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: I have a whole house electric AC with gas heat in my home, which is approximately 1800 sq ft.  There are 2 return air grills with filter in the house and a filter tray at the bottom of my furnace in the return air system.
The sizes are as follows:

Grill #1 is 20×20x1
Grill #2 is 20×24x1

The under furnace tray is 24×24x1

What filter combination should I run?  Filter in all 3? And what type.  I’m looking for the best airflow (low pressure drop) with the most filtration.

If you are looking for the best combination of air flow and filtration I would recommend a pleated filter with a relatively high MERV rating 10 - 12 and change it monthly.  Although filters with higher MERV ratings have more pressure drop than air filters with lower MERV ratings, they will provide the best filtration.  Change the filter monthly to prevent the air flow from being effected greatly.

Stacking filters is not a good idea because combined they may cause excessive pressure drop and can be far worse than having one pleated air filter with a high MERV rating.  I would remove the filters from the return air grills.

If you are interested in upgrading your system, you can install an electronic air cleaner and install a pleated air filter as a pre-filter.  Electronic air cleaners have almost no effect on air flow.  Remove the foam pre-filter that comes with the electronic air cleaner and use a pleated filter instead.  This combination will provide the best filtration and the least pressure drop.