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-   -   K&N now makes reusable furnace filters (https://ecorenovator.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6852)

Daox 03-15-19 12:29 PM

K&N now makes reusable furnace filters
 
I got an email the other day from K&N saying that they now are selling reusable (cleanable) furnace filters. So, I checked it out and they seem to have a decent selection. I checked out what the cost is for my furnace filter (14x20x1), and it seems pretty reasonable at ~$40.

https://www.knfilters.com/home-air-filters

https://www.knfilters.com/images/img/hvac/dirty-air.png

https://www.knfilters.com/images/l/HVC-11420.jpg

https://www.knfilters.com/images/l/HVC-11420_Alt.jpg



They do have a spray to use on the filter after cleaning. I don't think its an oil like their automotive filters though. It says its just for cleaning and neutralizing odors.

Quote:

K&N part 99-6010 is a 32 ounce pump spray bottle of HVAC Filter Cleaner. K&N HVAC Filter Cleaner is the only cleaner recommended to clean K&N HVAC Filters. K&N 99-6010 eliminates and cleanses particles from the surface of the K&N HVAC Filter so it can be washed clean with water. After letting your K&N HVAC Filter dry it is recommended to apply a small amount of the cleaner to help neutralizes odor causing sources instead of masking these odors.
https://www.knfilters.com/images/l/99-6010.jpg

https://www.knfilters.com/images/l/99-6010_Alt.jpg

pinballlooking 03-15-19 12:46 PM

Thanks for sharing.
I will have to check it out. I have used them for High horse power cars and they worked well.

ME_Andy 03-17-19 02:09 PM

Great idea! Think I will get some

ham789 03-21-19 07:40 PM

Filters like Filtrete have spec numbers that relate
to the size of particles and air resistance.
I couldn't find any way to relate the K&N filters to that
scale.

CrankyDoug 03-23-19 12:43 PM

I've had mixed feelings about K&N filters for years. Their off road motorcycle filters improved breathing but were terrible at keeping fine silt out of the engine. Some riders started putting the OEM (oiled) outer foam filter over them to compensate for what was really just a bad filter for the application.

Some reusable filter manufacturers do it better than others but most do it badly. I threw away the last set of washable AC filters because they caused so much pressure drop the evap coil iced over from inadequate air flow.

I installed a substantially oversized filter housing in my parents system to compensate for the pressure drop of a premium Filtrete. It still caused enough pressure drop to collapse the return duct. I gave up using premium filters when the air handler in my house inhaled a clean filter.

The bottom line with filters is this: Improving filtration for a given area results in greater pressure drop. If you want better filtering you really need to increase filter area. My existing 2 ton unit has one 16X20 filter. The new unit will have four 16X20 filters.

K&N filters work great for cars if you keep them clean and oiled. They work great for chainsaws because fine sawdust isn't abrasive and blows through the engine without much affect. K&N might work well as a washable AC filter. Given my experience with them, I share ham789's skepticism if K&N doesn't publish particulate and pressure drop data.

Elcam84 03-23-19 05:01 PM

Basically what I was going to say about reusable filters. In the automotive world they improve airflow at the detriment of poor filtering but in most all dyno tests the K&N didn't to an appreciable improvement in power ( you will never notice it).

Stick with traditional filters. If you want high filtering capability install a very large pocket filter assembly. Very good filtration, filters last a long time and they arent really expensive when you compare price to lifespan.

ME_Andy 03-23-19 10:34 PM

The K&N house filters look like they would certainly provide better filtering than some of the cheaper, disposable filters. Some of those have visible gaps.

Agree that K&N auto filters usually provide more airflow at the expense of worse filtering.

Daox 03-25-19 07:26 AM

How important is it to filter household air? We have at least one air exchange with outside air per hour anyways? Honestly asking. I thought it was more about protecting the blower motor? I guess I understand if you have allergy issues, but then you're running the fan 24/7, right?

Elcam84 03-25-19 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox (Post 60722)
How important is it to filter household air? We have at least one air exchange with outside air per hour anyways? Honestly asking. I thought it was more about protecting the blower motor? I guess I understand if you have allergy issues, but then you're running the fan 24/7, right?

Extremely important. It keeps the evap coil from being plugged up with dirt, hair etc. Also if that air wasn't filtered you would be blowing dirt and crap all over the house.

As for the outside air coming in you need to filter even more because of it as the outside air is full of dirt, pollen etc.

Basically it's for the equipments health your health as you shouldn't be breathing that stuff in and for keeping your house clean.

CrankyDoug 03-25-19 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox (Post 60722)
How important is it to filter household air?

I suppose it depends a lot on your region and the dust generated in your own house. Here in GA the pollen is presently falling like volcano ash. We also seem to generate a lot of lint (year round) even though the dryer is properly vented and runs less than an hour a week.

Some years ago I bought a Honeywell standalone HEPA filtration device. I expected it to require cleaning at least once a week. It ran about a year before burning out and never once needed cleaning. The fans in my computers, however, have to be cleaned at least once a month.

As elcam84 stated above, a house like mine will plug up the evap coils in short order without a filter. Whatever gets past the air filter plugs up the condensate drain.

I am slowly re-routing my intake and outlet ducts in preparation for the new heat pump. Once installed I intend to run the fan continuously several hours a day, hoping to reduce the pollen, lint, and dust. In my case, at least, filtration is absolutely necessary.

Considering the price of Filtrete disposables, I have no problem paying $40 apiece for K&N filters. They might actually work quite well for HVAC filtration. I just wish they were sold based on test data instead of endorsements from racing celebrities that don't even use them.

MN Renovator 03-25-19 10:56 AM

I agree that it is primarily from keeping your indoor air conditioning(evaporator) coil from getting plugged up. It's an expensive PITA to pay someone to clean the evap coil, to the point where you should avoid ever needing to have it cleaned. Fiberglass filters just don't do the job, getting a cheap pleated(fanfold) type filter is a decent choice. They last a decent amount of time and clean out the bigger stuff. I get the 2 for $3 filters when they are on sale at Menards.

I've got a 34 year old HVAC system in my house, 80% efficient natural draft furnace with an 8.5 SEER AC that I've upgraded to around 9.5 SEER. It could crap out at any moment and buying a $40 filter doesn't seem to be a good idea at this point but when it comes time to replace the system, it seems that contractors automatically swap out 1" filters like the 16x20" in my 800 CFM system with much larger filters 16x25x4".

With the newer, larger filters, I'd probably swap it out once a year right at the start of the cooling season. Cooling CFM is key for preventing the indoor coil from freezing and to keep the coil thermal exchange at the maximum for efficiency. For natural gas heat with the new 90%+ systems, it doesn't matter as much but it is also much easier to measure temp rise at the start of the heating season and check it once a month to make sure it isn't creeping up over the winter. If it starts to, swap out the filter, but it likely won't unless you've got pets or have some active cause of extra dust that needs to be filtered out. For 1 inch pleated filters, I swap mine out at the start of July(most expensive cooling month), second month of the heating season(November), and January(most expensive heating month). If the temp rise has had zero change at the end of the heating season, the filter stays there until July because the AC doesn't turn on until June and usually doesn't run much that month. Once I've had a filter in place during the heating season for more than a month, I check temp rise every week or two and once the rise is 5 degrees higher than the default 70 degree rise, I swap the filter.

So amortizing a $40 filter versus tossing a cheap pleated one, eh. I can't justify it. Just like how I can't financially justify replacing a good working HVAC system for $8000 to save a maximum of $50 a year in heating costs and maybe(but probably not) $100 a year in cooling costs.

CrankyDoug 03-25-19 05:54 PM

Just spent an hour at walmart looking at air filters. Andy, I concur that some of the cheap pleated filters have holes in them. In fact, the filter media has an array of holes punched through it, possibly with a hot pin that helps bind the material together.

The $4 filter had the same media as the $9 filter. The $9 filter has slightly more pleats and a nicer looking but equally flimsy cardboard frame.

I didn't see any K&N HVAC filters but they did have K&N vehicle cabin filters. They have a cotton flock-type media tufted into a metal screen. It is quite similar to the media used for chainsaw filters - good for sawdust, useless for fine particulates. The only performance information on the box was a long string of superlatives. I have to give them some credit. At least they didn't use words like Quantum or Unique Molecular Bonding.

I came home with two $4 filters.

My last employer had several filter separators that used socks. They did a good job of keeping fine TiO2, silica, and calcium carbonate dust in check. I considered building something similar for the house but the smallest of these was bigger than a refrigerator. The socks were about $60 each and were 8 inch diameter by six feet long. The pleated bag type had cartridges as small as 20 inches square. Unfortunately these cartridges were several hundred dollars each. They can be cleaned with compressed air but not washed. Thus, they were a good place to start a mold colony.

My quest to find a cost effective HVAC air filter continues.

ME_Andy 03-26-19 11:50 PM

True Blue is the particular brand that looks questionable to me.


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