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I refuse to believe that all air filtering fans on Amazon are sold out, especially considering their extreme popularity in countries all over Asia. And even if

by hnarn 6y ago

I refuse to believe that all air filtering fans on Amazon are sold out, especially considering their extreme popularity in countries all over Asia. And even if we assume that’s the case for the sake of argument, you can still buy N95 particle masks of many different brands which will protect you well from particles in the air. They also mostly protect you from viruses. There was a pretty massive supply shortage of them this spring at the start of the pandemic but I doubt they’re extremely difficult to get a hold of today, I have five in my kitchen that I bought online for about a dollar each.

carabiner 6y ago
Sold out until this Friday when this is all supposed to be over, unless it's a very weak filter that won't do anything for smoke. Show me where you can get genuine N95 masks (as a non-essential worker) as well please. There are tons of counterfeit masks going around.
- hnarn 6y ago
  It’s not my job to help you find N95 masks, they’re available from most hardware stores and definitely from Amazon. I just looked and there’s at least one type available on Amazon that’s not 3M in addition to full respirator masks and everything in between, and it’s easy to find other stores through Google that sell 3M disposable masks if that happens to be the only one you trust. In addition to that, loose particle filters as spare parts are not uncommon and you can literally strap any filter on a fan, close your windows and start forcing indoor air through it to improve the ambient air quality.
  - carabiner 6y ago
    > they’re available from most hardware stores Home Depot, Lowes etc. have been sold out of or have been donating their N95's since this all started. So you're wrong there. Try searching again, like I did. > definitely from Amazon I said genuine. Many of these have been found to be counterfeit. They may not be, but neither you nor I really know. Essential workers have been given priority everywhere in the US for 3M ones. Maybe they're not giving them the KN95's for a reason, or maybe they're mistaken and that they're actually fine. > loose particle filters as spare parts are not uncommon and you can literally strap any filter on a fan, close your windows and start forcing indoor air through it to improve the ambient air quality. ...which don't do anything for smoke unless they're MERV8-ish or so or above. Which are all sold out until next week. These are all the state of things regardless of how you "refuse to believe" or how much you "doubt." I, like every single person on the west coast, have been trying to track these down and this is what I've experienced.
    - hnarn 6y ago
      I’m not going to Google for you but I found an online store selling 3M disposable masks out of San Diego in a few minutes. Not that it matters, since you’ve already decided that “everything” in the entire global economy is sold out, and anything that isn’t is probably fake anyway. I hope you and other people like you take these unprecedented fires as an indication that waiting to buy particle filters until during a fire probably isn’t optimal in the future. Good luck.
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
    - olyjohn 6y ago
      If you have a furnace, you have a filter. Take the filter out of it and stick it on your box fan. Even if it's a little dirty, it's better than nothing.
- fossuser 6y ago
  Buy it anyway - the fires aren’t going away and the filters are still useful in the absence of smoke. Masks: https://pksafety.com/3m-7500-series-half-facepiece-respirator/ https://pksafety.com/3m-7500-series-half-facepiece-respirato... Filter: https://pksafety.com/3m-2071-p95-particulate-mask-filter-pair/ https://pksafety.com/3m-2071-p95-particulate-mask-filter-pai...
kibibyte 6y ago
Looking at the current Amazon search results for “air purifier”: first one doesn’t ship to California, second is out of stock, third one is ridiculously expensive ($800!) and been shown to have a questionable effectiveness, fourth one can only cover a small room (and won’t arrive until next week), fifth and sixth ones are out of stock. Also most people don’t enjoy wearing an N95 mask for a long time. Imagine wearing one for 8 hours while trying to sleep because you haven’t been able to get a filter. You can try to close every window and door and such in your house, but no one’s insulation is perfect and the air will get bad after a few hours.
- hnarn 6y ago
  If people don’t “enjoy” wearing particle masks they are free to breathe smoke and filter the indoor air with their lungs instead. I have worn one for eight hours many times when walking around cities with awful AQI scores and by far the most annoying thing about it is the condensation. You also don’t need “perfect” insulation for there to be a benefit to filtering indoor air, the simple fact that it moves around less means that it will clean up in a way outdoor air can’t. The “air purifiers” you can buy with filters built in are easy to use but at the end of the day they’re nothing more than a fan and a filter with air being forced through it. And as a final point, you seem to just fall back on the fact that there are shortages as an indication that there’s nothing to be done, and this will soon be “over” anyway. First of all, you don’t know that, and secondly, if you live in an area where this is happening, it will happen again sooner or later. If you have nothing at home to help you filter the air you’re breathing, at least prepare for next time. Disposable particle masks are not a waste of money, they’re cheap and last forever.
- olyjohn 6y ago
  Is that true that the smoke will get in after a few hours? Over the last few days, as soon as I step outside, I can smell the smoke out there really bad. I thought for sure that if it was smokey in the house, my nose would be used to the smell. I mean, I can see some particles getting into the house, but it has to be far better indoors doesn't it?
  - kibibyte 6y ago
cdcarter 6y ago
At least in the Portland area, everything from Amazon is at least a four day delivery estimate. Not that things are sold out (they are in brick&mortar stores, for sure), but the distribution chain is unable to keep up, with people out sick, having evacuated, or even unable to drive as far as fast in the low visibility.
- panda888888 6y ago
  Amazon has officially stopped delivery in Portland due to the air quality. It's a hazardous work environment for their delivery workers.

by hnarn 6y ago

carabiner 6y ago

Sold out until this Friday when this is all supposed to be over, unless it's a very weak filter that won't do anything for smoke. Show me where you can get genuine N95 masks (as a non-essential worker) as well please. There are tons of counterfeit masks going around.

hnarn 6y ago
It’s not my job to help you find N95 masks, they’re available from most hardware stores and definitely from Amazon. I just looked and there’s at least one type available on Amazon that’s not 3M in addition to full respirator masks and everything in between, and it’s easy to find other stores through Google that sell 3M disposable masks if that happens to be the only one you trust. In addition to that, loose particle filters as spare parts are not uncommon and you can literally strap any filter on a fan, close your windows and start forcing indoor air through it to improve the ambient air quality.
- carabiner 6y ago
  > they’re available from most hardware stores Home Depot, Lowes etc. have been sold out of or have been donating their N95's since this all started. So you're wrong there. Try searching again, like I did. > definitely from Amazon I said genuine. Many of these have been found to be counterfeit. They may not be, but neither you nor I really know. Essential workers have been given priority everywhere in the US for 3M ones. Maybe they're not giving them the KN95's for a reason, or maybe they're mistaken and that they're actually fine. > loose particle filters as spare parts are not uncommon and you can literally strap any filter on a fan, close your windows and start forcing indoor air through it to improve the ambient air quality. ...which don't do anything for smoke unless they're MERV8-ish or so or above. Which are all sold out until next week. These are all the state of things regardless of how you "refuse to believe" or how much you "doubt." I, like every single person on the west coast, have been trying to track these down and this is what I've experienced.
  - hnarn 6y ago
    I’m not going to Google for you but I found an online store selling 3M disposable masks out of San Diego in a few minutes. Not that it matters, since you’ve already decided that “everything” in the entire global economy is sold out, and anything that isn’t is probably fake anyway. I hope you and other people like you take these unprecedented fires as an indication that waiting to buy particle filters until during a fire probably isn’t optimal in the future. Good luck.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
  - olyjohn 6y ago
    If you have a furnace, you have a filter. Take the filter out of it and stick it on your box fan. Even if it's a little dirty, it's better than nothing.
fossuser 6y ago
Buy it anyway - the fires aren’t going away and the filters are still useful in the absence of smoke. Masks: https://pksafety.com/3m-7500-series-half-facepiece-respirator/ https://pksafety.com/3m-7500-series-half-facepiece-respirato... Filter: https://pksafety.com/3m-2071-p95-particulate-mask-filter-pair/ https://pksafety.com/3m-2071-p95-particulate-mask-filter-pai...

kibibyte 6y ago

Looking at the current Amazon search results for “air purifier”: first one doesn’t ship to California, second is out of stock, third one is ridiculously expensive ($800!) and been shown to have a questionable effectiveness, fourth one can only cover a small room (and won’t arrive until next week), fifth and sixth ones are out of stock. Also most people don’t enjoy wearing an N95 mask for a long time. Imagine wearing one for 8 hours while trying to sleep because you haven’t been able to get a filter. You can try to close every window and door and such in your house, but no one’s insulation is perfect and the air will get bad after a few hours.

hnarn 6y ago
If people don’t “enjoy” wearing particle masks they are free to breathe smoke and filter the indoor air with their lungs instead. I have worn one for eight hours many times when walking around cities with awful AQI scores and by far the most annoying thing about it is the condensation. You also don’t need “perfect” insulation for there to be a benefit to filtering indoor air, the simple fact that it moves around less means that it will clean up in a way outdoor air can’t. The “air purifiers” you can buy with filters built in are easy to use but at the end of the day they’re nothing more than a fan and a filter with air being forced through it. And as a final point, you seem to just fall back on the fact that there are shortages as an indication that there’s nothing to be done, and this will soon be “over” anyway. First of all, you don’t know that, and secondly, if you live in an area where this is happening, it will happen again sooner or later. If you have nothing at home to help you filter the air you’re breathing, at least prepare for next time. Disposable particle masks are not a waste of money, they’re cheap and last forever.
olyjohn 6y ago
Is that true that the smoke will get in after a few hours? Over the last few days, as soon as I step outside, I can smell the smoke out there really bad. I thought for sure that if it was smokey in the house, my nose would be used to the smell. I mean, I can see some particles getting into the house, but it has to be far better indoors doesn't it?
- kibibyte 6y ago

cdcarter 6y ago

At least in the Portland area, everything from Amazon is at least a four day delivery estimate. Not that things are sold out (they are in brick&mortar stores, for sure), but the distribution chain is unable to keep up, with people out sick, having evacuated, or even unable to drive as far as fast in the low visibility.

panda888888 6y ago
Amazon has officially stopped delivery in Portland due to the air quality. It's a hazardous work environment for their delivery workers.