Air filters

This is a community quest.

It is completed when all our talkgroup people in California have air filters. The time limit is before fire season begins.

Sub-goals:

  • ask people to opt-in to this quest and say whether they have an air filter capable of clearing their home of smoke
  • for people who need one, ascertain what they should get
  • pool resources to get everyone air filters, and assemble if necessary
  • write down what i did to make mine and why

Achievement points awarded for nice wooden enclosures! (link forthcoming)

Person - status - type (wanted or has)

  • @judytuna - good - box fan and filter
  • @evergreen - would feel less scared with a backup - large fancy air purifier
  • @maiki - nil - pending research
  • @tim - good, but need to restock - HVAC w/MERV 13 filters

Judy opts in!

I just made one a few weeks ago out of a Lasko 20" fan and a level 10 honeywell furnace filter, 20x20x1. And some white duct tape that I had lying around to make protest banner letters.

We have been running it when cooking and when the cats poop. It is loud but at least it has 3 settings. The lowest setting is still quite loud. I like having it though.

I watched a lot of youtube videos on assembling your own air filter. Most were about wood shops. I dream of mounting it on the ceiling with inner tubes to counter vibration but will never do it.

All that said, I am so sad we have fire season.

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evergreen would like to opt in?

I have a large fancy air purifier which I ordered while having a panic attack about the smoke, right before I evacuated. I’m afraid it’s not enough because I was still struggling to breath in a friend’s luxury building with air purifiers last year, and my windows don’t even close all the way.

I need to figure out how to secure my windows and door. And would feel less scared with a backup, like a filter to attach to my fan if needed.

Also everyone should get non-disposable masks and/or lots of masks!

3 Likes

Related, I still have masks from We need N95 masks in the East Bay, and will put the on offer in Borrowers, as soon as I get on that. Which shall be soon.

When does that start?

Opt-in, and we have nothing to filter the air.

Let’s run details at what air filter should i attach to a box fan?, and then document it far and wide. :slight_smile:

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I need to order more filters for the HVAC system, I am good at the moment, but want 2 of each size. (I have two intake vents). I also need to replace the HEPA filter in my big air purifier that we put in the living room during bad air days.

2 Likes

Just a reminder the level of air filter is critical. Lower MERV filters are still better than nothing of course, as each pass through the filter will remove more and more PM2.5.

A lot of filters hide their MERV rating, though not always. Here is a conversion chart.

53%20PM

Some additional reading:

“Selecting Ventilation Air Filters to Reduce PM2.5 Of Outdoor Origin”

2016Sep_012-021_HarrimanFiltersToReducePM2.5.pdf (190.3 KB)

2 Likes

This is the quest I’m working on, and I’m stumped. So… I propose:

  • we build a checklist in liferaft for materials, resources, locations, etc in #liferaft
  • create new #tech-support tickets for each person needing one

Then we can focus on the specifics of actionable tasks. Thoughts? :slight_smile:

1 Like

I like it. More specific, actionable items. Once the #liferaft checklist and #tech-support tickets are created, we can close the quest–is that what you’re thinking? Because the quest is to get it into peoples’ minds and get us working on it.

Or was the quests to get everybody air filters? Maybe we close the quest when everyone who has opted-in has a filter.

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How often do you need to replace them? Are you already on a schedule? Ah, 2 of each size extra so you have them around? I think that’s a good idea because they sell out during fire season =(

They recommend replacement every 3 months. I am on a schedule now for every 3 months, BUT I do have a spare of each, so ~5-10 days into a fire situation I can change them for fresh ones.

We also stocked up on new HEPA filters for my big portable one + a box of the 3M masks. (the ones that actually filter out the PM2.5)

2 Likes

Sorta. I think the checklist should wait, now, since I’m not sure we have a standardized DIY model. I created a #tech-support thread (Air-filter for magnolia-interi), and I think if @evergreen does as well, we can close this quest. Folks finding it will see our action logs and eventually we’ll compile the relevant info (filter types, various jargon, etc) into a document, possibly in #liferaft.

Whatcha think of that? :slight_smile:

I’m closing this quest. It has lived on as the top quest for quite a while, but can’t be complete as such. :slight_smile:

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