1. < Asthma & Allergy

Any thoughts on air purifiers and improving air quality?

Posted by cneville1 @cneville1, Dec 9, 2024

I am a wrestling coach in South Dakota. Last year we were in a brand new wrestling room. Our school got a grant for new air purifiers so there were some put in the new wrestling room. Our temperature in that room is stable at 70 degrees and we have an air exchange system in there as well. Last season everyone on the team came down with an upper respiratory illness that would knock kids down for weeks at a time. The air purifiers were running all the time and as you can imagine, the air in that room was very humid. We checked the filters on the purifiers and they were black as night. We changed the filters and the sickness did not improve. We shut the purifiers off and did not run them the remainder of the season and things improved slightly but the damage had been done. We are being told we have to run them, but my question is are we doing more harm than good? Any factual input would be great! Thanks!

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paxmundi | @paxmundi | Dec 25, 2024
In reply to @sueinmn "You are correct - I hadn't thought of that - but there are so many compact..." + (show)
@sueinmn

You are correct - I hadn't thought of that - but there are so many compact purifiers out there for reasonable prices that I never considered it.
My primary goals in choosing filters, for two homes and our camper, are reputable company, 2 stage filtering (coarse & HEPA) replaceable filters widely available.
We have a whole house filter, then HEPA filters in the main living space (open) and each bedroom. In the guest room we only run it when it is used. Each purifier is sized for the space it covers.

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That’s exactly my setup! Though I don’t run them 24/7 if air quality is good outdoors. Probably should, but it gets too expensive for me! Definitely run a local one where I work and sleep in addition to the whole house fan. And if people come over, I run them all!

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Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Dec 25, 2024
In reply to @paxmundi "That’s exactly my setup! Though I don’t run them 24/7 if air quality is good outdoors...." + (show)
@paxmundi

That’s exactly my setup! Though I don’t run them 24/7 if air quality is good outdoors. Probably should, but it gets too expensive for me! Definitely run a local one where I work and sleep in addition to the whole house fan. And if people come over, I run them all!

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For me, outdoor air quality is just one piece of the equation. So many things we bring into our homes "shed" dust, odors, chemicals that I feel confined indoor air may be riskier than outdoor air. In addition, if I run them full time, I actually see a marled difference in the amount of dust on my floors and furniture. Not sure of your electric rates, but ours cost less than $5.00/mo each to run full time.
Seems like a big return for a liitle money.

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jeff1047 | @jeff1047 | Dec 25, 2024
In reply to @vic83 "Regarding your comment "One thing I have heard about the filter and box fan solution is..." + (show)
@vic83

Regarding your comment "One thing I have heard about the filter and box fan solution is that pushing air through a good filter can overly stress the fan, since it’s not built for that, and be a potential fire hazard. Has anyone else heard that?"
I have heard that certain filters may damage the unit. But I would guess that a dirty filter also does damage to the unit!
I researched and use a quality filter rated 4 out of 5 for air flow in my apartment. Apart from catching certain things, I have also noted much less dust with it...and that means less dust going back into the unit
I have read that one should check with the manufacturer for the maximum MERV rating allowable for a unit.

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I don't think that you have to worry about the plans that are printed on the Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation Site (https://corsirosenthalfoundation.org/resources/how-to-build-a-corsi-rosenthal-box-usa/). Corsi is the Dean of the College of Engineering at the Univ of California at Davis. I believe that you can trust the info that is printed on the Foundation site.

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paxmundi | @paxmundi | Dec 25, 2024
In reply to @sueinmn "For me, outdoor air quality is just one piece of the equation. So many things we..." + (show)
@sueinmn

For me, outdoor air quality is just one piece of the equation. So many things we bring into our homes "shed" dust, odors, chemicals that I feel confined indoor air may be riskier than outdoor air. In addition, if I run them full time, I actually see a marled difference in the amount of dust on my floors and furniture. Not sure of your electric rates, but ours cost less than $5.00/mo each to run full time.
Seems like a big return for a liitle money.

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They do say that just building materials are full of toxicity as is cooking with gas, though I ran the fan while cooking. And have a shoeless house. But the grit that accumulates on window sills is awful so you are right. I live in Northern CA and rates are high, but I should see if I could figure out what it’s costing me.

I will have to work until I die so I live frugally. My lung illness started with TB contracted at 19 on a trip to India and misdiagnosed for a year. So there’s extensive damage to my lungs that has really affected my work history even though I managed to become an attorney despite the ongoing problems that emanated from damaged lungs after TB was cured. That being said I have a lot of hope and have managed quite well in spite of this. Thx for listening and for the good tips always!

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah!

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