Transform your facilities management from top to bottom – with MANN+HUMMEL's air filtration solutions

As well as the expert advice of filter specialists – such as MANN+HUMMEL – there are a few tools that can help you navigate the almost bewildering array of air filters on the market.  

First up are the Eurovent rankings. Eurovent is an independent trade association for the HVAC industry. Each year, it tests filters from participating manufacturers and then breaks down the available products on its website according to pressure drop, filtration efficiency and energy consumption. This means that you can evaluate the various options with product data from an impartial and independent source.  

When you need guidance that is more tailored for your application, the MANN+HUMMEL life cycle cost calculator BREEZE can work out the best possible filter configuration for virtually any application.  

BREEZE considers every cost associated with an air filter across its life, and balances this against the level of filtration required to ensure a safe level of air quality. The calculator is a fantastic way to add value for your customer – saving them money and reducing their energy consumption – all evidenced with hard data. And the savings can be significant. We saved one MANN+HUMMEL customer 110,000 € a year in energy costs, all through a simple filter change – with no loss in air quality or flow quantities. 

Final filters are designed to capture the smaller particulate that’s really harmful to both human health and other components of the HVAC system. But this does mean that these filters can become clogged when exposed to larger dust and dirt particles. A pre-filtration stage protects these more expensive final filters from such contaminants, prolonging their service life and the performance of the system. 

Prefilters will typically need to be changed more regularly than filters in the final stage, but as they tend to be significantly cheaper to purchase, this usually works out as the most cost-effective option. 

Adding an extra stage can, of course, increase the overall pressure drop of the air filtration system, but our filter experts can devise the optimum configuration of pre- and final filters to deliver maximum life and performance, with minimal impact on energy demand – which we may even be able to reduce!

HVAC air filters come with either a synthetic filter media or a media constructed of glass fiber. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, but at MANN+HUMMEL, we believe that synthetic media offers the best characteristics for HVAC filtration. Synthetic media is easier to work with, is more environmentally friendly, and holds greater potential for future development.  

From an installer point of view, synthetic is by far the best choice – being simpler to handle during both installation and maintenance.  

There is also a risk of shedding with glass fiber filters – particularly those with a dry-laid media – where individual fibers break away from the media and travel into the downstream air flow.

HVAC filter gaskets ensure an airtight seal so that no contaminants can skirt around the sides of your installed filters. Typically made from a PU foam or EPDM, gaskets can become brittle or swollen with moisture over time, or damaged through mishandling during installation or variations in the air flow. So, regularly inspect gaskets for wear and tear. If a gasket is leaking, changes should be noticeable in your pressure drop readings and there may also evidence of downstream contamination too. 

To rectify the situation, replace the installed filter. Or, if the filter itself is still in operable condition, replace the gasket material with anew.

Differential pressure sensors measure the air flow rates before and after your HVAC filters to determine the pressure drop of your filter system. This removes the uncertainty from filter replacement by highlighting the precise moment when your filters have reached their recommended final pressure drop, and so, the end of their useful life.  

Without the data gathered by the differential pressure sensors, means relying on a time limit or guesswork to determine when to swap out the air filters. Changing too early means wasted filter life. Changing too late increases the energy consumption of the system and the risk of a filter failure.

Your air filters should be delivered with clear markings on the frame to show which way around the element should be installed. Follow these markings during installation to speed up the process and ensure that the filter performs as it should. 

Also, regularly check that there is no backflow in your system that can dislodge or cause damage to the installed filters. Such air flows can release captured particulate to contaminate other parts of the HVAC system and ductwork too.  

Filter changes across a large or complex site can be a demanding project to manage even from just an administration point of view. That’s where customized filter labelling comes into play.  

To make determining which filter goes where a whole lot easier, we can mark both the filter and the packaging carton with a location ID. This simplifies both the process of moving stock around site and installation itself. And when it comes to ordering, you can use a single reference to order by the individual filter, air handling unit, building or entire site. We can create a location ID system for you or use your own references. Either way, you can save significant time in stock ordering, handling, processing and installation.