In this episode, Jimmy Smithell of New England Heat Pump Company explains the role of Mitsubishi ductless heat pump filters in managing dust, pollen and other indoor particles. He discusses filter cleaning, room-by-room filtration and additional features available in different indoor units. The conversation also explores humidity control limitations and air quality considerations for homes and commercial spaces.
John Maher: Hi, I’m John Maher, and I’m here today with Jimmy Smithell of New England Heat Pump Company, a locally owned and family operated company with over 20 years of experience in the HVAC industry, specializing in Mitsubishi heat pumps and ductless heating and cooling systems. Today we’re talking about Mitsubishi ductless heat pumps and indoor air quality. Welcome, Jimmy.
Jimmy Smithell: Hey John, thanks for having me.
Built-In Ductless Filtration for Dust and Allergens
John: Sure. Jimmy, what type of filtration is built into a Mitsubishi ductless indoor unit and what kinds of dust and allergens and particles can it capture?
Jimmy: Yeah, these systems have amazing filtration in them. It really depends on the type of indoor unit. There’s a bunch of different types. It’s your deluxe, your standard, your floor mount, your ceiling cassette. The basic filter that’s in all of those indoor units is called a nanofilter, which is a very high quality filter. Yeah, it pulls out everything you just mentioned, dust, debris, pollen. I have these units in my own home. My son, for instance, has very bad allergies and asthma, and I could tell the difference from when I have one of these units on to when we do not. It filters the air constantly. So these have different modes that you can run it on, heating, cooling. One of those modes is just a recirculate mode that you could just pull your air into it and clean it and just put it back into the air.
So, I do run that mode a lot in my home just because of my son’s allergies and asthma. So they work very, very well for air purification.
Room-by-Room Filtration vs. Central HVAC Filters
John: How does filtration in a ductless heat pump differ from the filtration that’s available in other types of HVAC systems like forced hot air?
Jimmy: Yeah, so it’s room by room. So we have a lot more filtration in these systems. So let’s just say if we had a central air system, there’s one return that it’s pulling your air back to the system, there’s one point of a filter in that. It hits the filter, then it goes back into the feeds and then feeds throughout your room.
With these systems, we have filtration in every single room, so it’s pulling a lot more dust and debris. And the quality of the filters are, as I just mentioned, much more superior than your average ducted systems.
Cleaning Mitsubishi Ductless Filters at Home
John: How often do Mitsubishi ductless filters need to be cleaned and what happens when they become clogged?
Jimmy: Yeah, so it depends on the home. It’s kind of a loaded question, but it really depends on the home. Cat dander is definitely an issue when we have those. Not an “issue”, but it’s something you want to look at a little bit closer than if there were not cats and dander in the home. I would tell you, if you got a new system installed, check it the first month out, look at the filters. If they’re dirty, then schedule it once a month. Typical homes, once every quarter is pretty average for your typical household. Very user-friendly to clean. They slide out. The filters slide out of the indoor units, you wash them under some warm water, you air dry them out, let them sit out for about an hour, then you slide them right back into the indoor unit. So very, very user-friendly.
Additional Filtration and Features in Deluxe Indoor Units
John: Do any Mitsubishi ductless systems have any additional types of air filtration or indoor air quality systems that you can add on or that come with maybe the more expensive units?
Jimmy: Yeah. So there’s different model indoor units. So your basic filtration is called a nano filter, which is a very, very high quality filter. You’re not going to get much better than that. But they do have a deluxe unit, which is your FX lineup. This is a unit that’s going to have all your bells and whistles as far as 3D i-See scan and multiple vein control, all the bells and whistles.
That also comes with an extra filter. It’s called an enzyme filter. It’s a little piece that clicks into the other filter. It’s another layer of protection, but I will tell you we’re dealing with something that is very, very top of the food chain with just your basic filtration. But the simple answer is yes, different indoor units do have different filtration. I would not sell you the FX unit for the filtration purpose. There’s other features that are a lot more important for that system to be installed in the rooms, like the scanning technology and that type of thing. The filtration is excellent in all of these indoor units.
Ductless Heat Pumps and Humidity Control Limitations
John: And can the Mitsubishi Ductless systems basically solve a lot of indoor air quality problems just by themselves, or do you need to combine them with other types of air filtration or air quality systems like extra ventilation or humidity control or air cleaning equipment?
Jimmy: It depends on the problems you’re trying to solve. It really does. And that’s where we look at every home differently. If it’s a moisture and humidity issue, like if we’re dealing with a basement and there’s very high moisture levels, this may not be the best system for that application. These do not sense moisture levels. I can’t set these units at 50% relative humidity.
With that said, they remove moisture and humidity as they run an AC cycle. There is a dry mode, but again, it’s not looking at moisture levels. So yes and no. It really depends on the home and what they’re asking me for. Your typical whole home, second floor, third floor attic, it’s going to pull moisture and humidity as it runs an AC cycle and make it very crisp and dry in those rooms. If it’s true moisture issues, we see this a lot in the basement areas where they’re trying to get to a certain moisture level, probably not the best system for that application.
Indoor Air Quality Considerations for Businesses
John: And what filtration or indoor air quality considerations are especially important for businesses like offices or medical spaces or other types of commercial properties?
Jimmy: Yeah. Indoor filtration’s very important for a lot of hospitals and restaurants. We see it a lot in the cooking areas, the kitchens of restaurants where they need that extra filtration into those areas and we’ll certainly handle that.
John: All right, well, that’s really great information, Jimmy. Thanks again for speaking with me today.
Jimmy: Thank you, John. Have a great day.
John: And for more information, you can visit the New England Heat Pump Company website at neheatpumpco.com or call 781-443-9911.
