Rainbow e2 bpack HEPA life time

[tekjunkie28]

I just bought a new HEPA for my rainbow E2 black and it has soooooo much more suction than before. I mean it is really really noticable. The old HEPA was less then a year old and I didn't use it to vacuum up any powder that I know of. I used the vacuum extensively for carpet shampooing and some mopping but does or can that affect HEPA filter life? How can I easily tell when to dump the water? I also bought the large 4 qt basin since I heard it's better for people with pets and I also shampoo my living room carpet one a month or so especially with kids, LOL. I have heard and tried vinegar and hey dry in my water but I can't seem to tell a difference and have no scientific way to test that its actually working.

 

[mark40511]

Since it's a Rainbow

topic - I always have to reply to those for the most part. LOL
I'm the opposite. I rarely use my Rainbow for mopping or carpet deep cleaning. In summer 2006, I bought my gold 2 speed new. I changed the hepa after five years and I was the opposite, I couldn't tell much difference, so I cut into the old hepa and it wasn't bad at all. The new hepa I bought was aftermarket but very good and extremely hard to tell the difference. Here's what my hepa looked like when I cut into it after 5 years. I have used my Rainbow to suck up a lot of nasty straight up dirt - namely the bin from my Shark vacuum. Sucking all that nasty stuff out of the bin of a bagless vac is a real test for me. I'd say the last 11 years I use it at least 3 times/ month. I use my Shark daily for run through, but I get out my Rainbow when I really clean high and low.

Also, about the jet dry or whatever else you're putting in the basin... I think it works, but the only problem is jet dry foams for me, even if I only put in a couple of drops. I don't know of any way to test if any of those things that make water wetter to trap more dirt actually work....

Here's a link where I got my last hepa and it's free shipping. It's much MUCH cheaper if you need to change your Rainbow hepa more frequently. I don't understand why yours is getting dirty so quickly though.

http://https//www.thinkcrucial.com/products/rainbow-rexair-e2-oval-filter

 

[man114]

Minerals in the water

I bet it's not so much the dust as thenfilters mostly remain white but rather minerals from hard water that clog the filters. I wonder what would happen with filtered or distilled water.

 

[mark40511]

I asked about

this when washing other vacuum filters that are washable, foam filters, felt filters, etc.... And the consensus was that no one that washed their washable filters for whatever vacuum had a problem with minerals clogging the filters. I mean, you would think if you wash something with hard water, when it dries, some of the minerals will remain in the filters....I dunno.

 

[man114]

I would think so

I just bought a new electric tea kettle, there are already minerals collecting on the stainless and I have been using it for maybe a week, my water isn't even that hard.

 

[tekjunkie28]

Minerals from hard water should not be a problem. Proof? Well put salt in a glass of water and let it evap and you will see the salt is still in the glass. Same concept of why it doesn't rain salt warer. Now your tea kettle is hot so the evap is more concentrated and the water molecules are larger.

Same concept happens for saltwater aquariums. The water will evap but the salt and minerals do not. Even under heavy agitation.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Tekjunkie28

Your theory falls apart if you were to look at a Sonic Humidifier. The water molecules are disbursed in such a fine form they settle on everything. There is a difference in evaporation and forced disbursement. It could be possible the air moving at 60 cfm or so could carry some of the minerals being broken loose, but more than likely it's the non-soluble dirt that is sucked up.

What some were saying about hard water, is in washing the filter with water, some of the minerals will remain. I agree.

 

[tekjunkie28]

Yes but that is forcibly breaking water into tiny droplets but still it's a mist and NOT evaporation. It's no theory it's physics. I'd like to add to the tea kettle that the water is evaporating thought thermal means and you can visibly see that. Some minerals are going with it but when u look inside after a few uses you can see the left over minerals that did not get evaporated which is a smaller portion then what was left.

Absolutely washing the filter is leaving minerals on it. HEPA filter a are not washable but they make you want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside
Wash some toilet paper and see what happens. The fiber arrangements are destroyed so air flow is reduced.

 

[man114]

My analogy of the tea kettle wasn't about the evaporation but rather to state there were noticeable minerals in water that wasn't even that hard, if you wash the HEPA filter in that or slosh the water around creating droplets I'd think one too could eventually leave enough deposits to hinder air flow.