6 ms·

Protip: you can turn a box fan into an incredibly effective air purifier[0] (particle measurements in thread). The one they show is pretty elaborate, using 4 fi

by daenz 4y ago

Protip: you can turn a box fan into an incredibly effective air purifier[0] (particle measurements in thread). The one they show is pretty elaborate, using 4 filters and some construction, but you can also use a single filter and slap it on the back of the box fan and have similar results. The air purifier industry is more about aesthetics than it is function. 0. https://twitter.com/LazarusLong13/status/1425517352624410627 https://twitter.com/LazarusLong13/status/1425517352624410627

turtlebits 4y ago
The problem is that on low, it’s too loud and pushes/filters too much air to be needed 24x7. It’s also bulky. I rather use a smaller profile one that can be left on all the time (even if it costs more) I have the box fan and only use it when AQI is high (wildfire season)
adolph 4y ago
Like generic drugs theres no money in practically free, recycled or dual use.
donohoe 4y ago
> The air purifier industry is more about aesthetics than it is function Well, sure, to a point. I could make my own air purifier (like the one you link) but it looks awful. I would not want that in my home. So yeah, aesthetics do matter. Its not the only thing but it is a factor.
- daenz 4y ago
  > it looks awful. I would not want that in my home. When west coast forest fires put dangerous levels of smoke into peoples homes, box fan air filters are an extremely valuable tool for lower income families. Consider yourself extremely fortunate if you are able to choose form over function on devices like this.
  - jeromegv 4y ago
    Of course, but nobody is preventing that information to be shared. When I looked for air purifier last year, there was tons of articles I saw on how to build your own. This isn't hidden, there's tons of good resources out there. I don't understand why you try to shame us for choosing to buy our own. Of course we are fortunate we can afford it. We aren't talking of a sports car here, it's few hundreds dollar, this is a perfectly fine trade off to decide to buy one.
    - mlyle 4y ago
      > I don't understand why you try to shame us for choosing to buy our own. I don't see anyone shaming anyone for choosing to buy their own. I see someone pointing out it's possible to make one, and I see someone else defending the choice to make one by pointing out not everyone can buy an expensive, pretty pre-made one.
    - daenz 4y ago
      I am being polite in explaining the low-income perspective on devices like these. Looking at a device designed for low-income people who are trying to breathe healthy air and saying, essentially, "it's ugly, I would never want that" is extremely tone deaf around why it exists in the first place: because desperate people need an inexpensive solution. If you feel shame from that alternate perspective, I would suggest it comes from within.
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
      - Dylan16807 4y ago
        daenz 4y ago
        You're misquoting me. I never said they were extremely fortunate for choosing one model over the other, I said they were extremely fortunate for "being able to choose form over function." When wildfire season rolls around and air becomes very hazardous where I lived, local air purifiers of all kinds were completely sold out, and the box fan solution is all a lot of us had[0]. It's not just inexpensive, it's about availability of materials. >just to try to dunk on someone You're attributing negative intentions to my posts, which isn't appreciated. 0. https://twitter.com/seattlefire/status/1425260701568970752 https://twitter.com/seattlefire/status/1425260701568970752
- goodpoint 4y ago
  First, a nice looking case does not justify the extortion prices of most purifiers. Also many people have serious allergies and don't have 200 $/euro to spare. Second, you know you can max a box yourself or hide a thin purifier under a desk or above a tall cabinet?
- Hamuko 4y ago
  I almost want to replace my old Electrolux EAP300 with an IKEA one because it looks less like shit. The EAP300 is just this big floor beheamoth with no aesthetics. Lower filter costs wouldn't be bad either (if the IKEA filters last as long as the Electrolux ones, they're under half the cost). It's just so hard to justify as long as my old air filter still functions.
- stjohnswarts 4y ago
  I think the point is that aesthetics matter to you but not a lot of people care if they have a box fan + air filter stashed away in their bedroom for a cheap airfilter. Maybe if it was more prominent in the living or guest bedrooms?
  - fomine3 4y ago
    Where to put air purifier is also important (but depends on situation). So design is a bit important to put on good place.
jeromegv 4y ago
I mean... I'm an IT professional. I have no time, energy, desire or ability to build. my own fan, maintain it, and trust that it does a good job. That's the reason I bought an air purifier. The restaurant industry is also there for people that don't want the time to learn to cook certain dishes themselves. And (many) restaurants are still thriving.
- postalrat 4y ago
  As an IT professional I find myself with the time, energy, desire, and ability to do many projects like this myself. Are you sure you are a real IT professional?
  - lwelyk 4y ago
    Is it really inconceivable that someone might want to pay a modest sum of money to avoid having to build and maintain a custom-made version that is uglier?
  - prash_ant 4y ago
    We should appreciate the diversity of the 7,903,275,000 people in the world. Everyone single one of us has different opinions, ideas, abilities and interests.
  - spiderice 4y ago
    Surely this comment is satire
99_00 4y ago
Is that what you use? What is your personal experience with it? I think this is good if you are in a wild fire scenario and air purifiers are sold out, or for your home work shop. Otherwise I suspect it is very energy inefficient and noisy.
- daenz 4y ago
  I haven't used that specific construction, but I have used this one[0] when I moved to a location without realizing the extent of the wildfire smoke. It worked well, but yes it is noisy on the highest setting. I continue to use it because it's inexpensive and the parts are readily available. 0. https://deohs.washington.edu/edge/blog/how-make-box-fan-filter-clean-indoor-air-smoke https://deohs.washington.edu/edge/blog/how-make-box-fan-filt...
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
Der_Einzige 4y ago
I now run a MERV 16 furnace filter (yes, my aprilair system explicitly supports it, no I will not hurt my furnace) for central air filtration alongside two box-fan filters (the easy slap on the back kind - I think I'm using something equivalent to MERV 13 on the back, can't go higher for the size) around the house and a quiet regular air-filter in our room. All of my wives problems related to allergies or breathing have gone completely away. Guests comment at how good/clean our house smells. Stuff takes longer to mold when its left out. 10/10 would recommend.
Rebelgecko 4y ago
Compared to a dedicated air purifier, a box fan one is louder, has higher energy consumption, and is uglier (I suppose the last one is subjective). If it's something you only use a couple days a year when your region is on fire, then absolutely go with the design with lower upfront costs. But if you're running it 24/7, it's worth thinking about the extra 40-80 watts that a box fan uses. For me, I figure the electricity difference comes out to around $100/yr so getting a dedicated air purifier has paid for itself (although I live in an area with fairly expensive electricity). It also has some nice bonuses compared to a box fan like auto adjusting speeds and a prefilter that hopefully helps the "real" filter last longer.
DantesKite 4y ago
Thank you. This is amazing. Precisely what I've been searching for. Something cheap, affordable, and most of all, moves a large quantity of air within a short amount of time. Loudness doesn't bother me one bit since I almost always have white noise playing in the background.
makeitdouble 4y ago
Is that a "pro" tip ? Otherwise Vacuum Wars channel had an entertaining test on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QT8SQjp-y0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QT8SQjp-y0 The channel is great in general for everything vacuum. As far as review goes they put a serious effort in them. The brief foray into air cleaners was a great parenthesis.

by daenz 4y ago

turtlebits 4y ago

The problem is that on low, it’s too loud and pushes/filters too much air to be needed 24x7. It’s also bulky. I rather use a smaller profile one that can be left on all the time (even if it costs more) I have the box fan and only use it when AQI is high (wildfire season)

adolph 4y ago

Like generic drugs theres no money in practically free, recycled or dual use.

donohoe 4y ago

> The air purifier industry is more about aesthetics than it is function Well, sure, to a point. I could make my own air purifier (like the one you link) but it looks awful. I would not want that in my home. So yeah, aesthetics do matter. Its not the only thing but it is a factor.

daenz 4y ago
> it looks awful. I would not want that in my home. When west coast forest fires put dangerous levels of smoke into peoples homes, box fan air filters are an extremely valuable tool for lower income families. Consider yourself extremely fortunate if you are able to choose form over function on devices like this.
- jeromegv 4y ago
  Of course, but nobody is preventing that information to be shared. When I looked for air purifier last year, there was tons of articles I saw on how to build your own. This isn't hidden, there's tons of good resources out there. I don't understand why you try to shame us for choosing to buy our own. Of course we are fortunate we can afford it. We aren't talking of a sports car here, it's few hundreds dollar, this is a perfectly fine trade off to decide to buy one.
  - mlyle 4y ago
    > I don't understand why you try to shame us for choosing to buy our own. I don't see anyone shaming anyone for choosing to buy their own. I see someone pointing out it's possible to make one, and I see someone else defending the choice to make one by pointing out not everyone can buy an expensive, pretty pre-made one.
  - daenz 4y ago
    I am being polite in explaining the low-income perspective on devices like these. Looking at a device designed for low-income people who are trying to breathe healthy air and saying, essentially, "it's ugly, I would never want that" is extremely tone deaf around why it exists in the first place: because desperate people need an inexpensive solution. If you feel shame from that alternate perspective, I would suggest it comes from within.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      - daenz 4y ago
        You're misquoting me. I never said they were extremely fortunate for choosing one model over the other, I said they were extremely fortunate for "being able to choose form over function." When wildfire season rolls around and air becomes very hazardous where I lived, local air purifiers of all kinds were completely sold out, and the box fan solution is all a lot of us had[0]. It's not just inexpensive, it's about availability of materials. >just to try to dunk on someone You're attributing negative intentions to my posts, which isn't appreciated. 0. https://twitter.com/seattlefire/status/1425260701568970752 https://twitter.com/seattlefire/status/1425260701568970752
goodpoint 4y ago
First, a nice looking case does not justify the extortion prices of most purifiers. Also many people have serious allergies and don't have 200 $/euro to spare. Second, you know you can max a box yourself or hide a thin purifier under a desk or above a tall cabinet?
Hamuko 4y ago
I almost want to replace my old Electrolux EAP300 with an IKEA one because it looks less like shit. The EAP300 is just this big floor beheamoth with no aesthetics. Lower filter costs wouldn't be bad either (if the IKEA filters last as long as the Electrolux ones, they're under half the cost). It's just so hard to justify as long as my old air filter still functions.
stjohnswarts 4y ago
I think the point is that aesthetics matter to you but not a lot of people care if they have a box fan + air filter stashed away in their bedroom for a cheap airfilter. Maybe if it was more prominent in the living or guest bedrooms?
- fomine3 4y ago
  Where to put air purifier is also important (but depends on situation). So design is a bit important to put on good place.

jeromegv 4y ago

I mean... I'm an IT professional. I have no time, energy, desire or ability to build. my own fan, maintain it, and trust that it does a good job. That's the reason I bought an air purifier. The restaurant industry is also there for people that don't want the time to learn to cook certain dishes themselves. And (many) restaurants are still thriving.

postalrat 4y ago
As an IT professional I find myself with the time, energy, desire, and ability to do many projects like this myself. Are you sure you are a real IT professional?
- lwelyk 4y ago
  Is it really inconceivable that someone might want to pay a modest sum of money to avoid having to build and maintain a custom-made version that is uglier?
- prash_ant 4y ago
  We should appreciate the diversity of the 7,903,275,000 people in the world. Everyone single one of us has different opinions, ideas, abilities and interests.
- spiderice 4y ago
  Surely this comment is satire

99_00 4y ago

Is that what you use? What is your personal experience with it? I think this is good if you are in a wild fire scenario and air purifiers are sold out, or for your home work shop. Otherwise I suspect it is very energy inefficient and noisy.

daenz 4y ago
I haven't used that specific construction, but I have used this one[0] when I moved to a location without realizing the extent of the wildfire smoke. It worked well, but yes it is noisy on the highest setting. I continue to use it because it's inexpensive and the parts are readily available. 0. https://deohs.washington.edu/edge/blog/how-make-box-fan-filter-clean-indoor-air-smoke https://deohs.washington.edu/edge/blog/how-make-box-fan-filt...
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

Der_Einzige 4y ago

I now run a MERV 16 furnace filter (yes, my aprilair system explicitly supports it, no I will not hurt my furnace) for central air filtration alongside two box-fan filters (the easy slap on the back kind - I think I'm using something equivalent to MERV 13 on the back, can't go higher for the size) around the house and a quiet regular air-filter in our room. All of my wives problems related to allergies or breathing have gone completely away. Guests comment at how good/clean our house smells. Stuff takes longer to mold when its left out. 10/10 would recommend.

Rebelgecko 4y ago

Compared to a dedicated air purifier, a box fan one is louder, has higher energy consumption, and is uglier (I suppose the last one is subjective). If it's something you only use a couple days a year when your region is on fire, then absolutely go with the design with lower upfront costs. But if you're running it 24/7, it's worth thinking about the extra 40-80 watts that a box fan uses. For me, I figure the electricity difference comes out to around $100/yr so getting a dedicated air purifier has paid for itself (although I live in an area with fairly expensive electricity). It also has some nice bonuses compared to a box fan like auto adjusting speeds and a prefilter that hopefully helps the "real" filter last longer.

DantesKite 4y ago

Thank you. This is amazing. Precisely what I've been searching for. Something cheap, affordable, and most of all, moves a large quantity of air within a short amount of time. Loudness doesn't bother me one bit since I almost always have white noise playing in the background.

makeitdouble 4y ago

Is that a "pro" tip ? Otherwise Vacuum Wars channel had an entertaining test on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QT8SQjp-y0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QT8SQjp-y0 The channel is great in general for everything vacuum. As far as review goes they put a serious effort in them. The brief foray into air cleaners was a great parenthesis.