I have a Heil Air Handler inside my house, and I need a replacement filter. There is no filter in the unit (long story, don’t ask). I measured the opening/place it sits, and it is 13x21, and there are no replacement filters available that match this size.
Is there a do-it-yourself Air Conditioner Filter kit that has a frame? The opening has metal compression “things” around the edges to hold the filter in place.
Any HVAC folks out there with experience in this? FYI: the unit is a Heil EBP2400B.
If the opening is 13x21, I’d say you’re looking for a 12x20 filter. That’s half an inch all the way around to wiggle it into place.
Tried that… there is 1" of space remaining, so the filter is not wedged in between the holders.
I’m going to mock-up a cardboard rectangle tonight and slide it in there to validate my measurements.
You can order custom size filters at Lowe’s and Home Depot, but you will have to purchase an entire case of them and they yake about a week to come in. You can order whichever type pf filter you want (cheap one-month jobs, expensive anti-allergen things, whatever) I had to do this for my house, and it wasn’t so bad. It had the benefit of keeping out of hot water for forgetting to pick up filters when I ran out. 
I bought a universal cut to fit, cleanable reusable filter at Lowes / Depot (One of the two, I think they both carry them)
You disassemble the plastic frame set it to size and cut the filter material to fit. Reassemble and you are done.
Every month or so I take it out, spray it with Windex or 409 and hose it off. Let it drain for a few minutes and back in place it goes.
As a side benefit, I have enough filter material left over to make an intake filter for my computer. The inside stays way cleaner now.
Without being able to see your air handler - do you have just a slot to slide a 1" wide filter into, or does the filter lay on/behind the return air grille in a wall or ceiling? Or is there a larger box that you’d be able to set two filters in a “V” configuration?
Just wondering as my air handler takes a pair of 16x20 filters, or if I wanted to lay a single filter on top, I’d need something weird like a 24x22.
I took two photos that should help clear things up.
First Photo: Front view of AC unit showing the slot for the filter. Notice that the PVC pipe for drainage blocks the slot.
Second Photo: Shows the rail and compression slips that hold the filter. Note the dirt on the aluminum intake thingy.
I re-measured, and think I can squeeze a 14x22 filter in there, but will buy a cheap one tomorrow and try it out.
For some reason my eyes arn’t ‘parsing’ your picture correctly. But here’s two tips. First off, if this just slides in from the outside, then it really doesn’t matter how long it is. If the space is 21 inches long, as long as the width/height is right, it can be longer then 21 inches. It won’t matter if the extra part hangs out the side. Second, if that PVC is in the way of you getting the filter in, it looks like a pretty stright foward job to re-route it. At the very least cut off and recap that thing sticking up in the middle. To my eyes it doesn’t appear to have any use.
Wow, what a poor installation! The condensate line should have been run across the entire opening and the drip leg should have been assembled on the other side of the opening. The drip leg has to be there to keep liquid and crud from getting back into the condensate pan, but unless there’s something blocking everything beyond the right side of the image it should all be over there.
You can fix this. PVC pipe is cheap and easy to cut and assemble. All you need is some pipe, connectors and the correct glue. Where does the pipe go after the drop on the right hand side?
Agreed. The original plumbers are here now, fixing the PVC and creating a filter that fits.
I have the same unit as you, but branded as a Tempstar EBP2400B
There’s a distributor in my area that sells the filters for about $7 each. I was curious if you ever came up with a good solution.