Question: If you don’t change your air filters and they are very dirty can this cause the central unit to freeze up? Will the unit be ok by changing the air filter? We had this happen 2 times before and we changed the filters. Our unit is only 2 years old.

Central air conditioner ice problems

Ice forming on central air conditioner coils is a common problem encountered by many home owners. This is usually attributed to poor air flow through the evaporator coil which creates low load conditions. Some of the most common reasons for poor air flow are undersized ductwork and dirty air filters. The result is evaporator temperatures at or below the freezing point which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). Normal evaporator operating temperature for air conditioning equipment is above 32 degrees.

Usually all you have to do is set the thermostat setpoint above room temperature so the compressor doesn’t operate and this will allow the ice to melt. A better way to do this, depending on the type of thermostat you have, is set the fan to operate continuously and turn the cooling off. This keeps warm air moving through the evaporator coil and melts the ice much faster. Depending on how badly the unit is iced up, 30 minutes should do the job and 1 hour is even better to ensure all ice is gone.

Potential problems resulting from air conditioning equipment icing up

There are some potential problems with allowing an evaporator coil to freeze up. If the ice becomes bad enough it can actually cause the tubing in the evaporator coil to collapse or break. This requires a service technician to repair and possibly a new evaporator coil or worse. As you can imagine this is an expensive fix. Another problem with allowing the air filter to become this dirty is, equipment operating efficiency drops dramatically. The air conditioner will require longer run times to maintain space temperature and operating costs increase. You are much better off changing your air conditioner filters regularly.

There is also some risk of water damage when the ice melts. Often ice build up is bad enough to block drain openings and water overflows the condensate drain pan damaging walls, flooring and even ceilings if the unit located in your attic.

Ozone (O³) is a 3-atom form of oxygen and is a normal trace element in our atmosphere. Ozone is a different chemical than common oxygen (O²) which supports life. Like many substances, ozone is beneficial to life but can also be harmful in excessive concentrations.

Like many household appliances, electronic air cleaners produce ozone when they operate. The amount of ozone produced varies among models.

Ozone is formed when an electric discharge passes through the air and there are many natural sources of ozone. For example, ozone is formed naturally by lightning and is also formed as a by-product of some electric motors and appliances. Ozone is created by air passing through an electrically charged field.

How electronic air cleaners work

Small particles of dust pass through the charging section of the air cleaner and receive a positive electrical charge from a series of tungsten wires. These charged particles then pass by the negatively charged collector plates, which attracts them like a magnet. The particles remain on the collector plates until they are washed away during periodic cleaning of the collector cells.

Can you smell the ozone produced by the electronic air cleaner?

Sensitivity to the smell of ozone varies quite a bit among people. Some people can smell levels at .02 ppm but most people notice the smell of ozone at .03 ppm which is well below the FDA standard. The smell of ozone is not an indicator that the level is above normal, or even near the recommended limit set by the FDA.

Do electronic air cleaners work?

Electronic air cleaners do work. But like all air cleaners and air filters they have their positive and negative characteristics. Many people are very satisfied with their performance and would recommend them to anyone.

Question: Have you had any feedback on the Trane CleanEffects Electronic Air Filter? We need a whole new AC system and they are really pushing this filter.  At nearly $1000.00 I’m not so sure it’s needed.  Any thoughts or words from others?

What some quick research revealed

I am not familiar with these filters so I did some quick research and found out that there have been some recalls on those units. I didn’t research the details of the recall.

From what I see they look like a combination of media air filter and electronic air cleaner. I have never been a fan of traditional electronic air cleaners because they allow larger dust particles to pass through the filter. I always recommend installing a pleated air filter as a pre-filter or post filter when using them. This may be their attempt to eliminate that flaw in the electronic air filter design.

They claim the filter is 99.98% effective. That’s better than a HEPA filter by .01%. If it is that efficient it may require constant maintenance to prevent it from having a negative impact on air flow. I also predict that the filter material will require replacement more often than a person would expect for a reusable air filter and that will probably not be cheap. I would recommend going with one of the more traditional filters.

Here’s a demo on the Trane site . It seams to load a bit slow but it works.

Question: Which pleated furnace filter is better from same company.
7 pleat or 11 pleat?

I would say the 11 pleat filter is probably better because more pleats per inch of filter allows for greater air flow. This is important for efficient filters. Quality manufacturers aim for as little impact on air flow as possible when designing their filters. As the efficiency of the filter material increases so does air flow restriction. One method of compensating for this is to have more pleats per inch of filter.

More pleats per inch of filter also distributes the dust collected by the air filter over a larger area and therefore can be in the system longer before needing to be changed.

Hepa air filters have many more pleats per inch than other filters that utilize the pleated design.

The best furnace filters to use in your home are the ones that provide the results that you want. When trying to choose a filter to use it is important to consider what you objectives are. Just because a filter is the most efficient doesn’t make it the best furnace filter. It just makes it the best choice for a person who has allergies or other health concerns. There are many variables to consider when selecting a replacement air filter for your furnace or air conditioner. We have created a list of the most common types of filters used by home owners. These are not the only furnace filters available but they are among the most common types.

Pleated furnace filters

• Pleated air filters are the most common filters used in residential and commercial HVAC equipment. They are probably the easiest to find at your local hardware store although better pricing is available online.
• These filters are available in a wide range of efficiencies from about MERV 5 to MERV 12. The higher the MERV rating is the more efficient the filter is. This also means that it may need to be changed more often because the more dust it collects the faster it begins to have a negative impact on air flow.
• These filters are very easy to maintain. Simply change them every two to four months or when recommended by the manufacturer.
• One of the things that make them so common and popular is that they are available in custom sizes.

Electrostatic furnace filters

• Some electrostatic furnace filters are very high quality and will last for many years. Wash them once a month and they are as good as new.
• Electrostatic air filers cost more to purchase but they eliminate the monthly expense of buying disposable filters. Pay $50 to $100 up front for an electrostatic air filter or $5 to $10 or more each time you change your disposable air filter. This adds up to decent savings over a 10 year period. If you replace a $5 filter 4 times a year it adds up to $200 dollars in 10 years. A $10 disposable air filter will cost $400 in 10 years. It’s the little things that save you money.
• If you don’t like doing maintenance tasks then these filters are not for you. They must be maintained properly so they will remain effective.
• If Green living and the environment are important to you these filters are a good choice because they reduce landfill usage and they last for many years.

Media air filters (Pre-Cut Media Pads)

• Pre Cut media air filter pads are not used as often as the types listed above because they are not as popular with retail stores.
• If maintenance is not your thing and you sometimes forget to change your filters these may be for you. Media pads are much more forgiving. They have a much greater dust loading capacity than the other filters listed here. This means that when neglected it takes longer for it to negatively impact air flow and you can potentially avoid the decline in equipment operating efficiency that the other filters create when neglected.
• Carbon media pad inserts can be installed with these filters to help control odors.
• Pre cut pads are less expensive than most of the quality pleated air filters.

HEPA filters

• Hepa air filters are the most efficient air filters available.
• These filters utilize the pleated design of standard pleated air filters. The difference is in the number of pleats per inch of filter and the material used in the construction of the filters is much more efficient at stopping dust, pet dander, pollen and other airborne allergy causing contaminants that you may find in your house.
• Some brands, such as the Hepa-Pure, can be cleaned and used several times.
• True HEPA filters are 99.97% efficient and can remove particles as small a .3 microns in size.