Bangkok Air Pollution

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

A lot of rain here in BKK does wonders for clearing out the air pollution, at least temporarily.

 

This morning and afternoon, indoor PM2.5 sensors reading 3 - 5 mcg -- without any air con or air purifier.

[xylophone]

An update on some of my previous posts where I was very worried about the "smell" (burning or similar?) In my room and wondered if I was breathing in dangerous air particles with it.

 

I did buy a Philips air purifier some eight months ago and it is a fairly large beast which cost about 12,000 baht and I've only just changed the HEPA filter and it appears to be doing an okay job, but then again that worrying "smell". I have also fitted the Filtrete sheets to the Aircon unit, as well as fitting some sealing tape round the ranch-slider doors and windows, so it would appear I have all my bases covered – – but still I was still getting that "smell".

 

I think I was getting to the paranoid stage (was?) and somewhere on this thread someone gave a link to air purifiers and I came across the Xiaomi Air Purifier 2S with an LED display, which actually displayed the particle content in a room. I did some research on it and from all I could find, the feedback was great, so I ordered one from Lazada for 7900 baht and it arrived today.

 

I have just installed it and I have to say it is a well made and neat little unit and the display and settings can be operated by a smart phone (unfortunately not my little Noka, but no problems for me). As well as giving a display of the air quality and the humidity as well as the room temperature, it has other settings for night time use as well as an automatic setting which automatically adjusts the speed of the fan according to the condition of the air in the room.

 

So although it has only been running for a couple of hours, I am quite chuffed with it, and here is the bit which I like, because I was thinking of buying one of the separate particle measuring things mentioned here, and that is the reading in my room is 008, at 46% humidity!

 

From what I can gather that is extremely good so perhaps I was paranoid for no real reason, however that remains to be seen and I will see how this thing operates over the coming week or so – – fingers crossed it is as good as I think it is.

[balo]

After a few days in Bangkok it's good to be back in Naklua, Pattaya and better air. 

 

I measured the air quality everywhere I went in BKK and some places were good others were just terrible.  Inside the room I stayed in I got 30-40  , turning off the air con and quality was better so I suspect some bad particles from the air con. But I had no time to look at that the short time I was there. 

 

Out in the streets some days were good ., especially after the rainfall.  In Asoke and around Suk 22 I got under 20 which was a nice surprise. 

 

Sathorn/Silom at night or late afternoon can not be recommended , constant reading of 70-80 or AIQ 153-168 , lots of traffic and pollution in the air. It also flashed red a couple of time.  I wore my mask most of the time there

. 

I showed it to a friend of mine who works in the area and he was not happy when he found out how bad it was. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[edwardandtubs]

I've also noticed that an unclean air conditioner can make a room worse, especially immediately after it's been turned on. I think some people are just ignorant of the fact that you have to clean the filters.

[edwardandtubs]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

 

 

I think I was getting to the paranoid stage (was?) and somewhere on this thread someone gave a link to air purifiers and I came across the Xiaomi Air Purifier 2S with an LED display, which actually displayed the particle content in a room. I did some research on it and from all I could find, the feedback was great, so I ordered one from Lazada for 7900 baht and it arrived today.

 

Wow, you totally overpaid for that Xiaomi. There was a seller selling it for about 5000 not so long ago. Also be careful because it goes into auto mode every 3 hours which makes it completely useless in Bangkok. The issue and the workaround is explained here:

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/901639-hatari-air-purifier-ht-ap12-fan-speed-for-24-hour-running/?do=findComment&comment=12847388

 

[xylophone]

8 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Wow, you totally overpaid for that Xiaomi. There was a seller selling it for about 5000 not so long ago. Also be careful because it goes into auto mode every 3 hours which makes it completely useless in Bangkok. The issue and the workaround is explained here:

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/901639-hatari-air-purifier-ht-ap12-fan-speed-for-24-hour-running/?do=findComment&comment=12847388

 

I think you'll find that was the basic model without LED display and Wifi?

 

I did read that report re the "problem" with the unit going into auto mode and I couldn't see what the problem was!!

 

So I set mine on auto for a couple of hours and it was showing a reading of 008 and 009 which then reverted to 001 after an hour (cleaned the air?). Now, auto runs on a very slow speed (and quiet) and when I then put it on maximum filter (high speed) it was pulling air in and expelling it at a great rate of knots! 

 

Now here is my reasoning...........if the air had been at a dangerous/high level (as stated in the report) when on auto, then putting it on fast would have pulled in a greater volume of air and it would have detected if it was bad........but it didn't change the reading at all.

 

In addition I used a spray in the room to test it and sure enough the reading increased in a few seconds (so the monitor was working).

 

So maybe the report was wrong or biased because of the great write-ups that Xiaomi has had from many reports/tests/feedback?? 

 

 

 

 

[edwardandtubs]

You need to do more research xylophone. The problem with auto mode is that it regards a PM 2.5 level of 75 micrograms as healthy and shuts off whereas it is in fact unhealthy. Another problem with the xiaomi is that the sensor is totally unreliable, giving readings far below the true level. And yes it is the latest model of the Xiaomi 2s that can be bought for about 5 or 6,000.

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, edwardandtubs said:

You need to do more research xylophone. The problem with auto mode is that it regards a PM 2.5 level of 75 micrograms as healthy and shuts off whereas it is in fact unhealthy. Another problem with the xiaomi is that the sensor is totally unreliable, giving readings far below the true level. And yes it is the latest model of the Xiaomi 2s that can be bought for about 5 or 6,000.

Don't know how much more research I can do Ed, because as you will see from the quotes I will include below, the new OLED Smart 2S purifier has some great write-ups after testing, and one with a smoke-filled room was quite remarkable.

 

It should be remembered that this is newly released (2S model) and seems to be a cut above its previous model.

 

Anyway further to my post about testing, I did some more "testing" to satisfy my own mind........

 

It was running on 001 on auto mode in my closed room, so I opened up the ranch slider doors to let the outside air in for about half an hour and the reading went up to 0.14! It was still running on auto at this time and I then closed the ranch slider doors and now, an hour later the reading is 002, still on auto mode.

 

So something seems to be working and as one of the tests has shown, against independent testing equipment, the readings on this model seem to be very accurate.

 

The comes a time when one has to make a decision and I made mine on all of the positive responses I had seen, disregarding the only one which was negative, and was on the previous model.

 

I may well have paid a little over the top for this new model (have now seen for 6400 b), however it was postage paid, delivered in 2 days (and I wanted it NOW!)  and in the grand scheme of things just a day earlier I had paid over 17,000 baht for a few bottles of wine, so this pales into insignificance! Now at least I can enjoy my wine in a clean room/atmosphere!!

 

Independent Reviews.........

 

1). Xiaomi Smart Mi air purifier 2S laser sensor can detect the smallest PM 0.3 pollution particles. With our professional detector data contrast, the pollutant display calibration is still accurate.

 

2). The new Mi AIr Purifier 2S continues with the design language of its predecessors and even features an OLED display just like the Mi Air Purifier Pro. The device’s OLED accurately shows atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, which is about 3% the diameter of a human hair (PM2.5 concentration) as well as temperature and humidity. It also comes with a WIFi connection and the work patterns so that you’ll be abreast with changes in the air quality. It has a laser sensor which assists in the accurate detection of particles as small as  0.3μm in size.

 

Further, you get a device with a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) value of 310m³ / h and can cover a room the size of between 21-32 square metres.

 

 3). Xiaomi claims that the Mi Air Purifier 2S takes just 10 minutes to circulate purified air in a 21m2 room. While I do not know the exact size of my room, the Xiaomi Air Purifier managed to lower the PM 10 level in my room from a very dangerous 75 to a breathable 38 in about 12-14 minutes.

 

4). The 360° cylindrical filter on Mi Air Purifier 2S takes in air more efficiently from every direction compared to conventional air purifiers. Its triple-layer design removes particles larger than 0.3 microns with a high-density EPA filter, while an activated carbon filter removes formaldehyde, bad odour and other harmful substances.

 

5).   https://youtu.be/qUxp1doFSSQ (smoke test at 3.30 mins is remarkable).

 

[edwardandtubs]

I suggest researching what is a healthy level of pm2.5 and compare that to what you get if you leave your new Xiaomi on automode.

 

Of course it's going to clean a smoke-filled room but the real question is whether it will reduce a pm2.5 level of 40 micrograms to under 10.

[xylophone]

10 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

I suggest researching what is a healthy level of pm2.5 and compare that to what you get if you leave your new Xiaomi on automode.

 

Of course it's going to clean a smoke-filled room but the real question is whether it will reduce a pm2.5 level of 40 micrograms to under 10.

On Auto now and it has brought the level down to 001 from 014............so OK as far as I can tell!!

 

Am I doing this incorrectly??

[xylophone]

Just carried out another little test, inasmuch as I switched the Xiaomi machine off whilst I went out for four hours and when I came back, I set it up outside on the balcony to see what the outside air was like.

 

Put it on auto mode and within seconds the reading had shot up to about 32, so I left it for about 20 minutes and it remained static around that number.

 

I then bought it indoors and set it up again, remembering that nothing had been running internally apart from the normal electrics and it immediately registered 017, which has now dropped after about 15 minutes, to a number of 012 and falling.

 

As far as I can ascertain, it does clean the air well on auto and I'm anticipating the reading getting down to that which it was before I went out, which was 001 or 002.

 

Interestingly enough, yesterday evening when the reading was down to 001, I could not smell the "burning smell" at all, but over the past few minutes I have noticed it and the unit has gone back up to 014? It would be great if it continues to do its work and that burning smell goes and the reading drops to that which it was yesterday evening.

 

If I'm understanding this correctly, the thing seems to be working and doing what I want.

[edwardandtubs]

If I were you I'd test it with a separate air quality monitor because Smart Air tests showed the inbuilt one to be very unreliable.

[xylophone]

23 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

If I were you I'd test it with a separate air quality monitor because Smart Air tests showed the inbuilt one to be very unreliable.

Where would I find one of these, pref that I could borrow for the test, or are they cheap enough to buy for a once off test?

[edwardandtubs]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

Where would I find one of these, pref that I could borrow for the test, or are they cheap enough to buy for a once off test?

Get the Sndway one for about 1400 baht from AliExpress that we've been talking about on this thread.

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Get the Sndway one for about 1400 baht from AliExpress that we've been talking about on this thread.

Thank you, I'll get on to that tomorrow. Much appreciated.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 4/20/2018 at 5:58 PM, xylophone said:

An update on some of my previous posts where I was very worried about the "smell" (burning or similar?) In my room and wondered if I was breathing in dangerous air particles with it.

 

I did buy a Philips air purifier some eight months ago and it is a fairly large beast which cost about 12,000 baht and I've only just changed the HEPA filter and it appears to be doing an okay job, but then again that worrying "smell". I have also fitted the Filtrete sheets to the Aircon unit, as well as fitting some sealing tape round the ranch-slider doors and windows, so it would appear I have all my bases covered – – but still I was still getting that "smell".

 

 

I think I already mentioned this above:

 

Air filters/purifiers mainly tend to deal with particles big and tiny, which are not necessarily the same thing as smells. You can have smells that don't involve particles.

 

Purifiers CAN also deal with odors, if they incorporate activate carbon, which DOES/CAN deal with odors, provided the carbon filtering material is replaced/renewed on a regular basis.

 

The meter on your Xiaomi 2s purifier is only measuring particles, not the presence of non particle smells.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 4/21/2018 at 5:30 PM, xylophone said:

As far as I can ascertain, it does clean the air well on auto and I'm anticipating the reading getting down to that which it was before I went out, which was 001 or 002.

 

From what's been written about this topic elsewhere, it was the original regular Xiaomi 2 model that had problems with the accuracy of its PM2.5 sensor and the auto mode operation.

 

The subsequent 2S supposedly switched to a better, more accurate sensor model.

 

[xylophone]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I think I already mentioned this above:

 

Air filters/purifiers mainly tend to deal with particles big and tiny, which are not necessarily the same thing as smells. You can have smells that don't involve particles.

 

Purifiers CAN also deal with odors, if they incorporate activate carbon, which DOES/CAN deal with odors, provided the carbon filtering material is replaced/renewed on a regular basis.

 

The meter on your Xiaomi 2s purifier is only measuring particles, not the presence of non particle smells.

Yeah, got that TGJBKK, but I do have a Philips air purifier running as well (in the bedroom area and that does have an activated carbon filter) and I'm very pleased with the Xiaomi one at present as it shows the particle measurement as well as humidity and temp.

 

Now just waiting for delivery of the Sndway monitor to check on the accuracy of the Xiaomi!!! There was one bad review on it but many good ones, so I will soon know!

[xylophone]

5 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

From what's been written about this topic elsewhere, it was the original regular Xiaomi 2 model that had problems with the accuracy of its PM2.5 sensor and the auto mode operation.

 

The subsequent 2S supposedly switched to a better, more accurate sensor model.

 

Ah a day too late as have just ordered the Sndway monitor!!!

 

But thanks all the same, and I thought I saw something similar to that in an in-depth review. So a belt and braces solution by the looks of things!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

16 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Now just waiting for delivery of the Sndway monitor to check on the accuracy of the Xiaomi!!! There was one bad review on it but many good ones, so I will soon know!

 I've got 2 Sndway sensors at home right now, and they both seem to do a very good job of tracking the movements in air quality, both inside and outside.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

19 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Ah a day too late as have just ordered the Sndway monitor!!!

 

 

Obviously don't know how your home is set up. But I keep one sensor in our main bedroom, and the other in our living area.

 

Before getting the second one, I kept having to unplug and move the one sensor every day in the morning when getting up and at night when going back into the bedroom, kind of a minor 1st world hassle.

 

So now, each one stays in their respective rooms, and I don't touch them at all -- except for keeping an eye on their readouts in terms of determining whether and how much I need to run our purifiers.

 

Neither of the two purifiers we have at home have their own built-in PM2.5 readouts, so I rely on the Sndway sensors for how to run the purifiers.

 

At night, I try to keep the bedroom sensor reading close to zero. And during the day out in a much bigger and open living area, I try to keep that room at or below 12 mcg -- which is the top threshold for "good" quality air.

 

 

 

 

[xylophone]

24 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Obviously don't know how your home is set up. But I keep one sensor in our main bedroom, and the other in our living area

Have only bought mine to test against the accuracy of the Xiaomi in the main room..........if the Xiaomi is accurate then all is hunky dory (currently sitting on a reading of 001).

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Things seem to have taken a turn for the worse today in BKK.

 

Chula site reading 109 (unhealthy for sensitive) AQI as of 11 am, though other sensors around BKK seem to be showing lower levels.

 

My indoor sensor in a room with no AC or purifier running right now is reading about 35 mcg, which is equal to a 100 AQI, just at the border between moderate and unhealthy for sensitive people.

 

 

[lopburi3]

Actually with temps over 37c yesterday and already over 35c today suspect that may be more of an immediate danger than the ppm this week.  It is too dang hot.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

fyi, just as a test, I took the Filtrete sheets off my bedroom air con filters yesterday at the normal change cycle. So right now in the bedroom, just the regular AC with its permanent filters and my Sharp purifier.

 

The Sharp purifier is definitely having to work harder (turning up the fan to high) to keep the bedroom PM2.5 levels at a good point this morning, right now in the 8-9 mcg range. The Filtrete sheets definitely help in keeping the PM2.5 levels even lower and making it easier on my purifier.

 

The only issue is, when I use the Filtrete sheets on my bedroom air con, their life cycle before beginning to get clogged up and obstructing the air flow is 1 week plus here in my central BKK location. I can leave them on longer and they still filter well, but the cooling in the room is reduced somewhat, meaning the air con has to work harder.

 

Since originally I started using my Sharp purifier and the Filtrete sheets at the same time, back 2+ months ago during much worse air quality conditions, now that things have eased off somewhat, I wanted to see how the purifier alone fares during the lower smog season.

 

What's definitely clear to me already is, the next time the PM2.5 levels get back up into the 140+ AQI / 50+ mcg range in BKK, I'll definitely be breaking out the Filtrete sheets and putting them back on my bedroom air con filters again.

 

[edwardandtubs]

Filtrete + DIY HEPA filter clean the room a lot faster than just one of them alone. I can get down to 2-3 micrograms in 10 minutes and then 0-1 in 30 minutes.

[greg71]

My IQ air gets down to 0 in 5 minutes and stays there . Very very pleased with air filtration system , buy the best = get the best .

[balo]

Can someone help me? I do not understand this!  

 

Inside my apartment , when I arrived home and turned on my SNDWAY, I got 40 to 50 inside!!  It doesn't matter if I turn off aircon/fans .   Outside on the balcony it's only 25 tonight , so good air quality .  

 

I did not cook in the kitchen, only my laptops are switched on , and the fridge.  Whats going on here?  

 

 

 

 

[balo]

29 minutes ago, balo said:

Whats going on here?

I found the culprit.   

 

It was actually a light bulb that stopped working, I could smell it. So it must have been leaking gas.    I turned off the lights and the reading is back to nomal.   

[xylophone]

13 hours ago, balo said:

I found the culprit.   

 

It was actually a light bulb that stopped working, I could smell it. So it must have been leaking gas.    I turned off the lights and the reading is back to nomal.   

Good to know balo..............I have been experimenting a little and I took the Filtrete filters out of the aircon unit because I think they affect the efficiency of the unit, and there is no difference on the Xiaomi unit air reading, but I do seem to notice a difference in the aircon unit when it is on slow/dehumidify.

 

Waiting to test the Xiaomi unit against the Sndway air monitor to make sure it is working effectively.