HVAC Air Filter Needs to Be Replaced Every 3 Weeks

[TrippWest]

First year! The learning curve is a bit flat for most. You have come to the correct spot for accelerating the curve

Select a handful of random splits from your wood stash. Bring them indoors for a full day and night to get them up to room temp 70ish. Then take them outside and re-split them. Take them back inside and press the moisture meter prongs firmly into the freshly exposed inner face of the split. This should give you a reasonably accurate measure of your moisture content.

Testing the outside of splits that have been sitting in a stack for days, weeks or months means virtually zero. You must re-split for accuracy. Many if not most meters are calibrated to be accurate around 70F. Hence the required warm up period before re-splitting/testing.

Testing cold splits will give you low inaccurate readings.

Food for thought. Let us know what you find.

Got it. My beginner's book neglected to mention this. Thanks for the tip!

 

[begreen]

Welp, that die is cast.

As noted, the return location is against mechanical code. It should be relocated.
That said, you can reduce ash in the air by being sure that the blower is always off before opening the stove door and by vacuuming up any ash spilled when adding wood, moving wood with a poker, or ash cleanout, before turning the insert blower back on.

 

[Bad LP]

Is there another return sort of nearby?

As for the suspected ash bugging up your filter in the fan coil unit can you tape a new filter covering your current return and run the stove as you have been for a little while to actually see if that is the source of the dirt problem?

 

[TrippWest]

Is there another return sort of nearby?

As for the suspected ash bugging up your filter in the fan coil unit can you tape a new filter covering your current return and run the stove as you have been for a little while to actually see if that is the source of the dirt problem?

Yes, I can experiment. I started running an air purifier in the room. It has a built-in color-changing sensor that tells you what the air quality in the room is. It changes color when I cook or if the insert door is open, but otherwise says the air quality in the room is good, so I am beginning to think that it is in fact the location of the supply.

 

[BrianVA]

Yes, I can experiment. I started running an air purifier in the room. It has a built-in color-changing sensor that tells you what the air quality in the room is. It changes color when I cook or if the insert door is open, but otherwise says the air quality in the room is good, so I am beginning to think that it is in fact the location of the supply.

If that is, in fact, the case, it seems like you could greatly reduce the problem by making sure the air handler is not running while you have the insert door open. There are other reasons to relocate the air return, but that would at least help with the indoor air quality while you continue to experiment and eventually figure out a permanent solution. Good luck with it. Sounds like you are on the right track.

 

[BrianVA]

If that is, in fact, the case, it seems like you could greatly reduce the problem by making sure the air handler is not running while you have the insert door open. There are other reasons to relocate the air return, but that would at least help with the indoor air quality while you continue to experiment and eventually figure out a permanent solution. Good luck with it. Sounds like you are on the right track.

Sorry, I see that Begreen had just made the same suggestion. Didn't mean to duplicate. I see he also suggested vacuuming up the spilled ashes when reloading. Also a great suggestion. I keep a hand held 20 volt vacuum under an end table near the insert so its easy for me to vacuum every time I reload. Works well and no one would ever know its there.

 

[Killzor]

Yes, I can experiment. I started running an air purifier in the room. It has a built-in color-changing sensor that tells you what the air quality in the room is. It changes color when I cook or if the insert door is open, but otherwise says the air quality in the room is good, so I am beginning to think that it is in fact the location of the supply.

What brand of air purifier did you go with and how are the results? I'm currently experiencing the same clogged filter issues you initially described (usually 3 month replace, now every 3 weeks) using a Quadrafire Expedition wood burning insert installed earlier this year (exterior air intake kit on the insert, 35' x6" insulated chimney liner, closest HVAC return about 12' directly across the room from insert, been burning seasoned oak/ ash/locust and black walnut all under 15% moisture). I've been burning almost non-stop for the past couple of months and anticipated my electricity to be less than last winter but have found instead it's increased close to 50%! Seems I've also made the mistake of having my HVAC system fan set on circulate thinking it would help spread the heat throughout the house, on top of very sloppy housekeeping when reloading & cleanout

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

Vacuuming up ashes when doing a reload would make me a little nervous. A tiny burning ember sucked into the vacuum where there's likely some wood dust and other vittles, and maybe a combustible bag or filter might not end well. Yes, I use a vacuum (hepa filter only!) around and sometime inside my woodburners, but only in circumstances where I know that everything I suck up has no chance of being hot.

Is it just me?? The guys suggesting this have been around.

 

[MR. GLO]

Install a box fan with 20 x20x1 merv 13 filter away from stove and see if it turns gray too...
Put on low ...

From my testing if you have smoke at reloads any house filter system will show gray in filter...before 30 days...plus neighbors could be culprit too. Better reloads equals less smoke in filters up stairs...
.

If not using stove next day...Empty the coals slowly and early the next morning. then you will be able to link smoke from reload smoke or when running or cleaning...i get lots of dust in filters from just dropping logs on concrete floor but the gray tint is smoke related.

The fine ash particles from cleaning stove don't help either.

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

I'm going to come off as a real cheap bastard here, but I don't have a problem with carefully blowing out the filters and reusing them. I choose a day with a significant breeze in a predictable direction!

The more expensive, higher efficiency filters tend to be made stouter, and hold up better to this, so the better filters are cheaper in the long run.

My wood furnace runs 24/7 for more of the year than not, and the filters get dirty. I probably have a dozen of them. I tend to change them monthly in the dead of winter, because I need to optimize air flow to the far ends of my house to stay warm. During the shoulder seasons, I don't care as much, and they might go a couple of months.

I end up throwing away about one filter a year.

 

[Supersurvey]

I would suggest a Powersmith or similar ash vacuum. I use mine after just about every reload to clean up any spillage and wood debris.

 

[kborndale]

Be careful with expensive HVAC filters. While they filter more out of the air, they also restrict airflow much more lowering the efficiency of your unit. Oftentimes it's better to get the cheap filters and change them more often.