Stop Hacking And Sneezing And Invest In A Good Furnace Air Cleaner

By Glenn Haege, America's Master Handyman

Everything we do seems to create indoor air pollution. Every time we cook or use a portable vacuum cleaner (a big dust polluter), paint or aerosols, or shed skin cells, hair or dandruff we are adding to the problem. Our pets breathe and shed skin, hair and dander, too. Meanwhile, newer rugs, composite boards, heating elements, cleaning solutions and other household chemicals all leach noxious stuff into the air.

Many of us are allergic to this mess. We get runny noses, irritated eyes and hacking coughs. To make matters worse, it seems as though we have to dust every time we turn around, and walls and upholstery get dingy in no time at all. After about 20 years of hacking, sniffling and needless cleaning, many people decide to investigate a furnace air cleaner.

The Navy had a similar problem -- multiplied about a hundred times over -- in their nuclear submarines. They turned to electronic air cleaning technology developed by Trion Inc. of Sanford, N.C. This technology is available to you with the Trion Max 4 and Max 5 electronic air cleaning systems.

Return air is channeled through an aluminum mesh prefilter, removing most of the larger particles like lint, hair, skin flakes and much dust. Smaller particles become negatively charged and attracted to grounded plates located in the back of the filter. A high percentage of the particles become stuck and stay there until washed away in the dishwasher. After cleaning, air passes through an optional charcoal filter to remove lingering odors, and goes into the furnace for heating and dispersal throughout the house via the air ducts.

The same technology is now available from most major manufacturers. For instance it is used in the Lennox EAC123, the Honeywell F50F and the Carrier 31KAX electronic cleaners. Rheem, Rudd and Comfort Air furnaces even have a special filter speed setting, so that the air can be continuously filtered.

The other major method of cleaning furnace air is to send it through a thick-pleated, media filter that traps airborne particles like a sponge. Once every 10 months or so, the filters have to be replaced and thrown away.

This type of media filter system is available from most furnace distributors with brand names like Trion Air Bear, Research Products Corporation Space Guard or Honeywell Media Air Filter. Because the media filters are thrown away every 10 months to a year, replacement filter cost is an important feature. Prices range from about $30 to $50.

A lot of people ask me whether a media filter or an electronic air cleaner is better. The answer depends upon your lifestyle, needs and pocketbook. Price is easy. Because this is not a do-it-yourself project, you have to go through a HVAC contractor. An electronic air cleaner should range from $550 to $650 installed. The installed cost of a media filter is about $375. Options and nonstandard sheet metal work can increase prices.

Operating costs on electronic systems run just a few cents a day and use the same amount of electricity as a 40-watt light bulb. The only other cost is the hot water and detergent used to clean the system every 30 to 60 days. Media filters cost little or nothing to run but have to be replaced every 10 months to a year.

Electronic air cleaners take a great deal more care than media filters. They have to be washed in a dishwasher every 30 to 60 days. Older models specified 30 days, newer models call for cleaning every two months. If the filter is not cleaned properly it ceases to function.

If you forget to clean the air cleaner for five or six months, they are hard to bring back. Experienced contractors say that most people can get the air cleaning cells working again with just an extra dishwasher cleaning. They recommend soaking really dirty cells in the laundry tubs with liquid detergent, then running them through the dishwasher.

Media filters require no care. You just take out the old filter and slide in a new one, every year or so.

Media filters are effective down to 1 micron in size. Electronic air cleaners are effective down to 1/10 of a micron (0.1 microns). Most hay fever and allergy sufferers react to breathing in pollen, molds, spores and pet dander, which are seldom smaller than six microns. For the majority of people, a 1-micron filter is effective. Smog, some dust, tobacco and cooking smoke particles are 0.1 microns or smaller. Viruses are too small to be filtered out by either type of air leaner.

Two things you should remember when shopping:


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