I'm reassessing my HVAC system in anticipation of another season of wildfires. Last year was horrendous. Wildfires lasted for months and conditions were so bad that we couldn't run the air conditioner. I'm trying to decide what HVAC changes I should make.
I live in the US Northwest. I've got an outdoor air conditioner unit (2 ton) with a furnace and air handler in the attic. There's an incoming air vent from outside with a manual damper (lever). I leave my damper at about 20% out of fear of freezing up the condenser coil (which I think I managed to do a few years back). The AC and furnace work fine but I can't run either of them when fires are blazing. As soon as the fan kicks on the house fills with smoke. I've got two roommates who have allergies and are extremely sensitive to smoke. Which is why we turn off the AC when fires break out. We've tried using air purifiers in our living spaces with minimal luck. The slightest bit of smoke cause the girls to get sick.
What I'm really looking for is a whole house solution. Is there a way to filter air that's coming in from outside? I'm not an expert but after a couple hours of digging it seems like these are my options.
1. Install a metal air handling box along incoming air line. Fit to install either 4" disposable media filters, electrostatic filter, or electronic filter.
2. Install an HRV along incoming air line.
3. Run air purifiers in all living spaces in the house. This is undesirable of course since it allows smoke to enter the house.
4. Close the incoming vent damper and pray the condenser doesn't freeze up.
Ideally there's a way to purify the incoming air with filtration (options 1 or 2). That's really what I'm looking for. Is there an option that might work for me? Or an option I missed?
I live in the US Northwest. I've got an outdoor air conditioner unit (2 ton) with a furnace and air handler in the attic. There's an incoming air vent from outside with a manual damper (lever). I leave my damper at about 20% out of fear of freezing up the condenser coil (which I think I managed to do a few years back). The AC and furnace work fine but I can't run either of them when fires are blazing. As soon as the fan kicks on the house fills with smoke. I've got two roommates who have allergies and are extremely sensitive to smoke. Which is why we turn off the AC when fires break out. We've tried using air purifiers in our living spaces with minimal luck. The slightest bit of smoke cause the girls to get sick.
What I'm really looking for is a whole house solution. Is there a way to filter air that's coming in from outside? I'm not an expert but after a couple hours of digging it seems like these are my options.
1. Install a metal air handling box along incoming air line. Fit to install either 4" disposable media filters, electrostatic filter, or electronic filter.
2. Install an HRV along incoming air line.
3. Run air purifiers in all living spaces in the house. This is undesirable of course since it allows smoke to enter the house.
4. Close the incoming vent damper and pray the condenser doesn't freeze up.
Ideally there's a way to purify the incoming air with filtration (options 1 or 2). That's really what I'm looking for. Is there an option that might work for me? Or an option I missed?
source https://hvac-talk.com/vbb/threads/2228370-Air-filtration-for-wildfire-season?goto=newpost
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