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What i was told by an HVAC guy who was at my house to fix an issue was those more expensive filters make the system work harder as the filters limit airflow and that additional workload can cause issues.
physics wise that makes sense but modern systems should* be designed taking into account the air resistance of their specified filters
older or for any other reason more weak airflow systems probably do benefit from a less dense filter
*lol "should" means so little these days
Nope. HVAC systems are not designed around filters. It’s the other way around. After market filters are designed around marketing and grabbing at your wallet, not caring about your hvac system.
High density filters are going to reduce air flow and your blow motor will be working over time.
Eventually you’ll wear your blower motor out and it will need to be replaced.
The world is full of shitty products. The onus is on you to sort through it.
this also makes sense, hmm.
is the best bet to examine the blower specs and find a corresponding filter grade?
where's that Alec guy when you need him...
Filters go by MERV rating. The higher the number the better the filter is at capturing small particles.
Your hvac system isn’t going to be rated for a specific MERV rating. Instead they are rated by air flow. Air flow is going to be affected by your duct work and other factors.
The best is advice is to stick around the 8 MERV rating or lower. Any higher and you may risk damage to the blower motor.
If you want to be sure and know for certain what the best filter size is then you’re best dealing with an hvac company. They can do a static air pressure test. They’ll know based off that figure how much you can reduce air flow (by virtue of the air filter) before the blower starts struggling and therefore select a MERV rating that’s aligned with your current air flow restrictions.
Can you define older, or modern? Like how old is too old to have been designed for HEPA filters?
I cannot because I'm just a goofball with a mild interest in home improvement
Wikipedia says HEPA filters became commercially available in the 1950s though so anything older than that I'd bet some beer money would benefit from a less dense filter
I wouldn't think forced air heating systems that old are too common though tbh
Nice. Thanks for the information. I'll just keep using HEPA filters then. Speaking of which, it's time to buy a new one. QQ
it feels like it's ALWAYS time to replace the dsng filter
and i rent so i have to email a management company repeatedly to get it replaced 😭
We just didn't use a filter at all in our last rental. I know it's bad for the ducts, but the landlord was an asshole, and I wasn't about to spend my money to protect their investment.
good. fuck 'em. if i ever got desperate enough to replace one in my unit i'd keep the old one and put it back when i moved out lmao
Why can’t you just replace it yourself?
There's potentially a rule against it depending on who you rent from (idk w/ my current landlord corporation, would have to ask) and if they're feeling particularly vindictive they could try to use evidence of your "unauthorized repairs" to withhold security deposit.
ymmv depending on how sneakily you can replace an air filter