Polyester Mesh Filter

[back2space]

Hi there

DOes anyone know where polyester mesh filter can be purchased for wall mounted a/c units?

The already included filter that is in there allready lets too much through and ending up with a coil covered in dust.

We want to fit a higher performance filter, but would use the frame of the current filter to mount it.

Does anyone know where this can be purchased from?

Thanks.

[Brian_UK]

You need to beware of reducing airflows if the filtration is too high.

However, as a test, you could try stretching a pair of ladies tights over the existing filter.

Ask the wife about denier sizes and you may be able to adjust the mesh size that way:D

[back2space]

You need to beware of reducing airflows if the filtration is too high.

However, as a test, you could try stretching a pair of ladies tights over the existing filter.

Ask the wife about denier sizes and you may be able to adjust the mesh size that way:D

Hi Brian.

Yes I will have to see as my convertable floor units have cross flow fans in them the same as below and I know they are not very strong suction on them.

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00SMDQomqcrWkI/Cross-Flow-Fan.jpg

There is too much airflow at the moment even with low fan speeds so to have a better filter in place would reduce the airflow (if the fan can overcome the increased pressure from the filter) and the units are probably more at design spec.

The units are way oversized in cooling and heating mode. When they were put in they were designed for a room that would be holding parties with upto 10 people and lighting in there. Now the rooms have changed use and refurbished and are used as a lounge with maximum of about 1-3 people at any one time with tv and table lamp etc so the units are oversized for cooling. They are only ever run in the lowest fan speed and still cycle off, I can achieve 18C indoors on low fan speed with a 26C outdoor temp. In heating mode they are only run at low fan speed also. So i think based on the size of the rooms they are quite oversized.

Question is, if I decide to use a better filter yes airflow will be reduced but will this damage the system? it is an inverter so I guess it is intelligent and will slow down if the airflow is reduced but not blocked?

I will try the tights method first to see if it affects the airflow too much, what denier size would be best, I only want to filter out the smaller parts of dust not microscopic sizes.

At the moment it has these rubbish filters that let everything apart from low flying aircraft through.

http://www.appliancefactoryparts.com/images/products/2/283369-4.jpg

[monkey spanners]

You can get some filter clean stuff that as well as cleaning makes the filters attract more dust once they are replaced in the system, works by static or something.

Not tried it myself so don't know how well it works.

Jon

[back2space]

I spent 4 hours this morning giving the indoor units a good clean... all the fans, plastic casing and coils were thouroughly dissinfected and cleaned. They were filthy and lint building up on the back of the coil in one room from when we had parties, the other coil had a fine powder on which I can assume is deodorant spray.

Bought a pair of tights and stretched this over the filters... this has reduced the airflow a bit but means the air coming off is drier and longer cycle on time.

Hoping this doesnt do the unit any damage, the air off temp appears to be the same as before so obviously the inverter keeps the coil temp the same.

[Brian_UK]

Yes, that powder is probably deodorant spray carry over but remember that we change our skin once a month so guess where all the little skins cells go to? :D

Always wear a mask at filter clean time....

[back2space]

Yes, that powder is probably deodorant spray carry over but remember that we change our skin once a month so guess where all the little skins cells go to? :D

Always wear a mask at filter clean time....

Yes the living room unit (ex party room) had smoke machine fluid residue all over the back of the coil... a pain to clean as any lint that made it through the filter stuck and gunged up the back of the coil.

After spraying a garden sprayer full of coil cleaner to the back etc a microfibre cloth was needed to gently wipe the back of the coil to lift of the lint that was left.

The bedroom unit cleaned up easier as the powder stuff just washed down the drain. This deodorant spray was causing the unit to have a really bad sour milk smell each time the unit reached thermostat off.

I also dont think that bodge the a/c engineer numero 2 didnt help matters as when he allegedly serviced the units he sprayed the coils without taking the covers or the fans out so non of the internal surfaces were wiped down and there was coil cleaner crystalised all over the place on the fans etc. It was filthy inside.

Brian... going back to my reply yesterday about detrimental effects on reduced airflow through an inverter air con unit.

I am using the tights method you suggested and they fit perfect over the newly cleaned filters but airflow is reduced but unit still cycling off nicely so capacity hasnt been affected too much by using my "hi performance filter".

THe airflow is the same as on sleep mode but while the fan is running at low speed as aposed to low low (sleep) speed.

If I put it on sleep mode airflow is even less and hardly anything comes out the front so I may just not use the sleep mode speed.

Will the unit handle reduced airflow or will it cause strain on the compressor?

[Gingerair]

Tights are good....but hard to explain if the miss's finds them in the van.. :D

If you want something thicker, there's always RS.com-
EU2 class p/n 229-251
or EU4 class p/n 229-267

They're not the cheapest but the rolls arn't too big (1m x 1.6m)..

[back2space]

Tights are good....but hard to explain if the miss's finds them in the van.. :D

If you want something thicker, there's always RS.com-
EU2 class p/n 229-251
or EU4 class p/n 229-267

They're not the cheapest but the rolls arn't too big (1m x 1.6m)..

HAHA I called into Wilkos this morning to get them, £1.45 for 5 pairs... cut 2 pairs up and have kept the rest in the drawer... will be hard to explain lol!

I think anything thicker will restrict too much airflow... also the type of fan the unit has doesnt cope with too much pressure.

[Gingerair]

Ha ha, hi Back to space..

Hope no one saw you, there's only so many things a man can do with ladies hoistery !!

If your units are oversized don't think there's a lot you can do thats not just going to be a waste of energy..

If you reduce the airflow, depends what unit you have on how well it will cope before causing problems..

...& i thought i was the only one with insomnia...:cool:

If you want to try something thicker but don't like RS prices, there's maxifiltration in the north east, they may have some filter material off cuts.. Tel- 01670 717 755..

[back2space]

Ha ha, hi Back to space..

Hope no one saw you, there's only so many things a man can do with ladies hoistery !!

If your units are oversized don't think there's a lot you can do thats not just going to be a waste of energy..

If you reduce the airflow, depends what unit you have on how well it will cope before causing problems..

...& i thought i was the only one with insomnia...:cool:

If you want to try something thicker but don't like RS prices, there's maxifiltration in the north east, they may have some filter material off cuts.. Tel- 01670 717 755..

At the checkout I said "dont even ask what they are for"

I work nights hence im still up!

My units are LG inverter multisplit. LIke I say the air flow now is similar to what comes out on ultra low (sleep) mode speed however its on low speed.

I guess if the coil is too cold the inverter just backs off and ramps down... am I correct?

[Brian_UK]

Glad the tights worked, I was worried about the comments that might follow but, so far so clean. :D

With colder coils I would imagine that the inverter will back off OK.

You'll need to keep an eye on the state of your new filter media because of the smaller mesh size any dirt build up will accelerate quickly as the holes block up.

Might be worth while having an in depth discussion with the other half about mesh size (denier); you might be able to get something with a coarser mesh that will not cause so much restriction.

If we hear of you heading for Anne Summers for some fish net stocking then things have gone too far. ;)

[back2space]

Glad the tights worked, I was worried about the comments that might follow but, so far so clean. :D

With colder coils I would imagine that the inverter will back off OK.

You'll need to keep an eye on the state of your new filter media because of the smaller mesh size any dirt build up will accelerate quickly as the holes block up.

Might be worth while having an in depth discussion with the other half about mesh size (denier); you might be able to get something with a coarser mesh that will not cause so much restriction.

If we hear of you heading for Anne Summers for some fish net stocking then things have gone too far. ;)

I got a very cheap denier 10 or something like that. Instead of monthly I will check the filters every 2 weeks now.

It is very humid out tonight so I put one of the units on dry mode and the coil temp got down to 3.8C and the unit is dehumidifying very well due to the colder coil. Room temp 18C.

I am told that in cooling mode it will not affect the compressor as the refrigerant still gains a lot of heat from the air going through it but in heating mode if the indoor coil isnt losing as much heat this can be bad for the compressor... as its the same as the outdoor unit being covered and not able to reject heat.

Before this filter it was running at about 8-9C air off temp. Would you say the coil is too cold now?

[Gingerair]

Hi B2S

"the coil temp got down to 3.8C"- Do you mean the air off coil Temp ??

If it is, it means that the actual coil temperature is below 0 & you're risking ice build-up. This can cause a self-feeding spiral of low airflow, ice build up, lower airflow, more ice, etc...

If you give an off coil temp you must also give an on coil temp..

If it's your actual coil temperature, then should be ok..

Not sure if you've ever noticed but most comfort cooling a/c unit controllers will only go down to around 16-18c. This is because at those air on temperatures the air off should be 9-14c less meaning that the coil will be around 0c.
If a unit avoids ice build up it also avoids the need for a defrost cycle & it's associated temporary loss of cooling, control strategy, more parts, etc

One of the dangers of reducing your airflow in cooling will be a sustained coil temp of below 0c, therefore ice build up, which in turn causes other problems.

I'm not familiar with your type of unit & it's control strategy, but how well it copes will depend on how well it can compensate when running close to or out of it's design spec. But to honest no matter how good it is, any unit won't like being ran on or past it's limits for long periods either in cooling or heating..

There will be a certain amount of margin built into the design allowing for dirty filters etc & it might run ok for short periods. But more than likely it'll turn it's toes-up prematurely at some point..

Just one more point, inverters are not really designed to stop/start frequently & especially don't like running for short periods..

[back2space]

Hi B2S

"the coil temp got down to 3.8C"- Do you mean the air off coil Temp ??

If it is, it means that the actual coil temperature is below 0 & you're risking ice build-up. This can cause a self-feeding spiral of low airflow, ice build up, lower airflow, more ice, etc...

If you give an off coil temp you must also give an on coil temp..

If it's your actual coil temperature, then should be ok..

Not sure if you've ever noticed but most comfort cooling a/c unit controllers will only go down to around 16-18c. This is because at those air on temperatures the air off should be 9-14c less meaning that the coil will be around 0c.
If a unit avoids ice build up it also avoids the need for a defrost cycle & it's associated temporary loss of cooling, control strategy, more parts, etc

One of the dangers of reducing your airflow in cooling will be a sustained coil temp of below 0c, therefore ice build up, which in turn causes other problems.

I'm not familiar with your type of unit & it's control strategy, but how well it copes will depend on how well it can compensate when running close to or out of it's design spec. But to honest no matter how good it is, any unit won't like being ran on or past it's limits for long periods either in cooling or heating..

There will be a certain amount of margin built into the design allowing for dirty filters etc & it might run ok for short periods. But more than likely it'll turn it's toes-up prematurely at some point..

Just one more point, inverters are not really designed to stop/start frequently & especially don't like running for short periods..

The temperature I quotes was an air off temp measured at about 2cms from the exit side of the coil.

The air on temp was approx 17-18C.

I am not sure that if running it in dry mode I think the compressor runs at a higher frequency and tries to run at a lower coil temp to allow for high dehumidification.

I was checking the coil which was very wet on both sides but there was no ice build up so I suspect the coil was running at very similar to 3C.

The system is now running for longer periods whereas before set point was reached very quickly even on lowest fan speed, whereas now its another 15minutes before reaching set point.

So presently with an 18C air on temp, probably colder at the floor where it pulls air in we are experiencing very good moisture removal (better than before) and no ice or frost issues on the evaporator.

If you breathe at the air out let you can see your breath!

[Gingerair]

3.8c is a bit low for an air off temp, but to be honest if your keeping your eye on it & there's no ice then hey-ho :)

You seem to have a decent understanding on what to look out for B2S so i'd say just try it for a while. It may eventually shorten the lifespan of the unit &
prob best it's not left running like that unattended for long periods though & if you notice any problems return the filters back to original spec...

[back2space]

3.8c is a bit low for an air off temp, but to be honest if your keeping your eye on it & there's no ice then hey-ho :)

You seem to have a decent understanding on what to look out for B2S so i'd say just try it for a while. It may eventually shorten the lifespan of the unit &
prob best it's not left running like that unattended for long periods though & if you notice any problems return the filters back to original spec...

I would assume the outdoor unit is designed to back off if the coil gets too cold...

Today the air off is 6.4C with an air on of 21C