Electric Air Cleaner problems

I have a Trion Trim TX. The Green and Red LED lights go out after turning the power switch to on after about ten seconds, but it zaps dirt in those ten seconds so I think its working. What gives? I cleaned the cells and the pre-filter. I just read a forum about these EAC failing often and being more trouble than the replacable filters. Can I install a replacable filter in my EAC? It has a slot for an optional charcoal filter, could I place one there and turn the EAC power off? Or should I fix the EAC and use both a filter and the EAC at the same time? Any info would be greatly appreciated?

 

There is considerable debate on these boards about the merits vs drawbacks of EACs, which you can access with a search. Yes,you can install a 4 inch media filter in a 4 inc EAC slot, they should just slide into the slot, but you probably want to disconnect the electronics first. You can check the Honeywell and/or Trion web sites for media filters. Media filters require less frequent maintenance than EACs (the media is disposed of rather than cleaned), but there is the added cost of buying the media. The media filters do not capture small particles as well as an EAC, but some argue they do a better job of larger particles ( I don't agree by the way). I am not familiar with the Trion, but the small slots on EACs for the prefilter and/or charcoal filter are usually too narrow for any manufactured filter. If the slot is one inch thick there is no reason you couldn't use a one inch media filter in there. Although it was once recommended to me by a furnace cleaner, I am not convinced you would want both a media filter and EAC in place at the same time, because the amount of air restriction would be greater than with a single filter and put a strain on the system. You might want to first examine your EAC filter cells carefully for any damage (broken wires, corroded contacts etc.) since a simple repair might get the EAC up and running properly. If it is snapping a lot in the first ten seconds that is likely a bad sign (maybe a short circuit somewhere) rather than a good one, and might explain why it stops working after that. While you might hear the odd snap when you turn on a operational EAC, they should not be continuous or even terribly frequent. Did this jsut start after you cleaned the cells? If so, did you let them dry thoroughly?, because water in the cells will cause a lot of snapping and the filter may not work appropriately until the water dries. Some manufactureres even say the water will permanently damage the cells.