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Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

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Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#151

Huh! I independently "invented" this myself a couple of days ago when the Camp Fire blanketed the bay area in smoke. I got a 20x20 filter and some duct tape from Home Depot and a box fan from Target. (After discovering that Home Depot only sells fans in the summer.) I don't think I was the only one, though. HD was doing a brisk trade in 20x20 filters, and I think I bought the last box fan at any Target in the entire…

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Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#152

Huh! I independently "invented" this myself a couple of days ago when the Camp Fire blanketed the bay area in smoke. I got a 20x20 filter and some duct tape from Home Depot and a box fan from Target. (After discovering that Home Depot only sells fans in the summer.) I don't think I was the only one, though. HD was doing a brisk trade in 20x20 filters, and I think I bought the last box fan at any Target in the entire…

Don't you want the filter on the incoming side? Air handling systems always put the filter on the inlet as far as I'm aware.

Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#153
Do we have any other alternative to HEPA filtering, or something that last 5 years without me paying to replace it every 1 - 2 years? All the current Air Filtering system are like Printers, they earn more money with the yearly filter replacement.

I also wonder if it makes sense to have an Air Filter if I have my windows opened 80% of times? I like the better Air Circulation, but the Air Quality aren't exactly great either.

We now live in a world with pipes that have potential toxic materials and water contaminated so we need Water filtering system, and Air pollution that needs Air filtering system.

Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#154

Huh! I independently "invented" this myself a couple of days ago when the Camp Fire blanketed the bay area in smoke. I got a 20x20 filter and some duct tape from Home Depot and a box fan from Target. (After discovering that Home Depot only sells fans in the summer.) I don't think I was the only one, though. HD was doing a brisk trade in 20x20 filters, and I think I bought the last box fan at any Target in the entire…

There are some cars that have circular air filters which fit almost perfectly over a "universal" radiator fan. IIRC some generations of Toyota Corolla and Tercel which spare parts should still be common enough for. Can be a solution if the more HVAC-type stuff gets sold out. You'll need a pretty beefy 12V DC power supply though.

Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#155

I built my own air purifier in 2016, living in London, I was living in a basement and was having breathing problems due to mould. My landlady was gaslighting me at the time, so I built the air purifier. It worked for a while but mould spores cling to the paper filter and eventually grow into the filter material. I think Dyson uses glass fiber filter to stop this problem. My filter helped a lot, but eventually I had s…

Woah, this is pretty scary. Thank you for sharing. How did you know it was mold that was in the air? Is there some sort of test kit that you can buy to test for this. Mold is pretty hard to detect because you can't really see it because it typically hides between the walls. Any advice appreciated.

I know there is mould in my house. We do three things to deal with it: 1. Air Filter (more for pollution but it helps with mould) 2. Dehumidifier which we leave on 24/7 basically for the mould. This is the big one. 3. Wash any mould with vinegar to change the PH after it is wiped off to prevent it from growing back.

The mould is still there but the dry air stops it from growing and sporing which is what makes you stick. If humidity creeps up the mould will grow again. Be aware that mould is virtually everywhere and is only harmful if there is enough of it around sporing or if you touch it.

Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#156
post #89

Note that restricting airflow on a radial fan can cause the motor to heat up. Make sure you get a 20-inch fan with a fuse. To reduce heat, increase air flow by making a box with three filters and by using 2 inch deep filters. Also, when I built my three filter "box" last fall, I was able to order a set of three MERV-13 20x20x2 filters directly from Nordic Pure for less than what they cost on Amazon. Finally, to make…

Linked projects put the filters on the opposite side to what you're suggesting. Can you elaborate more on why do you think the filters should act on the air coming into the fan? Is it to increase heat dissipation of the motor?

putting it on the intake keeps the motor cleaner (which will help with motor life), you can vacuum the filter without disassembly, and the air flow will tend to help the filter stay on, instead of pushing it away.

Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#157

I built my own air purifier in 2016, living in London, I was living in a basement and was having breathing problems due to mould. My landlady was gaslighting me at the time, so I built the air purifier. It worked for a while but mould spores cling to the paper filter and eventually grow into the filter material. I think Dyson uses glass fiber filter to stop this problem. My filter helped a lot, but eventually I had s…

Woah, this is pretty scary. Thank you for sharing. How did you know it was mold that was in the air? Is there some sort of test kit that you can buy to test for this. Mold is pretty hard to detect because you can't really see it because it typically hides between the walls. Any advice appreciated.

The CDC has some recommendations on it (yes you can have mold tested to see if it's dangerous):

https://www.cdc.gov/mold/stachy.htm

I'm not really sure about keeping the humidity below 50% though. The UK and most of Northern Europe has rather high humidity in the winter. It commonly reaches 80-90 RH outside, so you'd have to heat your house to 25c/77F to bring the humidity below 50%.

Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#159

I built my own air purifier in 2016, living in London, I was living in a basement and was having breathing problems due to mould. My landlady was gaslighting me at the time, so I built the air purifier. It worked for a while but mould spores cling to the paper filter and eventually grow into the filter material. I think Dyson uses glass fiber filter to stop this problem. My filter helped a lot, but eventually I had s…

A wet paper filter is the perfect place for mold to stick to and send spores all over the place. If you have a mold problem where you live and can't move out of the place, you need an air filter and a dehumidifier. Unfortunately, it's hard to jerry-rig a dehumidifier on the cheap. If you were in London in the winter, it might have been more practical to turn up the heat to keep the room as dry as possible.

Re: Build a do-it-yourself home air purifier for about $25

#160

I built my own air purifier in 2016, living in London, I was living in a basement and was having breathing problems due to mould. My landlady was gaslighting me at the time, so I built the air purifier. It worked for a while but mould spores cling to the paper filter and eventually grow into the filter material. I think Dyson uses glass fiber filter to stop this problem. My filter helped a lot, but eventually I had s…

We live in Hawaii and mold is a huge problem here. There are times during the day when the dewpoint spread is only a few degrees. This means that any object that is cooler than the air temperature will condensate. If you can't control the moisture you can't control the mold. Another major factor is the materials in your house. Things like unfinished birch plywood will absolutely mold if left in open air, where other woods like hardwoods don't have as many problems.
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