An EAC (Electronic Air Cleaner) filter uses an electrically charged field to attract and capture airborne particles. Unlike passive pleated filters that rely on mechanical blocking, EAC filters like ECOairflow's EPT-based models capture ultrafine particles as small as 0.001 microns — including viruses, bacteria, wildfire smoke, and allergens — with significantly lower airflow resistance.
What is the difference between EAC filter and ESP filter?
Both use electrical charge to capture particles, but ESP (Electrostatic Precipitator) filters typically use collector plates that require washing and can produce more ozone. EAC filters like ECOairflow's use polarized glass-fiber pads — replaceable media that avoids ozone generation, requires no washing, and maintains consistent performance throughout the pad lifecycle without the maintenance burden of plate cleaning.
In HVAC, EAC stands for Electronic Air Cleaner — a powered filtration device installed in a forced-air system's air handler or furnace cabinet. It uses an electrical field to charge and capture airborne particles far smaller than standard pleated filters can intercept. ECOairflow EAC units connect to the HVAC system's existing 24V source and require no separate power supply.
How to clean an EAC filter?
ECOairflow EAC filters do not require cleaning — they use replaceable glass-fiber media pads. Simply open the filter housing, remove the old pad, and drop in a new one. No tools, washing, or HVAC service call is needed. Pads should be replaced approximately every 3 months, and ECOairflow offers an email reminder service to help you stay on schedule.
What MERV ratings are available for ECOairflow EAC filters?
ECOairflow offers EAC filters from MERV 11 to MERV 16. Residential models (Model 1000, Model 1500, Dynamo 1") are rated MERV 11 or 12. Commercial models (Dynamo 2" Model 2300) are MERV 14. The hospital-grade M-Series Hybrid supports MERV 13, 14, 15, or 16 and is ASHRAE 52.2 Appendix J certified — maintaining full rated MERV performance powered, unpowered, or under Appendix J conditioning.
Are ECOairflow EAC filters safe — do they produce ozone?
Yes, all ECOairflow EAC filters are ETL certified to the UL 2998 Zero Ozone Verification standard, emitting below 0.0005 ppm (5 ppb) of ozone. This exceeds US EPA, FDA, NIOSH, OSHA, and California CARB ozone emission standards and is recommended by the US CDC and EPA as safe for all occupied spaces including homes, hospitals, and schools.
Can ECOairflow EAC filters replace my existing electronic air cleaner?
In most cases, yes. ECOairflow residential EAC filters are available in all industry-standard furnace cabinet sizes plus custom sizes, making them compatible with systems previously using Honeywell, AprilAire, Lennox, Trane CleanEffects, Carrier Infinity, and GeneralAire units. Commercial Model 2300 units include Cabinet Conversion Kit availability for legacy EAC replacement installations. Contact ECOairflow to confirm compatibility with your specific system.