My Honeywell Type No. F50A Electronic Air Cleaner arced continuously even though I had cleaned it a few days prior. I shut the unit off and removed the air cleaner cells. Is it safe to run the furnace without having the air cleaner turned on and for how long can I operate this way? Bill

Try this educational video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erpnfKbqmoM It could be something as simple as a pressure switch.

I hope I helped you out!

It is normal to hear occasional snapping from your Electronic Air Cleaner. This occurs when larger particles are caught by the ionizer wires. Continuous snapping is not normal .Remove both the cell and check clean the bottom portion by using a vacuum cleaner attachment. If the snapping continues with the cells remove contact your contractor.

you need to change the power supply please contact your heating and cooling contractor for service on the unit.

It is normal to hear occasional snapping from your Electronic Air Cleaner. This occurs when larger particles are caught by the ionizer wires. Continuous snapping is not normal however, and should be investigated as outlined below: Please note that the metal electronic cells may have some sharp edges; use care when handling the cells. Wear gloves to protect your hands from being cut if needed. Remove both electronic cells. Make sure that there is no hair, dirt, sand or any debris on the bottom inside the Electronic air cleaner. If there is, remove what you can by hand. If a lot of debris is left in bottom of the Air Cleaner, you may want to use a vacuum attachment to see if you can vacuum up what you can. Do not vacuum the Pre-filter or Post filter this may damage it. Close the access door, and then turn on the Electronic Air Cleaner and the system fan. If the snapping continues with the cells removed, contact your heating and cooling contractor for service on the unit and turn off the Electronic Air Cleaner’s power. If snapping does not continue, make sure the electronic cells are clean, dry and properly installed. Inspect the electronic cells for bent collector plates, broken wires between the plates, dirt on the insulators, and damaged collector contact tabs located on the top of the cells. Make sure the pre-filters are in good condition and are in the cabinet slot farthest from the furnace (The order of the Electronic Air Cleaner Filters are from the return duct to the furnace is: Pre-Filter, electronic cell, and then Post filter, if your Electronic Air Cleaner has one). If the snapping persists and you are unable to locate any physical cause, please contact your heating and cooling contractor for service on the unit and turn off power to the Electronic Air Cleaner.

Make sure the furnace or air conditioner blower is running.

Make sure the access door is firmly closed and latched. If door is not closed properly, an interlock keeps the air cleaner off.

Continuous snapping is not normal .Remove both electronic cells. Make sure that there is no hair, dirt, sand or any debris on the bottom inside the Electronic air cleaner. If there is, remove what you can by hand. If a lot of debris is left in bottom of the Air Cleaner, you may want to use a vacuum attachment to see if you can vacuum up what you can.

sounds like it is working. You could replace the cells and prefilters with a disposable box filter that fits.

the filters are damp, causing the arcing. make sure you remove them and dry them before you place them back in

The presence of “white dust” is actually an indicator that your Electronic Air Cleaner is working properly. The Electronic Air Cleaner can only filter the particles that are passing through your system’s duct work. The staining particulate is generally lighter, and more able to be drawn through the return registers in your home, leaving the heavier, non-staining particulate behind. This heavier, non-staining particulate settles out of the air and is left behind on your furniture: because it is more visible, it may appear as though there is actually more dust in your home than there was prior to installing the air cleaner. To ensure that more particulate is able to reach the Electronic Air Cleaner to be filtered, you should make sure that the return registers are clean and not blocked by furniture.

I have a sharper image ionic breeze hybrid gp that ran fine for years unitl it recently started sparking / arcing at the base of the grid blades and always in the same spot. I cleaned it several times but the sparking always came back and the unit went into either "drying grid" or "attention required" mode. The solution I found was to stand the removable grid in 2 inches of Pine-Sol cleaner 50/50 diluted with water for 24 hours then brush again with the cleaning brush and hot water. Presto! No more sparking.