cleaning an electrostatic air cleaner?

[B]

How does one clean an electrostatic air cleaner?

[Joseph Meehan]

Follow the instructions in the owner's manual.

Some go in the dishwasher or can be soaked in a tub with detergent.

[Yates AT]

I clean my in the kitchen sink. I use dishwasher granuales and very hot water. I used to clean it in the dishwasher, but my old dishwasher broke and the air cleaner doesn't fit in the new dishwasher.

[Toller]

I don't use mine anymore because they are such a PITA to clean.

The only good way to clean them is in the dishwasher, and I can only fit one cell in at a time, and I have to move everything around to do that. (The PITA I referred to.)

You can do an okay job by soaking in a bowl with hot water and detergent (also a PITA; consider the size of the bowl and then the mess from rinsing and drying) or a so-so job outside with spray cleaner and a garden hose.

I now use thick pleated disposable filters. I expect the electrostatic ones are better, but I can't tell the difference.

[George E. Cawthon]

My new electrostatic filter consists of a metal screen, a fiber batt, metal screen, fiber batt, metal screen with power supplied to the metal screens. It cleans the air far better than my old Honeywell type (aluminum fins, and power wires), which was indeed a pita to clean. You are supposed to use new batts and change the filter at least once a year, twice a year implied, but I change the the batts every 1-2 months, wash the batts in detergent in a sink, and reuse the batts at least 4 times before throwing them away. Overall, the new filter is the way to go.

[A]

I clean my old Honeywell cells in one of three ways:

• A quick rinse in the dishwasher using the rinse & hold cycle

• Spraying the cells with a degreaser liquid (the on I use is called Siege) then using a garden hose to rinse them off

• Going to the carwash and cleaning the cells (being sure to not get close enough with the wand to bend the fins).

With any method - I ensure the cells are dry before turning the power back on - this usually takes 5-6 hours with the cells back in the furnace & the fan turned on.

[Toller]

Does this replace the old Honeywell type filter, or it is a whole different unit?

[dkarnes]

sears sells a product called "zap-it". rinse the cells off spray this on and let it sit for a few minutes. then rinse them off.

[George E. Cawthon]

Yeah. By that I mean the Honeywell unit is a just the filter other than the metal box that fits in the air plenum. So yes it is a whole different unit. My old Honeywell unit was about 22 inches square and 6 inches thick. My new unit is 20 x 20 inches and about 1 inch thick. It fits in the same space as a regular 20 inch square paper filter. The power supply is just one of those small plug in units that produces 24 volts. This obviously converted to direct current high voltage by a small electronic board on the side of the filter unit.