Do electronic air filters perform better than a normal furnace filter?

Besides the electronic air filter there are many types of furnace filter – from basic panel type filters that are only good enough for protecting the central heating/cleaning unit from hair and lint, to electrostatic pleated filters, that can remove can capture up to 30 times more pollen, pet dander, dust and other allergens than standard fiberglass filters.
But electronic air filters are in an other league altogether, offering superior cleaning ability.

The best permanent electrostatic furnace filters can be expected to remove up to 77% of particles that are greater than 1.5 micron, whereas an electronic air filter can remove up to 99% of particles greater than 1 micron, and up to 77% of particles smaller than 1 micron.

The bottom line is that electronic air filters will help protect from allergy causing pollens, fine dust as well as tobacco and cooking smoke, airborne plant spores, bacteria, and some viruses. Some people also report a noticeable reduction in general household odors from cooking, pets, and tobacco smoke.

Electrostatic furnace filters can simply not achieve these results.

But these results do come at a cost. Electronic air filters are generally more expensive than electrostatic air filters, and they do consume some electricity – but it’s only as much energy to run as a doorbell – finding a nearby power outlet might be a greater issue. Finally, they contain collection pads that have to be replaced every couple of months.

On the other hand, an electronic air filter rivals the performance of a good quality electrostatic precipitator, but is less expensive, uses far less electricity, whilst giving you a whole house cleaning ability - so from that point of view is good value.

The way an electronic air filter works is that it uses an input of 24 volts AC to generate a 7,000 volt positive DC charge that is applied to a central grid. This polarizes polywool blended collector pads on either side of the grid. As a result, millions of tiny powerful magnets are created to attract and hold any particles. These large particles build up on the front of the filter, while the smaller particles are collected through the collector pads. The pads are held in place by two outer screens, which are grounded.

The EnviroSept electronic filter is a good example of this type of electronic filter and can be readily purchased online.

For more information on related products, please choose from the following:

Whole House Purifiers | Replacement Filters