Local couple invents filter
Two Nevada residents have developed a product for those of us who don't change the air filter on furnaces and air conditioners as often as we should, it's a self-changing air filter. Edward Hyde Sr. and Karen Polon came up with the idea after a visit to Polon's mother.
"We were visiting Karen's mother in Ohio where she has a beauty salon and noticed poor air quality, the result of an unchanged air filter. "On the way back the drive is 18 hours and I started playing around with the idea. After awhile we had it figured out," Hyde said.
Hyde said his father worked in heating and air conditioning. "My dad was in heating and air conditioning and I've been around it quite a bit, so that helped."
The self-changing air filter is designed to prevent two types of problems. The first is forgetting to change the filter when it requires it. The second is changing the filter too often, before the filter needs it.
Forgetting to change the filter can cause problems with the air quality as well as maintenance problems. Changing the filter before it needs it can cost the homeowner extra money. The unit prevents both problems by monitoring the air and signaling for a change only when needed.
The unit holds multiple changes of filters so as long as there is a clean filter ready to go the homeowner doesn't need to worry over whether it is time to change the filter or not.
"You don't have to worry about buying too many filters or forgetting and not changing it. Your furnace is going to work at its peak performance because there's no restrictions on it."
The two have interested a development company, Invention Technologies, in the product and it is helping them develop and market it. "They've been very easy to deal with. We submitted the idea six months ago and they have done a lot of work on it. We've got the patent pending but we haven't patented it yet, there may be some things we want to change on it," Hyde said.