Furnace Filter MEGA THREAD

[SilverRex]

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What size filter? I believe the consensus is slowly starting to be that you can put a MERV-9999 if your filter is 4" thick while anything higher than a MERV-8 in a 1" thick filter seems much more likely to choke the furnace.

My filters are 16x25x1

[ThePenIsMightier]

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My filters are 16x25x1

Yes, so that's the 1" think camp. I wish ours were 16x25x4.

YMMV but I thick the tightest I can get away with was I think the "3M 1000" which I believe is roughly a MERV11. The Costco ones definitely instantly choke my furnace and the stronger 3M's are too expensive and choke off within <2-3 months.

[SilverRex]

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Yes, so that's the 1" think camp. I wish ours were 16x25x4.

YMMV but I thick the tightest I can get away with was I think the "3M 1000" which I believe is roughly a MERV11. The Costco ones definitely instantly choke my furnace and the stronger 3M's are too expensive and choke off within <2-3 months.

good info

[rage2]

It’s a great racket.

[ExtraSlow]

Hey don't bother going to Dafco, they stopped public sales "over a year ago" according to the nice lady I phoned from thier parking lot.
Suggested Amre, Sinclair or Ecco.

[ExtraSlow]

Alberta Furnace Filters sells the Dafco stuff anyway, and it's nearby where I am today, so I'm not going anywhere else. No reason to burn ten bucks in gas to save ten bucks.
$108 out the door for this box.

I'm building a poor boy room air cleaner for my kid with lung problems.

[msommers]

But this 12-pack from HD is 50% the cost. What's the difference?

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/hdx...ack/1001658137

[kenny]

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But this 12-pack from HD is 50% the cost. What's the difference?

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/hdx...ack/1001658137

Merv8 (Home Depot) vs Merv13 DAFCO

[msommers]

Gotch ya. And ES needs more filtration for the kiddos. Thx

[Rocket1k78]

Ive been using Merv8 for both winter and summer but should i be using something higher for the smoke or ive heard i should be using the cheapies for AC

[The_Penguin]

Supposedly MERV 11 is the minimum for smoke. We have MERV 8 and the house seems relatively smoke-free.

[Ca_Silvia13]

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Ive been using Merv8 for both winter and summer but should i be using something higher for the smoke or ive heard i should be using the cheapies for AC

MERV 8 and change every month is always the answer. Smoke particles are super small so you would have to run HEPA quality filter to even make a slight difference. That being said when you put MERV 10/11/12 filters in they restrict airflow so much you have to run the AC longer and thus bring in more outside air while the furnace is on.

If your personal health requires you to deal with filtering out smoke particles you would have to look into electro static filters and/or UV lights. Otherwise, close all your outside air dampers during smoke events and just run a new MERV 8 every month.

[killramos]

My house has been relatively smoke free with MERV 11

[ExtraSlow]

efficient AC and high filtering of smoke particles are opposing goals. you need to select one.

[killramos]

Define efficient

[Darell_n]

The best filter for smoke is the old school electronic air cleaner that you can see through. Just knock the crap out of it more often when your neighborhood is burning down. It’s literally what a ‘smoker eater’ is, used by welders.

[littledan]

best way to shim the filter housing for a 20x25 style? My housing is like 20" true and the filters are 19 5/8 leaving a half inch gap

[killramos]

Every furnace I have had has had some foam of some kind glued in place to form a gasket.

[ThePenIsMightier]

What's the nice term for a "tin basher"?
How much would it cost to convert my existing 16x25x1 filter housing into something that would accommodate 16x25x4 filters?

[ExtraSlow]

Tin basher is the right word. Most HVAC dudes won't even quote that kind of job.