What You Might Not Know About HVAC Filters Everyone agrees that you should change your HVAC filter on a regular basis, but not everyone agrees on the type of filter you should use. Next time you go shopping for a furnace (or AC) filter, here are a few things to keep in mind. These tips can save you a bundle and perhaps even prevent you from inadvertently damaging your HVAC equipment. The primary purpose of a filter is to protect HVAC equipment, not to improve indoor air quality, as many homeowners have been led to believe. Many furnace manufacturers recommend that you use a low-cost fiberglass filter, but when I asked a representative of one major maker, his response was “no comment.” Perhaps this was because high-efficiency filters that are too good may actually slow airflow across the heat exchanger, reducing the unit’s efficiency, raising your energy bills, and causing furnace damage due to overheating. Similarly, a high-efficiency filter can freeze the condensing coils on an AC unit.

(A dirty filter can do the same thing.) Even more of a shocker is that furnace filters do relatively little to reduce the number of small particles you inhale. That’s because these particles tend to be in the air wherever there is human activity—and that’s not necessarily where your return registers and ductwork can capture them, according to research by the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CHMC). In addition, furnaces (and central ACs) run only seasonally. cheap air conditioner units for saleEven during the heating and cooling seasons, furnaces run only part of the time. small central ac unitSo it stands to reason they are not filtering the air when the fan is not running.how to tell ac unit size Want to save money and stop wasting time trying to figure out conflicting furnace filter maker ratings systems?

Make your next filter a permanent electrostatic filter (also known as a washable one). The kit I tried is available online and can be cut to fit most filter cabinets. Washable filters may be reused for 5 to 10 years and cost about $20 each. These filters should be rinsed once a month and prior to re-installation, they should be allowed to dry. Some permanent electrostatic filters include carbon filtration for odor removal. Keep in mind that electrostatic filters are most effective when new and clean, so they should be washed frequently. Pre-made sizes are limited, but some manufacturers, such as WebProducts, will fabricate filters to your specs for about $35 each. For more on HVAC, consider: Really “Cool” Cooling Fans Quick Tip: Alternatives to Air ConditioningAll images: Adam Clark Estes The first time I saw the new Frigidaire Gallery Cool Connect smart air conditioner my jaw dropped. It was the best-looking window AC unit I’d ever seen with a sleek design and supposedly neat wi-fi functionality.

After a month of using it, I now remember that no gadget is truly perfect—not even if you want it to be. And I wanted this snazzy white box to be perfect. A dependable AC is a true lifesaver during a New York City summer, and unless you’re rich or lucky, your apartment will probably require a window unit. The same goes for plenty of cities around the world. What’s always driven me nuts about these essential appliances, however, is that they’re both ugly and annoying to use. Put differently, they’re poorly designed. When Frigidaire showed off the new Cool Connect 8,000 BTU unit at CES this year, it looked like a revelation. The filter slides out the top of the mesh unit, but you can run the whole thing under water. You definitely want to clean this at least once a month. Good design is about much more than looks. Beyond the almost Apple-inspired white exterior, the Frigidaire AC features a filter that pops out the front, instead of sliding out the side like my old unit, the Quirky Aros.

There’s also a little red light that reminds you to clean the filter once a month. Meanwhile, the vents are angled up so that the air circulates through the room from the top down instead of getting blasted straight out the front of the unit and sinking to the floor. That said, the angled vent gimmick doesn’t work very well if you have shades or blinds, since the air just shoots straight up behind the window covering. Believe it or not, the light above fan is actually illuminated in this image. You can see it if you cup your hand around the light to create more darkness. The unit’s good looks are hard to ignore, though. Even the buttons are beautiful because, well, they don’t exist. The control panel is touch sensitive and wonderfully glossy, though the white LED indicator lights are basically impossible to see in a bright window. But like a cherry on top, the new Frigidaire AC came with these insulated panels that covered up those ugly accordion-style wings on the side making it almost look like the unit was part of my apartment’s architecture.

Then there are the smart features. I’m going to be brutally honest here. As I learned from living with the Quirky Aros, internet connected ACs aren’t that useful. The idea that you can adjust the unit from your phone and even program it to turn on when you’re almost home sounds futuristic. The only problem is that taking out your phone and fumbling through an app sometimes takes longer than getting up and pressing a damn button. You might love firing up the AC when you’re on the way home so that your apartment is nice and chilly when you arrive. I personally prefer turning it on when I walk in the door and letting the air blow in my face until I’m not hot any more. Nevertheless, you can have it both ways with the Frigidaire Cool Connect—but the smart features stop short of learning your habits, like Nest does. The app is there, and it’s a little bit clunky. It basically works as a substitute for the unit’s remote, which I actually use more often. The programming features work just fine.

I just never use them. The app is basically a remote with some extra features. If you look closely, you can see the option to “Create a schedule” and “Turn off later.” That’s as smart as this smart AC gets. The true test of any air conditioner, of course, is whether or not it can cool down your living space and keep it cool. The Frigidaire does that with panache—most of the time. Like most modern AC units, the Cool Connect comes with three settings: cool, eco, and fan. The cool mode will bring down the temperature in your place to a desired level and keep it there, gobbling up lots of pricey electricity in the process. The eco mode turns off and on to keep the room close to your desired temperature without wasting energy. The fan is a fan. Cool mode is the only way to go, in my opinion. On a recent 90-degree day in New York, I turned my bedroom into a beautiful little ice box, and it stayed that way. This is despite the fact that an 8,000 BTU unit is not quite the optimal size for my space.

My room requires about 7,000 BTU, so I’m in an awkward position since most units come in 6,000 or 8,000 BTU versions. (The BTU equation is complicated, but this handy tool will tell you what size you need.) But if I keep it in cool mode, the Frigidaire works like a miracle. I have not, however, looked at my electricity bill yet.Eco mode is a different story. For whatever reason, the AC would cool the room down fine at first, but once it started the on-off yoyo game, I’d be bouncing back and forth between sweaty brow and goosebumps. I realize we all have to make some sacrifices on our warming planet, but it’s almost worse to oscillate between too warm and too chilly. Eco mode is great for keeping your space a reasonable temperature while you’re away, though. Fan mode is a fan. I usually kept the AC in fan mode when I wasn’t home so that my apartment would feel less stuffy. It also serves as a great white noise machine. With those insulated panels on the side, the AC unit really blends in!

So let’s talk about noise. My old Quirky Aros was widely criticized for being loud, though I actually enjoyed how it drowned out the activity on my noisy street. The first time I turned on the Frigidaire, I noticed that it was several decibels quieter than the other unit. It’s hardly silent, however. The Cool Connect makes enough noise that I turn it off from time-to-time if I’m watching a movie. (I’m a bit little deaf, so you might not have that issue.) But after a couple of weeks, I noticed a different noise, a high-pitched noise that I initially thought was some sort of clean-the-filter alarm. In fact, it’s a normal sound that the compressor makes. There’s even an advisory in the manual.The high-pitched noise comes and goes. Depending on my mood, I either tune it out or focus all of my anxious energy onto it, waiting for the moment that it cuts out. I should add that I only hear this noise when the unit is in cool mode, but since I prefer to use it in cool mode, I notice it more and more.

I reached out to Frigidaire for more details on what causes the noise and how to avoid it. I’ll update this review if I hear back. All that said, the occasional whine from the Frigidaire window unit is hardly a deal breaker. I love this AC. I love the way it looks. I love the way it turns my bedroom into a beautiful icebox on hot days. I love it enough that when two friends contacted me recently about which AC unit to buy, I said, “Get the new Frigidaire—it’s expensive but worth it.”And it’s really only a little bit expensive. Amazon is selling the Frigidaire Cool Connect for $300 right now, just $40 more than the LG unit our friends at the Wirecutter love. Two Andrew Jacksons don’t quite cover the convenience of the smartphone controls for me, but the Frigidaire’s superior design is practically priceless. I actually do use the smartphone app sometimes, too—usually when I’m lying in bed and feeling too lazy to reach for the remote. That sort of sums it up, though, right?