house. You've already breathed it.

I thought it was actually both. And that to protect the eqpt, even a
minimal filter will do that. That's why they put a spot for a 1"
filter in the typical furnace. To filter out allergens, finer particles
requires the higher rated filters. I've liven for many years in homes
that just had the 1" filter, never had any eqpt problems.

That's what I think, too, but it makes sense to me that filtering finer particles means more resistance to air flow which requires a bigger fan which uses more electricity etc. And if your resistance to air flow is too much you starve the coil of air and you get freezups.

I use the 1 inch filters and I change them when I hear the air noise increase.

I think my refrigerator coils catch the most dust anyway.

On Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 8:58:22 AM UTC-4, TimR wrote:
On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 8:38:13 AM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 8:07:39 AM UTC-4, TimR wrote:
The purpose of the filter is to protect the equipment, not the people.. You want to keep the coils clean.

The air that hits the filter comes from inside the house. You've already breathed it.

I thought it was actually both. And that to protect the eqpt, even a
minimal filter will do that. That's why they put a spot for a 1"
filter in the typical furnace. To filter out allergens, finer particles
requires the higher rated filters. I've liven for many years in homes
that just had the 1" filter, never had any eqpt problems.

That's what I think, too, but it makes sense to me that filtering finer particles means more resistance to air flow which requires a bigger fan which uses more electricity etc. And if your resistance to air flow is too much you starve the coil of air and you get freezups.

I use the 1 inch filters and I change them when I hear the air noise increase.

I think my refrigerator coils catch the most dust anyway.

The finer filters have deep pleats to substantially increase the surface
area to at least partially offset that.

On Tue, 14 Jul 2020 05:58:19 -0700 (PDT), TimR
wrote:

On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 8:38:13 AM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 8:07:39 AM UTC-4, TimR wrote:
The purpose of the filter is to protect the equipment, not the people. You want to keep the coils clean.

The air that hits the filter comes from inside the house. You've already breathed it.

I thought it was actually both. And that to protect the eqpt, even a
minimal filter will do that. That's why they put a spot for a 1"
filter in the typical furnace. To filter out allergens, finer particles
requires the higher rated filters. I've liven for many years in homes
that just had the 1" filter, never had any eqpt problems.

That's what I think, too, but it makes sense to me that filtering finer particles means more resistance to air flow which requires a bigger fan which uses more electricity etc. And if your resistance to air flow is too much you starve the coil of air and you get freezups.

I use the 1 inch filters and I change them when I hear the air noise increase.

I think my refrigerator coils catch the most dust anyway.

The pleated paper filter, like a Space Guard have a whole lot more
surface area so it makes up for how much restriction there is per
square foot. I still have a pre filter in front of mine to stop the
big stuff. That one is washable. There is a gauge on the plenum to see
when the restriction becomes excessive. I usually swap out the element
at around 0.2-0.3" H2O. A new filter cruises at around 0.07".