3 DIY Air Purifiers That Will Make You Breathe Easier #CitizenScience #airquality #science #airpollution #DIY

Many people around the world are suffering from poor air quality in their homes. This past weekend I heard testimony from people who live near factory farms who are not only plagued by ammonia and Hydrogen Sulfide, but also nano particles of dust with their doors and windows shut. In many cases air cleaners are not an option because they are unaffordable, especially once you add in the cost of medical care. So, thanks to a tip from one attendee, I discovered a low-cost hack for an air purifier.  Of course I had to go down the rabbit hole to check for more, and so I’m sharing my findings. Just keep in mind that these devices are simplistic and can not handle nano particles; they also are not capable of scrubbing gases.

The first hack is a classic box fan with a furnace filter taped to the back. Rick Rude does a great job of sharing particulate matter readings from his Dylos monitor to show change. According to his test, the fan was able to do a decent job of reducing particles in a bedroom. Rick has also been conducting tests on different air purifiers including Honeywell and IQAir. So, if you are interested in a loose overview of devices on the market, I would check out his channel.

The second air purifier by desertsun02 utilizes a typical bucket found in a hardware store. Holes are drilled for air passage and a filter is inserted, along with a fan. In this case the air is pulled from the top. desertsun02 provides details for the build in the second half of his video. I do like the circular design on this one and the handle makes it easy for room changes.

Better Box Fan

The final hack is an improved version of the classic box fan filter setup. The triangular shape puts less stress on the fan, according to TomBuildsStuff. Another advantage to this version is increased coverage with the dual filters. Like the original box fan build, it uses duct tape to bring the filters together. So, for a little bit of work you can have an inexpensive setup in your home. Have you created your own air purifier and taken measurements of your air quality? If so, let me know in the comments. There’s a lot of people who need help right now creating an affordable solution.


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4 Comments

  1. I built my own garage air cleaner that has an arduino/remote-controlled speed control and timer.
    It helps a lot with all the dust kicked up by my table saw and other woodworking tools.
    Here’s a link to the first video in the series: https://youtu.be/OUz2o–8B8o

  2. BradM thanks for posting and I like the Arduino use. Did you do any PM testing for your unit? I was thinking it would be cool to add a PM sensor and display and then trigger the fan with that info.

  3. Leslie, I did not, but that’s a really good idea. With my whole control platform being arduino-based, I could pretty easily add that functionality.

  4. BradM hey if you do that experiment definitely ping me @zengirl2 so I can post about it. That would be really helpful and I’m sure other people would also be interested.

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