You know you want it. Furnace Filter prices, sizes, strategies and questions. All your most pressing furnace filter needs in one place, finally.
@blitz , @LilDrunkenSmurf , @ThePenIsMightier , @killramos , @firebane
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You know you want it. Furnace Filter prices, sizes, strategies and questions. All your most pressing furnace filter needs in one place, finally.
@blitz , @LilDrunkenSmurf , @ThePenIsMightier , @killramos , @firebane
Ok.
1” filters vs the extra wide 4”+.
Been on the big ones for a while, they seem to result in more system airflow which is the biggest issue with my HVAC.
Been running the cheap Duststop filters from Canadian Tire, 6$ for a pack of 3.
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/d...?rrec=true#spc
House is 5 years old on a newer community, our home builder recommended changing filters on a monthly basis due to all constructions.
Have one dog and hardwood floor most of the house.
Also our house is right behind Country Hills so still lots of constructions.
I just buy 2-3 packs every 6 months and try to replace every 30-45 days.
Yea it’s got a foam strip all along the top that slows you to put anything up to 5” or so and hold it in place without the air bypassing.
Ran 1”’s in it for years, recently switched to 4” and seem to be getting more airflow but more definitively they last much longer
Probably use 4 a year and they are fairly dirty coming out. Just buy a big pack of them on amazon.
PO installed some electrical reusable filter, but has no instructions on how to clean it, so I've swapped to the disposable ones. Replace every 3 months, but I have 2 furnaces in my place. Older home, built in 82. Dog and mix of hardwood and carpet.
I'm shocked you're getting more airflow. Any time you add more restriction to the air path your airflow should decrease. Unless you have an ECM motor in your furnace that can ramp up with the added static pressure.
All things equal your thicker filter will decrease airflow. This is true when i run those allergy filters versus a cheap merv 8, airflow out of the vents is noticeably different.
I always wait for Amazon to have a sale on the filtrete ones.
I grab this one for $35 and it lasts me easily 2 years
https://www.amazon.ca/Filtrete-16x25...2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1
This guy did some testing, and measured airflow. Nothing earth-shattering, but may be of interest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoOKjINPgpY&t=1s
A 4” filter provides increased airflow not the other way around. It’s a pleated filter so it has more surface area with same same filter media = lower pressure drop.
More surface area also means it gets clogged way less quickly so the increased airflow lasts longer than an equivalent 1”.
The issue with the “fancy” filters that capture smaller particles is the filter medium is much more dense which causes increased pressure drop. Theoretically you should be able to run a 4” filter with a better filter medium and get the same pressure drop over the filter as a 1” with shitty medium.
You really should run the biggest filter your furnace allows.
(I think this is the closest to real engineering I have done all year lol)
Although the 4 or 5" filters look much thicker, the actual medium that the air passes through is roughly the same thickness. The benefit of the 4" or 5" filters is that you can go longer between changes because the "valleys" in the pleated filter material can hold more debris before airflow starts to drop.
Attachment 87739
If you are not buying filters wholesale, you are paying 10x too much. Go to Dafco or BGE filters here in Calgary and learn the ridiculous markup retail stores have on air filters. Buy a full box of filters for yourself or split it up with family and friends.
^ use camel camel camel
I'll add that I'm pretty happy with the filters from https://purefilters.ca/
Would recommend them for well priced quality filters if you don't want to wait for sales.
What happens if you don't run a filter? Just raw, unbridled horsepower screaming through the vents.
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