air purifiers

[fraid]

Do air purifiers really make a difference? My asthma seems to be getting worse. I am housebound, mostly sofabound, open plan bungalow, keep dust down, open windows when possible. Are they noisy, how long do you leave them on, expensive to buy and run? Better to just open windows? When air not smoky! 🤔

[SmilesForMiles]

I made one out of a box fan (20 inch around 1750 cfm) and MERV 13 filter (also 20 inch). It's about 80 CAD for the box fan and 15 CAD dollar per filter (I usually buy packs). I use tuck tape and tape my filter to my box fan and voila, cheap air filter. it's basically this: youtube.com/watch?v=aw7fUMh...(Not working as expected?)

It's quiet enough that I sleep with it running (it actually is a good white noise I find, but I am really sound sensitive so I had ear plugs the first few nights). I run them during the day as well and put them in my exercise room while working out.

You can also put at MERV 12 filter on your furnace (check with your particular furnace).

I found my fans help with my pollen allergy a lot, and we have a lot of smoke here as well. The filters do get black so I have to change them relatively frequently (every 1-2 months), so might be worth a try?

[SmilesForMiles in reply to SmilesForMiles]

I don't know how scientific it really is lol but wirecutter ran some comparisons between a ~ 80 dollar box fan modified to filter and an 800 dollar molekule air filtration fan and the box fan won by a landslide: youtube.com/watch?v=YnIvLBe...(Not working as expected?)

[runcyclexcski in reply to SmilesForMiles]

I do use cheap furnace filters (3M) which I run in series, and two of them are indeed equivalent to one HEPA (measured using a particle counter). The issue with them is that they are not deep-pleated, and need changing 5x more frequently as the air flow drops faster. The air flow is another thing -- I do not know what air flow that expensive filter was rated at. Maybe it also had a charcoal bed which filters out the odors (the latter is important for me)>

[Gareth57 in reply to SmilesForMiles]

I just watched the YouTube like, it looks like a really good solution for people like me who like to mess about and make stuff in stead of buying a ready made machine, but also the sort of thing my wife hates because it's not ready made out of a box 😂

[Tugun]

Hi,

I found it helped. The noise didn't bother me too much but if it did, then I'd turn it off for a while. At the time I bought it, there was a lot of smoke in the air but it also helped with dust etc.

[Gwalltarian]

I have found hepa air filters to be very effective, you don’t have to run them all the time - basically the price of running a fan. Google them and read the reviews then you can decide what model to get. I use one attached to a dehumidifier, it costs more than a basic air filter to buy and run, and find the improvement in air quality noticeable very quickly. If you have animal pets, lots of carpets etc., you should find using one very effective.

[Oldandgray]

I was so desperate last summer I bought a HEPA machine from Amazon to use in the bedroom at night. Very quiet and as a constant noise don’t really hear it. It worked so well I then bought a slightly bigger one for the lounge and then a really large Dyson one for the hall. They made such a difference.

Try a small on, less than £50 from Amazon, at night and see if it helps you.

[Lisamcharman]

I am in an open planned bungalow I have Brittle asthma and I have tracheabroncomalacia So I use 2 air purifiers 24/7 they are not noisy at all but they help me to make a different they need to be regularly hoovered and replaced I have a 5 stage filter and I use pure mate they are medium cost around £115 to purchase and filters need replacing there are sensors on them but mine is twice a year you can order direct from puremate I also have a portable version in my car as well I think it depends on your sensitivity to dust allergens and smells etc they are low wattage a very low running costs I just keep mine going ii think the 1 that is on and off do not work as well I hope this helps

[fraid]

Thanks so much for all your comments. Not up to building my own though! Sounds like they are very popular so shall try one,prices are a bit steep though, may try a small one to start as I live in just the lounge. Just had shock with energy bill so hope cheap to run! Is it best to run at night when asthma seems worse or day when dust from carpets etc being kicked up?🤔Shall try both.

Thanks again.🤗

[SmilesForMiles in reply to fraid]

glad to help! getting rid of carpets and minimizing soft surfaces in the house/bedroom also helped me (curtains replaced with roll down blinds and just minimizing places for dust to accumulated). A lot of our furniture is small legged or floating and we have a robo vacuum that goes around every day. I'm more pollen allergy vs dust but it helps to not have it accumulate indoors as much as possible.

[fraid in reply to SmilesForMiles]

thanks. Will keep my carpets ,have blinds, no wool, known allergens but floating furniture?? How do you know where your beer is??😂😱

[Collienut]

I have one and it made a big difference, going most of the time in summer and mainly during the night in winter or if smoky(it has night mode and I can turn of the control lights, would like it on all the time but trying to cut energy use). I use the basic filter, but they also do ones for forest fire and another for mould. Cost £100, filters £30 - £36 which I change every 6 months.

Forgot to say it's a non ionisation one!

[runcyclexcski in reply to Collienut]

>>> non ionisation one!

Good point. Companies selling ozone generators and claiming their products "help asthma" hurt people.

[klaradb in reply to runcyclexcski]

note that ionisers and ozone generators are not the same. Ionisers are good - not because the ions themselves are good as manufacturers might say - but because particles stick to them and are less likely to be floating around causing asthma. Ozone generators are different and probably don’t help asthma.

[fraid]

It does sound an expensive item, esp. filters ! 😱So many to choose from it’ll probably be summer by time I decide, then it’s back to anti histamine. Shall peruse today. Also, how do you really know how much difference it makes, or could it just be coincidence? Just coz filters get dirty how do you know how that dust affects you? 🤔Tis a quandary .Thanks for all replies. 🤗

[Collienut in reply to fraid]

You see a big difference in the amount of dust on surfaces and also less particles floating in the air. Even my husband noticed a difference of a lot less stuffy nose when I got one. 😊

[runcyclexcski]

They help me, but only after I created a positive pressure in the target area (sleeping tent/bedroom) by directing the clean air with a duct. The target area should not serve as a source of particles/dust itself -- in my case I use an air mattress and pillows inside of airproof bags, and wash pillow-cases and the blankets at 90C at least weekly.

[SmilesForMiles in reply to runcyclexcski]

Like a high altitude simulation tent, but for pollen. I like it. I could potentially use something like that for high altitude simulation in winter and then air purification in spring.... lol now just to convince the partner....

[runcyclexcski in reply to SmilesForMiles]

This is exactly it, good analogy. I think the high altitude tents are more sophisticated b.c. they create a low pressure, too, but not sure about, never had one. The "asthma tent" -- this is how I call it -- is where I have been sleeping for the last 10 years, it helps knowing that I have a "safe heaven" at home where I can rest from the world for 8 hrs a day. I have a lighter version for travel as well, I take it with me to hotels etc. The filter is not small enough to be in the carry-on, but it can be checked in (about 15 kilos, includes a HEPA, a pre-HEPA, and a charcoal filter).

[runcyclexcski]

>>>Also, how do you really know how much difference it makes, or could it just be coincidence?

Filter get dirty, but their filtration efficiency actually improves from that -- it's the air flow that goes down.

I only knew it made a difference after taking the target clean room (bedroom), carrying out all the furniture from it (as if I was moving), and sleeping on the bare floor on a camping pad. The clean air was injected into the room with a duct and a hole in the door, creating positive pressure. This is how semiconductor clean rooms work.

This means that the filter should be ductable and should have a decent pressure, e.g. 0.1 atm (which eliminates cheap DIY like box fans). There should be no carpets (of course). If there are carpets, they can be covered with cheap plastic sheeting.

If one is allergic to dust (my case), and puts a HEPA filter next to the bed, this will only blow the particles around. If one is allergic to pollen, filtering the air inside with the windows closed makes partial sense, b.c. there is no supply of fresh air. So I put the HEPA outside in a buffer room which has a cracked window, and blow purified air into the target area >>> fresh clean air and positive pressure.

Many companies sell "fake" or defective filters which are orders of mag less efficient than they claim. One needs a particle counter to test, them -- now amazon sells counters for less than £200. I would not bother buying a filter w/o a way to test if it filters anything.

Filters are expensive, but I change them once a year. Cheaper than missing months of work.

There are OK suppliers of consumer filters -- e.g. IQAIr --, but I now make my own HEPA filters b.c. of supplier chain issues for companies, and b.c. they change their suppliers all the time. So I found a turkish company that makes filters for the nuclear industry, and bought ten of HEPA filters to last me 10 years. These were cheaper, certified, and better quality than consumer filters. They have a UK office:

ozcon.co.uk/

My filters also have a charcoal bed -- these are available from horiculture stores. Necessary for odor filtration (neighbors cook and smoke pot all the time).

[fraid]

Wow,now me head’s falling off. Ok I’ll try one, thanks.

[Itswonderful]

I have a small Silent Night air purifier in my bedroom. It has a setting that turns the light off and also makes the running very quiet. I have a large one Winnox I think, in the living area too. I turned them off for a period of time when the electricity prices were rising but I really noticed the difference in my breathing so I have had them on again for a couple of weeks and I feel much better. So, my experience is that they are very helpful, though I realise that everyone is different.

[fraid]

Thanks everyone, I have gone mad and ordered one, just a small thing from Appliances direct ( not sure if it’s them I swore I wouldn’t use again re bashed up drier & ridic problems with them?🤔) anyhoo will give it a go and see.Let you know if miracle cure! 🤗

[hilary39]

Mine is a lifesaver! I run it a few hours at a time in different rooms of the house (not constantly due to trying to lower our energy use) and it is SO gross when I change the filters (!) You can't believe how much dust they can capture after just a few weeks. Make sure to get one with a HEPA filter--that allows it to pull really tiny particles out of the air.

[fraid]

Thanks, have ordered Hepa filter one with 1/2 price refill. Shall suck it and see. I suppose these things are so popular now as fresh air seems to be a thing of the past!😱

[Homely2 Administrator]

I like my air purifier, I cannot assert to you that it works definitely, but it freshens the air and makes me feel like it works.

[fraid]

I must say I am amazed so many people use them to help their asthma. I had never even thought or heard about it till coming on here,so thanks all!🤗

[Patk1]

I've just bought a couple with hepa filtration + no ioniser.its v quiet,and seems v cheap to run x

[fraid]

Air conditioning all year? You must live in USA? We can’t afford to open windows here! 😂😂

[fraid]

So not really relevant to our British conditions then. Thanks anyway

[fraid]

Just that Britain has a very different climate and energy sources to Thailand. What works there would not necessarily be pertinent here. I don’t know much about triggers in different countries but glad you found air purifiers help,have ordered one so hopefully it will help me too.

[fraid]

It came today, it says temp is 12, humidity started at 54 now up to 67%, not sure if either good but have turned heating on coz I’m freezing. Googlied it but after nrg bill shock of £287 for Dec been reluctant to use heating much. Presume warmer house will lessen humidity? Does it make asthma worse coz I always found dry hot air did. 🤔

[Patk1]

I've been using my new air purifiers in lounge and aLso bedroom,overnight.my sinuses r much improved after first night,better after 2nd night.i can't say re chest,altho its uncharacteristically dry so 🤞🏻