Where to Buy Air Filters for Heating and Air Conditioning Systems InspectAPedia® -
Air conditioning / heating system filter product sources and recommendations
Air conditioning / heating filter suggestions for optimum indoor air quality
Air conditioning / heating system air handlers - Fan Coil Unit Inspection, Diagnosis, Repair, Replacement
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This website answers almost any question you might ask about air filters for heating or air conditioning systems.
We explain how an air conditioning service technician will diagnose
certain common air conditioning system failures or defects. We include photographs to assist readers in
recognizing cooling system defects. We continue to add to and update this text as new details are provided.
Sources of Air Conditioning and Heating Air Filters, High Efficiency Filters, Gasketed Air Filters, and Air Filter Manufacturers
Filtration Manufacturing Inc. in Alabama, are a manufacturer/distributor of air filters.
They have a wide selection of air filters (air filtration products) and air purification products. This company can also manufacture and deliver quickly
air filters made to custom dimensions.
Filtration Manufacturing Inc. company has paid particular attention to air filters that don't leak or bypass air at their mounting location.
Their website http://www.filtrationmanufacturing.com/ offers less discussion about filter composition materials than
those who are concerned with filter fiber shedding or filter composition.
Global Filter Source, is a supplier of for non-fiberglass filters such as their polypropylene filter with a supporting grid of wire and cardboard.
Contact Global Filter 877-844-3293 offers "healthy home" filters and a MERV 11 pleated furnace filter. Website: http://www.healthyhomefilters.com/
List your product here: manufacturers or suppliers of air filters and air filtration equipment are welcome
toContact us to add product listings here - there is no listing cost (we reserve the right to add or remove
product listings from our web pages) Technical critique of our website articles is very welcome and we give full
credit and web links to technical reviewers or to contributors of technical content. we have no financial relationship
with companies or products discussed at our website.
Before calling or ordering an air filter online, remember to measure and write down the dimensions of the filters you are replacing in order
to order the correct air filter size.
Other air filtration methods besides air filters
Beyond mechanical filtration methods using high MERV or HEPA rated air filters we've discussed above are other
methods that can reduce airborne particle levels:
Electrostatic air cleaners have been in use on HVAC systems for decades as highly efficient "air filters". These
devices use an electrical charge on metal blades or plates and an electrical charge of opposite polarity on wires between
the plates to cause particles in air moving past the wires to become "charged" and to stick to the surface of the metal plates or blades
in the air cleaner. These electrostatic precipitators may also actually oxidize particles as well.
Ultraviolet light (photo catalytic oxidation) is used in some air handling or duct systems, claiming to kill 99.95 of bacteria and viruses.
While Wikipedia claims that independent research has confirmed this claim, we are very skeptical. For UV light to
work as a sterilizer we need sufficient contact time.
We are doubtful that little particles zooming along in
the air path get enough time in the UV light to be effectively neutralized. However the surfaces in the duct or air handler system
which are exposed to this light are almost certainly being treated effectively. We'd like to see this approach
tested in duct systems where condensate splash-by is at risk of wetting duct surfaces and at risk of a concomitant
mold growth problem in that location.
Charcoal or activated carbon air filters provide a porous material that can remove small particles along with
some volatile organic compounds (VOC's). These are normally used together with a HEPA filtration system.
"Air purifiers" or ionizers that charge their internal electrical surfaces and cause airborne particles to stick
to a collector plate are a currently popular (2006) product which in our opinion are of limited actual effectiveness unless
used in a small, clean, enclosed space. These devices do not move enough cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air
to be effective in a large open space.
"Air cleaners or purifiers" which use ozone, or "ozone generators" have been proposed as air cleaners and as "mold killers"
by the manufacturers of these products.
Ozone is a powerful oxidizer and it may also cause airborne
particles to become electrically charged and to plate out on building surfaces. They are used
effectively to reduce airborne smoke and they're used in some medical applications or facilities.
Some other "air purifiers" may also generate (un-wanted) ozone levels in a building.
But ozone generators can themselves be an IAQ problem source if they produce
high levels (over 0.05 ppm) of ozone in indoor air. And as a "mold remediation" or mold cure ozone generators
are junk science which fails to properly remove the problem mold and fails to correct its cause.
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Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
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Thanks to Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, for assistance in technical review of the "Critical Defects"
section and for the photograph of the deteriorating gray Owens Corning flex duct in a hot attic. Mr. Cramer is a Florida home inspector and
home inspection educator.
Thanks to Jon Bolton, an ASHI, FABI, and otherwise certified Florida home inspector who provided photos of failing Goodman gray flex duct in a hot attic.
Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend)
Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment ($69.00 U.S.).
Wikipedia provided background information about the definition of HEPA and airborne particle interception.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop. The Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
"Air Conditioning & Refrigeration I & II", BOCES Education, Warren Hilliard (instructor), Poughkeepsie, New York, May - July 1982, [classroom notes from air conditioning and refrigeration maintenance and repair course attended by the website author]
Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend)
Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment ($69.00 U.S.).
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