New HEPA + Activated Carbon Cabin Air Filters from EveryAmp - Simple Installation - Upgraded Air Quality

[eskudo12791]

Ugh...just paid the $35 for a factory Mann last week at the service center....

There is a reason home hvac techs dont recommend high merv fitlers for residential systems, no different than a cabin air filter. Increased static pressure will reduce airflow, as the other said, OEM is the way. Unless these folks come out and show no drop in static pressure its more harm than benefit.

Sponsored

 

[madhat]

Great question!

Our filters are in fact different. EV Sportline chose H13+ grade HEPA and we chose H11.

What’s the Difference?
There are two main types of HEPA filters – HEPA 11 and HEPA 13. Both are considered medical grade and designed to remove 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns in size from the air, but there are some key differences between the two grades.

HEPA 11 filters are typically used in residential settings, while HEPA 13 filters are designed for more industrial or commercial applications. HEPA 13 filters are able to capture a higher percentage of smaller particles than HEPA 11 filters, though create greater airflow resistance.

Short answer is just because they look similar, doesn't mean they are.

I’m curious if there’s any third party testing of the filter media? That would put any nay-sayers to bed. (I’m in the commercial HVAC side of things and not sure if there’s much regulation in vehicle filters)

 

[madhat]

There is a reason home hvac techs dont recommend high merv fitlers for residential systems, no different than a cabin air filter. Increased static pressure will reduce airflow, as the other said, OEM is the way. Unless these folks come out and show no drop in static pressure its more harm than benefit.

The trick is to go with deeper filters to offset higher pressure drop; a 1” MERV8 has higher pressure drop and worse filtration than a 2” MERV13 (which is plenty for most people)

 

[jfoonly]

Our filters are in fact different. EV Sportline chose H13+ grade HEPA and we chose H11.

Thanks for the explanation. Please add that to the product descriptions on your website and Amzn!

 

[eskudo12791]

I’m curious if there’s any third party testing of the filter media? That would put any nay-sayers to bed. (I’m in the commercial HVAC side of things and not sure if there’s much regulation in vehicle filters)

Doubtful, companies use the HEPA buzzword and people jump in.

The trick is to go with deeper filters to offset higher pressure drop; a 1” MERV8 has higher pressure drop and worse filtration than a 2” MERV13 (which is plenty for most people)

Agreed, swapped my house from a 1inch ceiling filter to a media box 20x20x3 inch filter.

 

[NY_Rob]

I’m curious if there’s any third party testing of the filter media? That would put any nay-sayers to bed. (I’m in the commercial HVAC side of things and not sure if there’s much regulation in vehicle filters)

Sounds like a project for "Project Farm" youtube guy who does really great in-depth comparative testing.

 

[NY_Rob]

Doubtful, companies use the HEPA buzzword and people jump in.

They also use "Upgraded" on every product even though this is their first gen offering

Chinese marketing brought to the USA.

 

[EveryAmp]

Thanks for the explanation. Please add that to the product descriptions on your website and Amzn!

Will do!

 

[not_a_car_guy]

Does Rivian change the air filter during the 7500 mile service? I don't think so based on this webpage (https://rivian.com/support/article/what-is-the-maintenance-schedule-for-r1-vehicles), but I'm curious if anyone knows for certain.

 

[R1Thor]

I work for a company that manufactures the equipment that challenges filter media (used by DoE, DoD, for Pharmaceutical Lab compliance, BioSafety cabinets, NIOSH filters, N95, N99, and N100 masks, and so on). A lot of those are regulated and require 100% testing of every filter produced (which is where our equipment comes in). Most even require periodic RE-testing to validate filters continue to perform and don't develop leakage (especially 'Classed' clean rooms).

This thread has piqued my interest, so I'm working with our PhD Applications Engineer to run some tests on available aftermarket filters, and I'll compare them to Rivian's OEM. We should be able to validate whether these are 1- in fact HEPA grade, 2- what the flow rate is THROUGH the filter media (which can be used to somewhat compare pressure drop) and 3- whether there's seal leakage around the edges of the filter (bypassing it, and making it a moot point whether the filters themselves are adequate).

I don't know for a fact (one way or another) if all Automotive filters are tested. I DO know Ford tests theirs--I'd literally met a few of Ford's filtration Engineers when I attended the University of Minnesota's Aerosol and Particulate course 2 summers ago.

The challenge is developing a proper test fixture. So, I'll do that for funsies.

That said, this won't be a fast process. So, don't get excited. Give me about 4-6 weeks to put it all together and I should be able to provide some input.

My up front hesitation is to sort of... take the marketing with a grain of salt. Most VOCs and organics that might be problematic fall within the range that the HEPA grade filter would capture anyway. So activated charcoal is sort of a party trick marketing gimmick in most cases. I'm sure there are exceptions (I don't know everything), but from a marketing standpoint, it doesn't make sense to me. Especially when you consider those HEPA and ULPA grade BIO Lab filters do not include carbon activated filters, because there's no point. And those are meant to capture 100% of potentially problematic CBRNE threats (both from getting IN and from getting OUT).

 

[NY_Rob]

Give me about 4-6 weeks to put it all together and I should be able to provide some input.

That's awesome! Will be very interesting to see the results.

My suspicion is the OEM Mann brand filter will offer the best overall filtration with minimal restriction.

 

[R1Thor]

That's awesome! Will be very interesting to see the results.

My suspicion is the OEM Mann brand filter will offer the best overall filtration with minimal restriction.

That's generally my experience as well, but I promise to be objective in my findings.

EDIT: If anyone wants some fun reading in the meantime: https://www.aivc.org/sites/default/files/members_area/medias/pdf/Conf/1999/paper095.pdf

 

[EveryAmp]

Does Rivian change the air filter during the 7500 mile service? I don't think so based on this webpage (https://rivian.com/support/article/what-is-the-maintenance-schedule-for-r1-vehicles), but I'm curious if anyone knows for certain.

Rivian recommends replacement every year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. I just crossed 33k miles and over 2 years of ownership. Rivian hadn't suggested or replaced my filter during any of my appointments.

That said all you have to do is ask and I'm sure they would make the swap for you at the cost of their replacement filter. I'd hope there's no minimum labor fee given how simple it is. https://rivian.com/gear-shop/p/cabin-air-filter

 

[akc5247]

I replaced my filter with the one from Rivian ($35) when we hit 10,000 miles. The filter I replaced was not all bad, but I am happy with spending $35 every 8-10k miles.

On a side note, I used to be the MERV13 guy for my house filters until I realized that was way overkill for my 1200 sq ft condo. Since then went between MERV8 / 11, I'm sure my HVAC is doing its job at a much decent rate compared to the MERV13.

 

[shap]

Guys, calm down - let everyone use filters they like. Honestly, Rivian filter is far from being the best, at least I feel quite a lot of external fumes.

I lived in middle east deserts once and had a regular cheap filter and all was fine (merv 11).
Do not overthink this...

But most important - these are not a real problems, stay healthy and happy!

Sponsored