Starting January 29th, Costco Wholesale [costco.com] will have for their Members:
4-Pack 3M 2500 Series Filtrete 1" MERV 14 Filters (various sizes) on sale for
$34.99. Shipping is free*
Available Filter Sizes: 14x20x1, 14x24x1, 14x25x1, 14x30x1, 16x20x1, 16x25x1, 20x20x1, 20x25x1, 20x30x1
About this Item:
- Captures Pollen, Smoke, Bacteria & Viruses
- Lasts up to 3 Months
- For Residential Use Only
- MPR 2500 has a rating of MERV 14
*
Right now the items say shipping is included in the $49.99 price, but I'm not sure if they'll still be free shipping when the price is lowered to $34.99.This matches last May's +34 Frontpage price.
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39 Comments
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They don't get gunked up nearly as quickly as sticking one of these filters in the air in take for the furnace. You also don't need to change them until the are fairly dirty because the overall surface area makes them less prone restricting airflow to the point where the fan struggles.
Just read the reviews on Costco for the 2500's and you'll have your answer. Lots of people having to call hvac techs to come to their house to service their system just to be told it was the restrictive filters causing the problem.
I ordered these a while back when they were on sale then did some further research and read reviews on Costco and Reddit, then immediately canceled my order. The pressure drop for the 2500 is significant and not good for the system when brand new. Will only get worse as they get clogged up.
This is a good deal for a product that's good on paper, but most people should not be using them.
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Just read the reviews on Costco for the 2500's and you'll have your answer. Lots of people having to call hvac techs to come to their house to service their system just to be told it was the restrictive filters causing the problem.
I ordered these a while back when they were on sale then did some further research and read reviews on Costco and Reddit, then immediately canceled my order. The pressure drop for the 2500 is significant and not good for the system when brand new. Will only get worse as they get clogged up.
This is a good deal for a product that's good on paper, but most people should not be using them.
Just read the reviews on Costco for the 2500's and you'll have your answer. Lots of people having to call hvac techs to come to their house to service their system just to be told it was the restrictive filters causing the problem.
I ordered these a while back when they were on sale then did some further research and read reviews on Costco and Reddit, then immediately canceled my order. The pressure drop for the 2500 is significant and not good for the system when brand new. Will only get worse as they get clogged up.
This is a good deal for a product that's good on paper, but most people should not be using them.
I picked up some of the 2500's last time they were on sale for a CR box (with an unusual fan for higher pressure drop) and they're great for that. https://en.m.wikipedia.
The label on the 16x25x1 filter(2.77sqft, ignoring the cardboard edge) states:
410CFM: 0.10", 820CFM: 0.25"., 1390CFM: 0.53"
Filters are normally rated at linear speeds of 300ft/min and 500 ft/min, which gives 831 CFM and 1385 CFM.
So at a standard 300 feet per minute, this filter's initial resistance is about 0.25", and at 500 fpm it's 0.53". I don't recall the 1900's numbers at the moment but I think it's <0.2" @ 300fpm.
Most HVAC contractors recommend you don't drop much more than 0.1" across your furnace filter for best performance.
Pretty much all filter manufacturers (note: not HVAC companies) say to replace filters when they reach 1" pressure drop. (So, if you're starting at 0.5" you have much less time before you drop another $$ on a new fancy filter).
There are a few other things to consider besides vague fear-based "how hard the blower works".
- A blower working harder uses more energy, so you'll pay more on your electric bill (or get less airflow - worse heating / cooling performance). At typical efficiencies we could easily be talking an extra hundred watts.
- Filters can only capture dust and particles that reach them. If you're serious about clean air, you'll likely get much better results by using a standalone filter per room.
- Going for 100% capture in a single pass seems kind of pointless to me. Air will go through the filter multiple times, so as long as you're removing a significant portion each pass, it'll do a good job. And dirty air that leaks into the house, plus dust being stirred up or shed is constantly "re-contaminating" the rest of the house, so whether the air coming from your ducts is 100% clean or 90% clean seems unlikely to make much difference once it mixes into your rooms.
Anyway, I only use these for CR boxes that I use when there's wildfire smoke or some other reason PM2.5 is excessive AND when I can't get the 1900's on sale. In the furnace, MERV 13 or lower is perfectly great and they're good for smoke too, since you can push more air through the 1900 than the 2500.Hope that's helpful.
Note: the purpose of a HVAC tech is to be able to see what you're doing and tell you "yes or no" to it. I think what happens online is we get caught up in the MERV ratings too much and not the actual use cases. Speak to your HVAC professional next time around and see what works for your system. My past one was older and I had to go with the paper thin filters that you can easily see our hand through. My new one? Shoot....
I got my 20x20x4 for $8 each
The reason is there are more pleats in the 1900 but they aren't terribly dense layers. This also proves to be helpful to not cause a drastic jump as they get dirty per Project Farm.
For me… it's either the 1900, or I go with spun fiberglass when I want the best flow and don't mind less filtration.
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