I used a very thick (4") filter rated for smoke particles when the wildfires this year blew their smoke down to Seattle. The filter went from white to a very interesting shade of grey in 3 days. Wife was able to sleep again though, so it does work very well in my experience. (20x20 fan, filter on intake side)
Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
21–30 of 355 posts
Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#22I was looking up air quality monitors but can't seem to find any on amazon with a calibration certificate that will accurately measure 0.3 micro particles. Am I the only one who thinks this is a great opportunity for a smart product with an app that has the features of a professional air quality monitor and simple UI / UX? If such product exists, does anyone know where I can find it?
Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#23Over the past two years as BC and WA have had terrible forest fires, this exact solution has become quite popular for people who are willing to DIY. the air quality in mid summer 2018 in Vancouver was really quite bad, exceeding Delhi or Beijing pm2.5 figures for weeks.
Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#24To what extent will a box fan like that successfully circulate most of the air in a room through the filter?
Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#25I was looking up air quality monitors but can't seem to find any on amazon with a calibration certificate that will accurately measure 0.3 micro particles. Am I the only one who thinks this is a great opportunity for a smart product with an app that has the features of a professional air quality monitor and simple UI / UX? If such product exists, does anyone know where I can find it?
With the recent California fires, I've been looking for a decent option. Unfortunately the Elgato Eve sensor is no longer sold, and the few other consumer products still hover in the $100+ range with poor reviews.
PurpleAir sells an indoor sensor, but it appears to be limited release and somewhat 3D printed. https://www.purpleair.com/
Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#26I been pondering about this solution for months since my air purifier died back early summer. I also have an additional idea to make it more automatic by using a raspberry pi, hooking it up to a powerswitch tail (essentially cutting power to a fan) and have it automatically turn on and off depending on time of day, etc.
Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#27I've been luring the Dyson hot and cool air purifiers, it's pretty silent from what I've heard, it also serves as both an electrical heater during the winter and a cooler during the summer. The price tag is the reason I've never bought one...
Screw Dyson. Get a Winix HR1000. You can find them cheap ($200 or so) on eBay every so often. I picked up two a couple years ago and am very happy with them. You only need to replace the filters once a year. They've made a HUGE difference with my allergies. They automatically adjust airflow based on built-in air quality sensors. They are completely silent, aside from the "turbo" mode (~300CFM lol), but if you like white noise, it's great.
Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#28I do this and it works wonders if you have pets. Tips: - run this homemade air purifier when you are vacuuming, as that tends to agitate particulates a lot - get 2 filters, a cheap low grade and a premium, high-HEPA-rated filter. Stack them together and you can replace the cheap one frequently and the expensive one less frequently.
I know what I am doing this coming weekend!!
I am so tired of dust in my studio. There is no ventilation other than the small fan in the bathroom or the big sliding door in the front. So I leave the fan turned on overnight but because of pressure difference, very small particles keep accumulating all over my place. I’m really hoping this changes that.
Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#29I been pondering about this solution for months since my air purifier died back early summer. I also have an additional idea to make it more automatic by using a raspberry pi, hooking it up to a powerswitch tail (essentially cutting power to a fan) and have it automatically turn on and off depending on time of day, etc.
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Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25
#30Is there an advantage to attaching the filter to the front of the fan so air is blown through it (as shown in the video) versus taping it to the back of the fan so air is sucked through it? Just curious if that would make any difference. It might be easier to get the filter to stay if it's getting sucked to the fan.
I can confirm what others said about air drag. I've done this in the past, assuming I needed the filter on the input side. I had to use two filters, some cardboard, and plenty of duct tape to create a triangular input in order to get a decent amount of airflow.
I wish the guy on the video would take an air reading measurement near the side of the filter. I'm guessing that a lot of unfiltered air is escaping out the sides.