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elchrist
See-thru Afro
Joined: 09 Oct 2002
Posts: 7651
Location: Calecia.com
  
Votes: 14
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 Posted: 22 Aug 2008 09:30 AM Post subject: |
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| RandR wrote: | | verbal wrote: |
As far as air filters, is there a need to buy the super deluxe one I've seen at the stores? I know in cars they can add a couple of horsepower and/or better mileage. I guess, will that extra buck or two make my AC more efficient or just clean my air better? |
Pleated air filters (super deluxe filters) are supposed to have two advantages: better air filtration and longer lifespan (three months as opposed to one). They do filter air more thoroughly, but they do not ever last more than a month here in the desert. Make sure you read the label and check the rating. The label should read "MERV 7" or "MERV 8" which are ratings meant to reflect the effectiveness of an air filter. These filter air better and keep your duct system and evap coil (a chilled copper coil tubing through which air is forced through and into the duct system), but they do restrict air flow a bit. So your AC will be slightly less energy efficient with these unless you replace the filter every two weeks or something. |
So is it better to just buy the "one month" air filters and replace them every month?
Based on your replacement logic of the pleated air filters, the "one month" filters would need to be swapped out every 1-2 weeks. |
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RandR
Job Training
Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 406
Location: CLX
Votes: 4
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| Posted: 22 Aug 2008 09:55 AM Post subject: |
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| elchrist wrote: |
So is it better to just buy the "one month" air filters and replace them every month?
Based on your replacement logic of the pleated air filters, the "one month" filters would need to be swapped out every 1-2 weeks. |
The regular filters are a little better for your AC in that they restrict air flow less, because they filter less junk out of the air. This does allow more dirt to enter your duct system and evaporator, but this is an issue that is resolved through annual maintenance and duct cleaning service which should be performed once every ten years anyway.
The reason "3 month" filters only last a month in this desert is because they do filter out more dirt and contaminants in the air, which between our poor air quality and heavy AC use leads to them clogging far more quickly than they normally would.
What I'm getting at is, you can use the pleated deluxe filters, but they will not improve your AC's performance. They still need to be replaced every month given the conditions in IV. There is no reason to strongly recommend the pleated filters, you can also use the regular filters. |
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