By Anne Fonda
An electronic air cleaner, also called an electronic air filter in HVAC, is a whole-home or portable device that applies a negative electrical charge to airborne pollutants, allowing them to be trapped by a positively charged filter.
That’s a complicated way of saying that an electronic air cleaner improves your indoor air quality (IAQ). This article focuses on whole-home electronic air cleaners, specifically, the Trane CleanEffects™, since that is our area of expertise.
Dust, dust mites, pet dander, allergens, mold, and other harmful airborne particles can exacerbate allergies and asthma. Unfortunately, it’s likely that your standard, basic air filter isn’t doing much to capture these unwanted visitors.
Electronic air cleaners fight to contain these particles and reduce the amount in your home. This air purifying device gives an electronic charge to airborne particles as they pass through the device, while the air cleaner itself has an opposite charge, attracting and effectively trapping particles inside it.
Once an electronic air cleaner is installed in your home, it will trap large particles of dust, dander, allergens, and more, depending on the device selected, as they pass through the filter.
The CleanEffects™ electronic air cleaner has 3 interior components to filter out up to 98.1% of particles down to .3 microns in size.
Particles that small are invisible to the naked eye. For example, the average human hair is 70 microns in diameter.
The prefilter is the first layer and captures larger particles, up to 99.3% of particles 3-10 microns in size and 98.9% of particles 1-3 microns in size.
Using a patented process, the field charger electrically charges incoming particles so they adhere to the collection cells.
They are precisely engineered to capture 98.1% of particles .3 to one micron in size and are easy to clean – more on that below.
Like air purifiers, electronic air cleaners help alleviate triggers for allergies and asthma. The CleanEffects™ is certified Asthma & Allergy-Friendly® by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America® (AAFA).
Particulate matter gets stuck to the pre-filter and collection cells. As time goes by, you will need to clean the filter when the outside panel shows a light telling you that it is time to do so – usually every 3 months or so. No need to buy new filters every 1-3 months.
You can’t just stick the Trane CleanEffects™ into your HVAC system’s filter slot. You need to purchase the unit and have it professionally installed. But you also don’t have to buy new filters every 1-3 months. If someone in your household has asthma or allergies, it could be well worth the investment.
“The right whole-home air cleaner can remove up to 98.1% of pollutants in the air and trap particles down to .3 microns in size, including smoke, cooking smoke, and any bacteria floating around. While these filters have the highest price tag, they also have the biggest impact on improving allergy symptoms.”
– Sean Goddard, Product Manager, Coils & Indoor Air Quality
This can be seen as both a pro and a con. Since the filter is reusable, you don’t have to replace it every 30-90 days like a regular air filter. But you do need to vacuum the pre-filter and collection cells every 3-6 months, and you should also have an HVAC professional clean or service the field charger during an annual maintenance visit.
The other options for your HVC system are media cleaners and 1” air filters. A whole-house electronic air cleaner is superior to both.
Media air cleaners filter the air like electronic air cleaners, except they don’t generate electric fields. Instead, media air cleaners are made out of a particle-trapping material contained in a cardboard frame. The media air cleaner filter, like the electronic one, removes harmful particles from the air and traps them inside.
Media air cleaners like the QuikBox™ Air Cleaner are essentially a heavy-duty, highly efficient air filter. They are typically 4-5” thick and use deeply pleated materials to capture microscopic particles without restricting airflow. They can be up to 20 times as effective as a standard air filter. If you only have a 1” filter slot, you can upgrade by having the QuikBox™ professionally installed.
Because of the larger surface area, you can use a media filter with a higher MERV rating than you could with a standard 1” filter. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. It measures an air filter or media air cleaner’s ability to filter out tiny particles. The QuikBox™ Air Cleaner is available in MERV 11 and MERV 13. QuikBox™ media filters need to be changed every 6 months.
Every ducted HVAC system has an air filter. Usually located next to the air handler or furnace, but sometimes located in a wall or ceiling return air vent, standard filters are 1” thick and come in a variety of sizes. They come with a variety of MERV ratings.
There are several types of HVAC air filters.
Concerned about your home’s indoor air quality? Your local Trane HVAC pro can help assess your home’s IAQ and suggest solutions tailored to your comfort and health needs.
Anne Fonda, Content Writer
A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need.
She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.
Expert review by Sean Goddard, Product Manager, Coils & Indoor Air Quality
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