In March, I purchased a 12-year old condo in SW Florida. About a month ago, I replaced the entire A/C system (2.5 ton, split system) as the compressor was failing.
I have a question about the filter portion of the new system.
The door to the utility closet where the inside portion of the a/c unit resides was built so it opens on the 'wrong side'. This makes it impossible to replace the filter on the bottom of the air handler unit without removing the closet door. (An inconvenience, to say the least.) On my "to do" list was figuring out how much effort and expense would be involved redo the bi-fold door hinge system to allow the door to open on the other side.
Last week the A/C tech stopped by to take care of a small issue that the inspector had noted. (Inspector had asked that metallic tape be put on a small cut which exposed some insulation on the inlet side of the unit). While the tech was here, I mentioned the issue of the closet door removal required to access the filter beneath the air handler, hoping to get some suggestions from a pro who sees these sorts of issues all the time. He pointed to the return air panel in the hallway and said you can simply change out the filter there as needed and then you don't even need a filter here, which means you won't need to worry about changing the door hinge arrangement. He double-checked to make sure that there was no filter present beneath the air handler unit and he then proceeded to tape up the filter access panel underneath the air handler unit, making it basically inaccessible and making everything quite air-tight.
Since then, I've had guests staying in the guest bedroom closest to the A/C unit. When I asked, they mentioned that they heard noises at night that seem to be coming from the venting system. I was in the guest room once and heard this in the daytime and initially thought it might be someone in the upstairs condo working on something, but my guests assured me that this was similar to the noises they'd heard at night.
Today I noticed quite a bit of dust on the return air vent cover in the hallway. While up on the step ladder cleaning the vent cover, I thought I'd take a look at the A/C filter right behind it (which I had installed about a month ago) to see if it was dirty and needed replacing. The filter appears to have developed a bit of a 'pot belly' due to the suction effect of the A/C blower. The A/C and fan kicked-on while I was up on the step ladder cleaning the vent cover and I can attest that the airflow is quite strong.
I've had an electronic air filter system on my furnace/A/C system in Michigan for about 25 years, so don't know what these disposable filters look like after they've been in service.
My questions to the knowledgeable folks here, before I call the A/C installer again...is this 'pot belly' effect typical or might my system be too 'air tight' (or the fan too strong) which is causing the filter to be sucked toward the air handler? I'm also wondering about the vent noises that my guests have heard overnight. I slept in the guest bedroom for a few weeks before the new A/C system was installed and never heard any vent noise (and I'm a light sleeper) Again, might this noise be due to over-suction/too much air flow or is it simply a byproduct of a new A/C? How do I get the noise to stop so my guests don't hear it in their room? Do I need a more porous/different filter?
I'd hate for the system to be so airtight that it causes the fan to work too hard, thereby shortening its life.
I'm attaching pix of the filter (top view and front view) so you can see how much it has 'belly-ed out'.
omni
I have a question about the filter portion of the new system.
The door to the utility closet where the inside portion of the a/c unit resides was built so it opens on the 'wrong side'. This makes it impossible to replace the filter on the bottom of the air handler unit without removing the closet door. (An inconvenience, to say the least.) On my "to do" list was figuring out how much effort and expense would be involved redo the bi-fold door hinge system to allow the door to open on the other side.
Last week the A/C tech stopped by to take care of a small issue that the inspector had noted. (Inspector had asked that metallic tape be put on a small cut which exposed some insulation on the inlet side of the unit). While the tech was here, I mentioned the issue of the closet door removal required to access the filter beneath the air handler, hoping to get some suggestions from a pro who sees these sorts of issues all the time. He pointed to the return air panel in the hallway and said you can simply change out the filter there as needed and then you don't even need a filter here, which means you won't need to worry about changing the door hinge arrangement. He double-checked to make sure that there was no filter present beneath the air handler unit and he then proceeded to tape up the filter access panel underneath the air handler unit, making it basically inaccessible and making everything quite air-tight.
Since then, I've had guests staying in the guest bedroom closest to the A/C unit. When I asked, they mentioned that they heard noises at night that seem to be coming from the venting system. I was in the guest room once and heard this in the daytime and initially thought it might be someone in the upstairs condo working on something, but my guests assured me that this was similar to the noises they'd heard at night.
Today I noticed quite a bit of dust on the return air vent cover in the hallway. While up on the step ladder cleaning the vent cover, I thought I'd take a look at the A/C filter right behind it (which I had installed about a month ago) to see if it was dirty and needed replacing. The filter appears to have developed a bit of a 'pot belly' due to the suction effect of the A/C blower. The A/C and fan kicked-on while I was up on the step ladder cleaning the vent cover and I can attest that the airflow is quite strong.
I've had an electronic air filter system on my furnace/A/C system in Michigan for about 25 years, so don't know what these disposable filters look like after they've been in service.
My questions to the knowledgeable folks here, before I call the A/C installer again...is this 'pot belly' effect typical or might my system be too 'air tight' (or the fan too strong) which is causing the filter to be sucked toward the air handler? I'm also wondering about the vent noises that my guests have heard overnight. I slept in the guest bedroom for a few weeks before the new A/C system was installed and never heard any vent noise (and I'm a light sleeper) Again, might this noise be due to over-suction/too much air flow or is it simply a byproduct of a new A/C? How do I get the noise to stop so my guests don't hear it in their room? Do I need a more porous/different filter?
I'd hate for the system to be so airtight that it causes the fan to work too hard, thereby shortening its life.
I'm attaching pix of the filter (top view and front view) so you can see how much it has 'belly-ed out'.
omni