I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered these
are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?

Internet searches on this have not resulted in any material articles.
Any comments/suggestions appreciated!

Why not use the proper filter? An Aprilaire filter [5"] is an excellent
filter, and should be changed annually at a minimum. [Honeywell also makes
a similar filter.] A 1" filter is not as efficient in removing material
from the air and at best should be changed monthly. To save a few bucks by
using something that requires more changes, is less efficient, and ends up
being "Mickey Moused" in seems less appealing to me.
--
Zyp

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered these
are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?

Internet searches on this have not resulted in any material articles.
Any comments/suggestions appreciated!

How hard would it be to make some sort of adapter out of metal or wood
to take up the difference? I don't see why you can't use a normal 1"
filter instead of a 5" filter.

And if anything, I'd pass judgement on someone using the 5" filter as
being overy paranoid or succeptable to marketing gimmicks.

wrote:
I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered these
are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?

Internet searches on this have not resulted in any material articles.
Any comments/suggestions appreciated!

I would keep the better filtering capability. Of course I have
allergies.

You can use a cheap 1" filter. You likely should replace it more often
and it will not provide a good a filtering job, but any good 1" filter will
protect your furnace, which is the first reason for a filter. You will need
to make some sort of adapter to hold it and fit the spot.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"Joseph Meehan" writes:
wrote:
I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered these
are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?
You can use a cheap 1" filter. You likely should replace it more often
could he use 4 or 5 1" filters?
less adapter needed then. (I say 4, since the packaging might not be exactly 1")
the ones further from the front will have less particulate.

This may induce less flowrate if the 5" has the same amount of air
resistance as 1 1" filter, though.

--
May no harm befall you,
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
In my email replace SeeEmmYou.EeeDeeYou with CMU.EDU

Buy the correct filters on ebay and save a bunch, there are even clones
that work as well and cost less. I paid extra to get that filter
installed with my new hvac unit and really don't mind even at $36 once
a year, but can get them for 1/2 that on the bay of E though I may have
to buy more than one to get that price.

ACTUALLY, there is a reason they are thicker. It's called a high efficiency
filter. I paid extra for that thick housing on mine. There's a reason.
Use the proper filter and quit being a cheap skate.

--
Steve Barker


wrote in message
ps.com...
How hard would it be to make some sort of adapter out of metal or wood
to take up the difference? I don't see why you can't use a normal 1"
filter instead of a 5" filter.

And if anything, I'd pass judgement on someone using the 5" filter as
being overy paranoid or succeptable to marketing gimmicks.

wrote:

I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered these
are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?

Internet searches on this have not resulted in any material articles.
Any comments/suggestions appreciated!

Perhaps you could use 5 of the 1" variety, and cycle them (replace the
front one and add a new one to the back whenever the pack needs
refreshing).

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

CJT wrote:
wrote:

I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered
these are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?

Internet searches on this have not resulted in any material articles.
Any comments/suggestions appreciated!

Perhaps you could use 5 of the 1" variety, and cycle them (replace the
front one and add a new one to the back whenever the pack needs
refreshing).

Not good. The additional air resistance could damage your air handler.



--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Joseph Meehan wrote:

CJT wrote:

wrote:


I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered
these are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?

Internet searches on this have not resulted in any material articles.
Any comments/suggestions appreciated!


Perhaps you could use 5 of the 1" variety, and cycle them (replace the
front one and add a new one to the back whenever the pack needs
refreshing).


Not good. The additional air resistance could damage your air handler.



That assumes there IS "additional air resistance." I don't think that
has been demonstrated.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

CJT wrote:
Joseph Meehan wrote:

CJT wrote:

wrote:


I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered
these are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?

Internet searches on this have not resulted in any material
articles. Any comments/suggestions appreciated!


Perhaps you could use 5 of the 1" variety, and cycle them (replace
the front one and add a new one to the back whenever the pack needs
refreshing).


Not good. The additional air resistance could damage your air
handler.
That assumes there IS "additional air resistance." I don't think that
has been demonstrated.

While it would depend on the specific filters, I is a very good bet it
would increase the resistance unless you were using some very cheap poor
quality filters, and maybe even for those.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Using 5, 1" filters wont work, you wont have enough air pass and will
overheat your furnace and get little air. A 5" media lasts, allows much
less 1st time pollutant pass through. Use what its designed for a 5"
unit.

m Ransley wrote:
Using 5, 1" filters wont work, you wont have enough air pass and will
overheat your furnace and get little air. A 5" media lasts, allows
much less 1st time pollutant pass through. Use what its designed for
a 5" unit.

I built a wooden frame that fit in my 5 inch media slot and which accepted
standard one inch media.

The problem with 5 inch is that it "looks" dirty just as fast as one inch and
nobody will tell you "for certain" how long you should use the filter before
replacing and the HVAC crowd is always warning us about not letting the filter
get too clogged. Well if you don't have a pressure meter how do you tell this?

With a three to five dollar one inch filter I can take the attitude "if in doubt
replace it". That gets pretty expensive with five inch media. The stuff that
came in my furnace was over forty dollars a pop.

My April Air media lasts over 1 year, your 1-5$ thing will be inferior
in operation. I cant believe anybody would even consider doing what you
plan. Your furnace -AC coil is what you are trying to protect to not
loose efficiency from crapping it up. You have a superior system , use
it.

Joseph Meehan wrote:
CJT wrote:

Joseph Meehan wrote:


CJT wrote:


wrote:



I have a furnace built for a 25"x20"x5" filter. I've discovered
these are *really* expensive compared to the 1" filters.
Is there any strong reason not to use a 1" filter with some sort of
space adapater in this application?

Internet searches on this have not resulted in any material
articles. Any comments/suggestions appreciated!


Perhaps you could use 5 of the 1" variety, and cycle them (replace
the front one and add a new one to the back whenever the pack needs
refreshing).

Not good. The additional air resistance could damage your air
handler.

That assumes there IS "additional air resistance." I don't think that
has been demonstrated.


While it would depend on the specific filters, I is a very good bet it
would increase the resistance unless you were using some very cheap poor
quality filters, and maybe even for those.


The thing about the 5" filters is that they start at roughly the same
back pressure as a good 3M filter, but load up VERY slowly because of
the VAST increase in surface area.

The 3M will be excessively loading the fan in under 90 days, in many
cases, under 30 days, costs $15-$20 and has to be replaced 4 or more
times a year.

The 5"filter won't get to the same back pressure as the 3M for 9 months
to 12 months or longer.

Spend $45 once a year and trap more dirt and let your furnace run more
efficiently, or spend $80 a year...

On Sat, 14 Oct 2006 14:14:21 GMT, Rick Brandt wrote:
The problem with 5 inch is that it "looks" dirty just as fast as one inch and
nobody will tell you "for certain" how long you should use the filter before
replacing and the HVAC crowd is always warning us about not letting the filter
get too clogged. Well if you don't have a pressure meter how do you tell this?

Build a meter?

Buy:
two or three feet of clear vinyl tubing (small diameter)
two fittings for tubing to threaded
(bulkhead fittings would be best, but more costly)

mount both fittings into sheet metal duct work, one on each side of
filter -- upstream and downstream air flow. (Idea is that air handler
can suck air thru them.) Make sure fittings are close enough together
that tubing will hang down in a loose loop between them.

Fill tubing about 1/4 to 1/2 way with water. (Could add some food
coloring to make the level easier to see.)

Connect both ends of tubing to fittings. (Easiest with air handler
OFF.)

Note water level (might want to mark it) with air handler off. It
should be equal on both legs.

Note water level with air handler on. With even a clean filter the legs
will likely now be offset a little bit (downstream leg higher).

Water will move closer and closer to the downstream side of the filter
as filter restriction increases. Too much restriction and you will have
to refill the tube. (If you can find a little floating ball that
will just barely freely fit inside the tubing, put it in the downstream
side and it will prevent most of the water sucking out. Another ball on
the upstream side makes it easy to see water levels.)

sdb

--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

"sylvan butler" wrote in message
rnal...
On Sat, 14 Oct 2006 14:14:21 GMT, Rick Brandt
wrote:
The problem with 5 inch is that it "looks" dirty just as fast as one inch
and
nobody will tell you "for certain" how long you should use the filter
before
replacing and the HVAC crowd is always warning us about not letting the
filter
get too clogged. Well if you don't have a pressure meter how do you tell
this?

Build a meter?

Buy:
two or three feet of clear vinyl tubing (small diameter)
two fittings for tubing to threaded
(bulkhead fittings would be best, but more costly)

mount both fittings into sheet metal duct work, one on each side of
filter -- upstream and downstream air flow. (Idea is that air handler
can suck air thru them.) Make sure fittings are close enough together
that tubing will hang down in a loose loop between them.

Fill tubing about 1/4 to 1/2 way with water. (Could add some food
coloring to make the level easier to see.)

Connect both ends of tubing to fittings. (Easiest with air handler
OFF.)

Note water level (might want to mark it) with air handler off. It
should be equal on both legs.

Note water level with air handler on. With even a clean filter the legs
will likely now be offset a little bit (downstream leg higher).

Water will move closer and closer to the downstream side of the filter
as filter restriction increases. Too much restriction and you will have
to refill the tube. (If you can find a little floating ball that
will just barely freely fit inside the tubing, put it in the downstream
side and it will prevent most of the water sucking out. Another ball on
the upstream side makes it easy to see water levels.)

sdb

That's a pretty good idea really. Although if you didn't want to mess with
water and such I think you could do the same with a couple of cheap
barometers one on each side.

On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:39:48 -0700, Eigenvector wrote:
"sylvan butler" wrote in message
rnal...
Water will move closer and closer to the downstream side of the filter
as filter restriction increases. Too much restriction and you will have
to refill the tube.

That's a pretty good idea really. Although if you didn't want to mess with
water and such I think you could do the same with a couple of cheap
barometers one on each side.

The advantage to the water-in-tube approach, is it is self-calibrating
and balancing for filter restriction. A pair of cheap barometers might
work, but there may be issues...

1) how do you attach them to measure the ductwork? Look for ones that
have a fitting for tubing on their pressure bubble, and you'll still
need the tubing fittings in your ductwork.

2) Look at all the cheap barometers in the store. Pick two that read
the same. Suprising how many don't. Or just use one.

3) What range and precision will they read? We only need relative
accuracy, but we need moderately high precision at one end of a large
offset from ambient pressure in order see the effect of filter
restriction.

sdb

--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

Or -

Honeywell sells a "filter" change meter. [It is a simple "flag" meter that
attaches to the return air plenum.] By measuring the static it can be
adjusted to "flag" when the draw becomes excessive. Cute little gadget.

--
Zyp

"sylvan butler" wrote in message
rnal...
On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:39:48 -0700, Eigenvector
wrote:
"sylvan butler" wrote in
message
rnal...
Water will move closer and closer to the downstream side of the filter
as filter restriction increases. Too much restriction and you will
have
to refill the tube.

That's a pretty good idea really. Although if you didn't want to mess
with
water and such I think you could do the same with a couple of cheap
barometers one on each side.

The advantage to the water-in-tube approach, is it is self-calibrating
and balancing for filter restriction. A pair of cheap barometers might
work, but there may be issues...

1) how do you attach them to measure the ductwork? Look for ones that
have a fitting for tubing on their pressure bubble, and you'll still
need the tubing fittings in your ductwork.

2) Look at all the cheap barometers in the store. Pick two that read
the same. Suprising how many don't. Or just use one.

3) What range and precision will they read? We only need relative
accuracy, but we need moderately high precision at one end of a large
offset from ambient pressure in order see the effect of filter
restriction.

sdb

--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:30:34 -0700, Zephyr wrote:
Honeywell sells a "filter" change meter. [It is a simple "flag" meter that
attaches to the return air plenum.] By measuring the static it can be
adjusted to "flag" when the draw becomes excessive. Cute little gadget.

Sounds interesting. Couldn't find it. Have a link?

sdb

--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

sylvan butler wrote:
On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:30:34 -0700, Zephyr wrote:

Honeywell sells a "filter" change meter. [It is a simple "flag" meter that
attaches to the return air plenum.] By measuring the static it can be
adjusted to "flag" when the draw becomes excessive. Cute little gadget.


Sounds interesting. Couldn't find it. Have a link?

sdb


www.filters-now.com sells one from GeneralAire.$14.99.

Find it near the bottom of the Honeywell Whole House Filters page.

On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 13:26:01 GMT, Robert Gammon wrote:
sylvan butler wrote:
On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:30:34 -0700, Zephyr wrote:
Honeywell sells a "filter" change meter. [It is a simple "flag" meter that
attaches to the return air plenum.]

Sounds interesting. Couldn't find it. Have a link?

www.filters-now.com sells one from GeneralAire.$14.99.

Find it near the bottom of the Honeywell Whole House Filters page.

http://www.filters-now.com/products/dhw.html

That's darn slick.

sdb

--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

sylvan butler wrote:
On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 13:26:01 GMT, Robert Gammon
wrote:
sylvan butler wrote:
On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:30:34 -0700, Zephyr
wrote:
Honeywell sells a "filter" change meter. [It is a simple
"flag" meter that attaches to the return air plenum.]

Sounds interesting. Couldn't find it. Have a link?

www.filters-now.com sells one from GeneralAire.$14.99.

Find it near the bottom of the Honeywell Whole House Filters page.

http://www.filters-now.com/products/dhw.html

That's darn slick.

sdb

Unfortunately I have no ducting between the filter and the furnace cold air
return. The filter box is mounted immediately to the furnace's side. Would the
probe for that thing work if it were just placed inside the squirrel-cage area
of the blower?

Rick Brandt wrote:
sylvan butler wrote:

On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 13:26:01 GMT, Robert Gammon
wrote:

sylvan butler wrote:

On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:30:34 -0700, Zephyr
wrote:

Honeywell sells a "filter" change meter. [It is a simple
"flag" meter that attaches to the return air plenum.]

Sounds interesting. Couldn't find it. Have a link?

www.filters-now.com sells one from GeneralAire.$14.99.

Find it near the bottom of the Honeywell Whole House Filters page.

http://www.filters-now.com/products/dhw.html

That's darn slick.

sdb


Unfortunately I have no ducting between the filter and the furnace cold air
return. The filter box is mounted immediately to the furnace's side. Would the
probe for that thing work if it were just placed inside the squirrel-cage area
of the blower?



Yes, when HVAC contractors installed my new unit,they tapped into the
case to measure pressure drop, then sealed the hole. I see no reason
why you can't do the same thing.

Make sure that the fan can't draw air around your probe. Seal the
opening well.

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?

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...-5-155883-.htm

replying to m Ransley, Allie wrote:
My filter is black after one month. Will never last a year. Theyre $30 each!
Didn't know it would be so expensive. Bet you would "rig" it too If you had to
pay that every month for a 5" filter.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...-5-155883-.htm

On Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at 4:44:04 PM UTC-4, Allie wrote:
replying to m Ransley, Allie wrote:
My filter is black after one month. Will never last a year. Theyre $30 each!
Didn't know it would be so expensive. Bet you would "rig" it too If you had to
pay that every month for a 5" filter.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...-5-155883-.htm

That thread is ten years old and Mr. Ransley hasn't been heard from in
a very long time. But maybe you can't see how old posts are because
your house is full of smoke and dirty air. It seems it would have to
be to turn a new 5" filter dirty in just a month. I easily go 2 years
on mine.

In article ,
says...

On Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at 4:44:04 PM UTC-4, Allie wrote:
replying to m Ransley, Allie wrote:
My filter is black after one month. Will never last a year. Theyre $30 each!
Didn't know it would be so expensive. Bet you would "rig" it too If you had to
pay that every month for a 5" filter.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...-5-155883-.htm

That thread is ten years old and Mr. Ransley hasn't been heard from in
a very long time. But maybe you can't see how old posts are because
your house is full of smoke and dirty air. It seems it would have to
be to turn a new 5" filter dirty in just a month. I easily go 2 years
on mine.

What kind of house is this in ? Must have a dirt floor to get the
filter that dirty that quick. I use the inexpensive 1 inch ones and
change them every 2 months. The first day of the odd numbered ones so I
can remember when to do it. They look as if they could go twice that
long, but at a buck or two each it is not htat expensive.

Had to have a man to work on the system a while back and while he was
here I let him talk me into cleaning the inside and outside coils. He
asked me if I had just changed the filter and cleaned the inside coils
as they were very clean. The filter was about a month old and the
inside unit was installed about 6 years before and never cleaned.

One thing that may help is that we never open the windows. As the wife
and I are both sensitive to pollen, we tend not to want much outside air
in the house.

On Tue, 1 Nov 2016 17:41:47 -0400, Ralph Mowery
wrote:


One thing that may help is that we never open the windows. As the wife
and I are both sensitive to pollen, we tend not to want much outside air
in the house.

Guess where the air in your house comes from? (Unless you have a company
deliver "inside air" once a week.....).

replying to Steve Barker LT, Allie wrote:
Not a matter of being a cheap skate. I also have the 5" slot in my new ac
unit. I have to change the filter every month. That's 30-40$ a month. Really
pricey. Installer told me to change every 3-6 months. Can't afford that every
single month. So I'm trying the 2" ones with a frame under it. What would you
do?

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...-5-155883-.htm

replying to trader_4, Allie wrote:
My house is not smoke filled. I for some reason it's dusty. Could be the
florida humidity. I have 3 dogs. 2 years? Wow. You're lucky.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...-5-155883-.htm

replying to Ralph Mowery, Allie wrote:
My house inside is not dirty. Non smoker. Even installer can't figure why it
gets so dirty so fast. Can't afford those filters every month. Regret getting
this new unit with the big filter box. Going to try the 2" filter. Theyre bad
enough. $70 for 4.

--
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replying to Steve Barker LT, Allie wrote:
Not a matter of being a cheap skate. I also have the 5" slot in my new ac
unit. I have to change the filter every month. That's 30-40$ a month. Really
pricey. Installer told me to change every 3-6 months. Can't afford that every
single month. So I'm trying the 2" ones with a frame under it. What would you
do?

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...-5-155883-.htm

Allie pretended :
replying to Steve Barker LT, Allie wrote:
Not a matter of being a cheap skate. I also have the 5" slot in my new ac
unit. I have to change the filter every month. That's 30-40$ a month. Really
pricey. Installer told me to change every 3-6 months. Can't afford that every
single month. So I'm trying the 2" ones with a frame under it. What would you
do?

Taking someone else's advice, he decided to wait eleven years to see if
it corrected itself. He's still got one year left.

On Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 8:26:46 AM UTC-4, FromTheRafters wrote:
Allie pretended :
replying to Steve Barker LT, Allie wrote:
Not a matter of being a cheap skate. I also have the 5" slot in my new ac
unit. I have to change the filter every month. That's 30-40$ a month. Really
pricey. Installer told me to change every 3-6 months. Can't afford that every
single month. So I'm trying the 2" ones with a frame under it. What would you
do?

Taking someone else's advice, he decided to wait eleven years to see if
it corrected itself. He's still got one year left.

along the lines of a gauge to keep an eye on things,

I think it is a good idea to buy two probe thermometers and have them more or less
permanently stuck into the ducts, one before the heater and one after. Put a mark at the normal inlet and outlet temperature readings and check them regularly. If the before and after readings are normal, that is a pretty good indication that your system is operating normally. Works for AC as well. You can get one for the flue as well but of course it will need a higher range.

mark

In article ,
says...

On Tue, 1 Nov 2016 17:41:47 -0400, Ralph Mowery
wrote:


One thing that may help is that we never open the windows. As the wife
and I are both sensitive to pollen, we tend not to want much outside air
in the house.

Guess where the air in your house comes from? (Unless you have a company
deliver "inside air" once a week.....).

We loose some air when we open the doors to go out,so I keep a tank of
air that I fill up at the service station to replace the lost air. We
put that air through a filter to eliminate the pollen.

On Tue, 1 Nov 2016 13:57:19 -0700 (PDT)
trader_4 wrote:

But maybe you can't see how old posts are because
your house is full of smoke and dirty air.


Arrogant little prick aren't you?

https://disqus.com/by/disqus_9reYnilCVH/

replying to FromTheRafters, Allie 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.

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On Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 11:14:05 AM UTC-4, Allie wrote:
replying to FromTheRafters, Allie 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.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...-5-155883-.htm

How can anyone answer a general question like that? There are many
manufacturers of filter housings and filters and many sizes. In theory
you would think you could fabricate some kind of holder to get a
thinner filter in there. Or maybe there is a size that goes right in.
Have a measuring tape? But what it takes is going to depend on
what exactly you have. Also, realize that you're going to live with
more dirt getting through and/or the filter getting clogged faster.
Those 5" media trap finer particles, but they also have much greater
surface area.

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.