Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes
I had an outdoor unit “freeze up” on a tenant. Hvac guy says the unit read fine so no freon needed, etc. Filter had been changed a few weeks earlier and was clean enough but supposedly restricted air flow can cause the problem...guy said to wait 4 hours and turn system back on if it happened again. He did clean the indoor coils and said that should improve performance by 20%. I looked at hvac-talk and there seems to be quite a number of site people who say fiberglass filters keep the coils clean enough and the pleated put a lot of stress on systems not designed for them, especially in ac season. The filters I ordered were called “ez flow” which says something. I have all R22 units. The one that froze up has the original furnace and coil from 1985.
I would look less at pleated versus spun fiberglass and more at the MERV ratings of these filters. Most people do not need something like a MERV 13 filter in their units. They'd do perfectly fine with a MERV 4 filter. But they buy the higher-rated filter, thinking they'll get noticeably better performance. The higher the rating, the more restrictive the flow, the more likely something like this cooling issue would happen.
Blue Springs, MO · Member since 2015 · 481 posts · 313 votes
7y
Did you or the HVAC tech check to see if the tenant had closed off a bunch of the vents in the rooms? Either on purpose, by pulling the lever on the vent, or accidentally, by blocking them with furniture, rugs, etc.
Some people think that if the house is too cool, the way to fix it is to not touch the thermostat and close some vents.
I use the pleated paper filters that cost about $1.50 each, but I do have a newer system at my rent house - the furnace and A/C are both about 3 years old.
I would look less at pleated versus spun fiberglass and more at the MERV ratings of these filters. Most people do not need something like a MERV 13 filter in their units. They'd do perfectly fine with a MERV 4 filter. But they buy the higher-rated filter, thinking they'll get noticeably better performance. The higher the rating, the more restrictive the flow, the more likely something like this cooling issue would happen.
Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes
7y
@Jim K. Thanks. The difference is 1 to 5 MERV (or the HD rating) so I would guess pretty significant. What I wonder is when Carrier puts a filter spot in the furnace, what type of filter did they design the system for? I want to say I got a reusable filter included with the 410 system I bought 12 years ago in my own home. My rentals have older furnaces because they are only used a few months out of the year and some are on their third outdoor unit because AC season is 8-9 months. I am guessing they all were designed for fiberglass as I don’t think the pleated were as common 15-20 years ago. One guy on hvac talk said you need 200 sq inches of 1” pleated filter per ton or you should be using MERV 1 fiberglass. I think I am going fiberglass and routine landlord changes during summer and then switching to pleated in Fall...I am lax about inspections anyway so I would like an excuse to pop in routinely although it will be a pita.
Did you or the HVAC tech check to see if the tenant had closed off a bunch of the vents in the rooms? Either on purpose, by pulling the lever on the vent, or accidentally, by blocking them with furniture, rugs, etc.
Some people think that if the house is too cool, the way to fix it is to not touch the thermostat and close some vents.
I use the pleated paper filters that cost about $1.50 each, but I do have a newer system at my rent house - the furnace and A/C are both about 3 years old.
Where do you get paper filters for 1.50?
cheapest paper ones at HD are 3-4$.
The thing with fiberglass filters is you have to change it every month, and I have no time, nor do I want, to pop every month. That's just intrusive for the tenant.
The FRP 4 filters are 90 day filters vs 30 day fiberglass.
I would look less at pleated versus spun fiberglass and more at the MERV ratings of these filters. Most people do not need something like a MERV 13 filter in their units. They'd do perfectly fine with a MERV 4 filter. But they buy the higher-rated filter, thinking they'll get noticeably better performance. The higher the rating, the more restrictive the flow, the more likely something like this cooling issue would happen.
I’d have to disagree. I wouldn’t want to filter my house with that low of a MERV rating, so I won’t expect my tenant to do so.
If you can find a company that will sell to you direct, I recommend Camfil filters, not a paid rep, but these are by far, the best filters on the market. If a tenant forgets to change the filter for six months, under normal circumstances, Camfil 30/30 can handle the job. I am an HVACR tech/Investor, FYI.
It’s your investment, not your tenants, take care of it, as if it were your own.........duh, because it is.
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
I’ve had a unit freeze on me when I was gone for the week, left the AC off or on a rather high temp, then turned it on when I got home. The hot, humid air in the house caused it to freeze. Let it thaw out, and never had that issue again.
Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes
7y
@Kenneth Bullock Yes, I have been providing MERV 5 pleated filters for my tenants but I am thinking I may be sacrificing my hvac system in doing so. Limited air flow supposedly kills systems, making them work overtime, and a fiberglass filter allows the air to flow with just enough restriction to protect the interior coils. (And I think my tenants can keep the house cleaner if they have a problem with dust. The return air plenums are clean and sealed). I have insulated attics and added solar screens to reduce wear and tear on the systems... and reduce energy costs for my tenants. Just wondering if others have had their ac guys recommend switching back to fiberglass due to system age. Thanks.
@Kenneth Bullock Yes, I have been providing MERV 5 pleated filters for my tenants but I am thinking I may be sacrificing my hvac system in doing so. Limited air flow supposedly kills systems, making them work overtime, and a fiberglass filter allows the air to flow with just enough restriction to protect the interior coils. (And I think my tenants can keep the house cleaner if they have a problem with dust. The return air plenums are clean and sealed). I have insulated attics and added solar screens to reduce wear and tear on the systems... and reduce energy costs for my tenants. Just wondering if others have had their ac guys recommend switching back to fiberglass due to system age. Thanks.
A restricted evaporator, due to a dirty, or non-existing filter (resulting in a dirty evaporator coil), is one of the best ways to kill a compressor. Any filter is better than nothing, but all filters are not created equal.
Not all tenants know how, or care to change filters. Even when taught, they don’t. Periodic filter changes will save you years of system wear, late night calls and headaches.
It has been my experience that Camfil makes some of, if not, the best filters on the market.
I looked up my receipts and I was off a little bit; I actually paid about $1.86 each. :) "True Blue" brand MERV 7 pleated filters, box of 12, for $22.28 with tax. Spring 2017 at the local Menards. Menards only exists in the north central US, though.
Investor · Pittston, PA · Member since 2014 · 14 posts · 6 votes
7y
@Marian Smith if your unit has a txv, that could also be there problem. Without knows the pressures the tech read, it would be hard to know. Take the filters out and see if it freezes up again. If it does then you know it has nothing to do with the filters.
Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes
7y
Thanks @Mike Pugliese. I don’t don’t know what txv is. The interior coils were brushed cleaner and I ordered a box of blue fiberglass filters and told my tenant to switch to fiberglass until it cools off. Been almost 2 weeks and 90+ temps and so far so good. True Blue makes a high density white fiberglass filter which may be a better option than the standard blue I ordered.