Bangkok Air Pollution

[edwardandtubs]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

If you've found one or more, please post the links here.

 

I waded thru all of Lazada TH that I could find, and found nothing that seemed suitable.

 

Do a Lazada search for Mira fans. One of them works very well. It's a little bit like the Cannon DIY.

 

Here:

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/mira-14-m-144-i166044-s153628.html

 

Just needs a bit of sellotape as it's a bit bigger than the DIY filters

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

Do a Lazada search for Mira fans. One of them works very well. It's a little bit like the Cannon DIY.

 

Here:

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/mira-14-m-144-i166044-s153628.html

 

Just needs a bit of sellotape as it's a bit bigger than the DIY filters

 

Have you actually seen that unit in person? The reason I ask is, if the front grill section is curved across its face, it's going to be tough to get a good seal with the HEPA filter on the front.

 

On the other hand, if the front grill section of the fan is flat across its surface, then you would be able to attach a HEPA filter on the front. I can't tell from looking at the photo, whether the front has the potential to have a good seal with the HEPA filter.

 

[edwardandtubs]

9 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Have you actually seen that unit in person? The reason I ask is, if the front grill section is curved across its face, it's going to be tough to get a good seal with the HEPA filter on the front.

 

On the other hand, if the front grill section of the fan is flat across its surface, then you would be able to attach a HEPA filter on the front. I can't tell from looking at the photo, whether the front has the potential to have a good seal with the HEPA filter.

 

I've used it to create a DIY air purifier. It does have a bit of a curve but not enough to make a difference and you can get a good seal with plenty of sellotape. If you want something that looks more like the original DIY, Mira do those too. HomePro also have a suitable fan. Plenty of options around.

[lopburi3]

Not to worry - official reporting of air conditions for Thailand seems to have ceased last night on AQI.

[edwardandtubs]

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Not to worry - official reporting of air conditions for Thailand seems to have ceased last night on AQI.

Relax. Reporting stations occasionally go down for a few hours and come back up later. It's not like the little handheld ones from AliExpress. These ones are more  sophisticated and require recalibration and maintenance. The Thai meteorological office station is currently up.

[lopburi3]

10 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

Relax. Reporting stations occasionally go down for a few hours and come back up later. It's not like the little handheld ones from AliExpress. These ones are more  sophisticated and require recalibration and maintenance. The Thai meteorological office station is currently up.

Maintenance?  

Like the weather radar that is often down for days or months at a time and almost always delayed 20 minutes or more if there are any local storms (their server seems to use mouse power).

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Things are looking considerably better today:

 

[lopburi3]

If you check the map however you will see most of the Bangkok sites have not reported since yesterday.

[JoshBe]

I've received the Sharp air purifier FP-F40TA a few hours ago, here's brief review so far:

Good:

 

• Very sleek modern design (I have the brown one)
• Build quality seems very solid 
• Decent air throughput on max setting, comparable to a mid sized fan 
• Ionizer can be disabled if that's a concern
• Silent operation in normal setting (quieter than air conditioner on low setting)
• There's a sleep mode (not to be confused with sleep timer) that lowers the fan speed and turns of the LED lights - very handy

 

Bad:

 

• Can be loud in max fan setting (I guess that's normal)
• No remote control unlike the cheaper Hatari
• Obtaining a replacement filter might not be without hassle according to TallGuyJohninBKK's research
• There's a dust sensor which regulates the auto mode. It seems sort of pointless, I'm more concerned about PM2.5 than dust

 

The air quality has improved somewhat today, so I won't be able to judge the air purifier's effectiveness yet. Once the air gets worse again (which is inevitable unfortunately), I hope my lungs will feel better when waking up in the morning.

 

Overall I don't regret my purchase although the Hatari HT-AP12 might be a better bang for the buck.

 

 

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, JoshBe said:

Overall I don't regret my purchase although the Hatari HT-AP12 might be a better bang for the buck.

I was reading more on the various Sharp models last night, and they are indeed claimed to be True HEPA filter machines, meaning capable of filtering out particulate as small as 0.3 microns at a 99.97% efficiency level. Whether the actual machine meets that in operation, though, is a different question.

 

In contrast, I can't find anything that indicates the Hatari machine is fitted out with that same levels of specs.

 

As I noted in another thread, the top maximum amount of PM2.5 that qualifies as good air under the AQI standards is about 12 microns, which is equal to an AQI number of 50,  Anything above those numbers gets into the unhealthy for sensitive persons category and beyond. And of course, the typical PM2.5 sensor will show values in microns, typically not the AQI values.

 

So the real question is, can the air purifier (whether Sharp or Hatari) bring the indoor air quality where you've placed it into that "Good" range, and if not, how close to that can it get.

 

[chubby]

Using this AirVisual App:  if indeed its 50% auto 50% burning, why is NongKhai "119",  and Nonthaburi(Bang Kruai) "31" Chiang Mai "153",  and BKK(Pathum Wan) "72"  etc

 

makes the statistics bit hard to believe,  unless  Automobiles/vehicles contribute more of the 2.5 size particles, and that is the important thing?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, chubby said:

Using this AirVisual App:  if indeed its 50% auto 50% burning, why is NongKhai "119",  and Nonthaburi(Bang Kruai) "31" Chiang Mai "153",  and BKK(Pathum Wan) "72"  etc

 

makes the statistics bit hard to believe,  unless  Automobiles/vehicles contribute more of the 2.5 size particles, and that is the important thing?

This might be a more reliable data source:

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/bangkok/chulalongkorn-hospital/

 

[chubby]

is there some standard deviation or averaging,  or is one supposed just pick their micro area  like  Benjakiti Park, and during the hour it's severe PM2.5  do go for a walk ?   seems rather meaningless stats here,   other than it is not "healthy"  most of the time

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, chubby said:

is there some standard deviation or averaging,  or is one supposed just pick their micro area  like  Benjakiti Park, and during the hour it's severe PM2.5  do go for a walk ?   seems rather meaningless stats here,   other than it is not "healthy"  most of the time

 

I pick the monitoring station closest to my home, and use the readings from there as the basis for deciding what to do -- turn on/off the air purifiers, open/close the windows, stay inside/go for exercise, etc etc.

 

Lately in pollution season, I've saved that webpage as the Home page on my web browser. So every morning when I get up and check my PC, the first thing I'm looking at is the morning's PM2.5 readings, so can get a sense of how the day's going to go.

 

Hopefully, that will become less of an issue in the coming month or so if pollution levels subside, as they normally do, during the April to October period.

 

PS - I opened the windows in my home last night for the first time in a week, with my local station having an AQI of under 100 for the first time in quite a while.

 

 

[balo]

We have only 44 in Chonburi today. My advise is to move out of the city.

[lopburi3]

But you may get your feet wet it this gets much closer to you.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Another not so bad day in BKK.... The siege has lifted, at least for the time being:

 

[mommysboy]

I was in Bangkok about a week ago.  The first few days were acceptable, but a grey film descended on the final 2 days: both myself and my wife developed a vague cough, and blocked nose.  Yes, we should not lose sight of the fact that it is a city, and often the air quality is not so different from other capital cities, but there is an increasing tendency towards rather poor conditions.  It was certainly something I rarely experienced in the decade I lived there.

[garyk]

I am back in America now from BKK and Chiang Mai. I was hacking and coughing in Thailand.

After about a week now my cough is much better. The air quality in Thailand is extremely bad!

I didn't know how back until I came back home.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 hours ago, garyk said:

I am back in America now from BKK and Chiang Mai. I was hacking and coughing in Thailand.

After about a week now my cough is much better. The air quality in Thailand is extremely bad!

I didn't know how back until I came back home.

 

Generally, it's a seasonal thing, with the worse times in Bangkok typically coming in the November to March period. The last couple weeks were particularly bad, but things have gotten better and back to "normal" -- meaning moderate pollution levels, less than unhealthy for sensitive people -- at least in BKK in the past week.

 

But even within the bad season, there will be days and stretches of days when the pollution won't be so bad, and then other days -- like apparently during your recent trip -- when it will be really bad (unhealthy for all!). And believe it or not, the extent of the pollution up north in the Chiang Mai region may well be worse than in BKK because of the persistent, unregulated field burning that occurs in that region.

[bkk6060]

In town for a few days.  Looks absolutely clear and beautiful outside from where I am which is central.  But, of course seems noone wants to mention the good days.

Maybe some people need to have a physical or checkup.  In my mid 60's I have lived here for a year in the past and every time I come I never have any coughing or hacking issues.

[ExpatOilWorker]

2 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

In town for a few days.  Looks absolutely clear and beautiful outside from where I am which is central.  But, of course seems noone wants to mention the good days.

Maybe some people need to have a physical or checkup.  In my mid 60's I have lived here for a year in the past and every time I come I never have any coughing or hacking issues.

It is and always will be a beautiful city, day and night.

 

[Thian]

On 3/13/2018 at 12:57 AM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And when I told them what I was calling about, got transferred to another staff person, who informed me Sharp TH doesn't directly sell filters for their own units

I bought a nice Toshiba air-purifier and needed a new filter the next year.

 

Toshiba had changed their models and didn't sell any more filters for previous models.

 

So my purifier is useless now since some years....

 

Toshiba is a japanese brand and i'm very disappointed with them. Will never ever buy me another Toshiba product.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

23 minutes ago, Thian said:

I bought a nice Toshiba air-purifier and needed a new filter the next year.

 

Toshiba had changed their models and didn't sell any more filters for previous models.

 

So my purifier is useless now since some years....

 

Toshiba is a japanese brand and i'm very disappointed with them. Will never ever buy me another Toshiba product.

 

Yes, I believe I posted about my experience with Toshiba in the other thread on Hatari air purifiers.

 

Basically, I was looking at a Toshiba unit, along with the Sharp unit that I eventually bought. Part of the reason I didn't go with Toshiba was their handling of replacement filters.

 

Basically, none of he stores that sell their air purifier units sell the matching filters for them, which is the same with Sharp, BTW. In the case of Toshiba, I spoke with the Toshiba service center in BKK and the lady there who deals with their filters. Basically, she said they sell them and will mail them out to customers who place orders with them.

 

But, and this was the issue that helped sway my purchase decision, when I told her the specific, current Toshiba model I was looking at (one sold broadly in Thai retailers right now), she said they were out of stock for replacement filters for that unit and couldn't say exactly when they'd have them back in stock. In my Thai reality translation dictionary, that probably means good luck in ever finding one.

 

In Sharp's case, for the model I was looking at, Sharp Thailand likewise doesn't directly sell its own filters, but for some reason have subcontracted that to a private company in BKK. They too, it turned out, claimed they were out of replacement filters for the unit I bought, but promised they'd have more in a couple weeks. Whether I believe that or not, I was reassured more by the fact that I could see 3rd party retailers like Lazada and others in Malaysia offering that particular Sharp filter for sale. So it is out there, even if not particularly easy to get in Thailand.

 

Frankly, I just don't understand Sharp and Toshiba's business thinking on this. When they sell an air purifier, it's a one time purchase. But if they did a better job of providing easy access to quality replacement filters, they'd have recurring purchase customers and build some brand loyalty. But instead, Toshiba does what it does, loses me as a customer, and now has you not willing to buy from them again for the same reason.  To me, it's just bad business, but hardly unfamiliar here.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Meanwhile, another decent day in BKK. You can even see flashes of "green/good" air quality over the past 48 hours, which is a nice change from lately.

 

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/bangkok/chulalongkorn-hospital/

 

 

[mommysboy]

4 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Meanwhile, another decent day in BKK. You can even see flashes of "green/good" air quality over the past 48 hours, which is a nice change from lately.

 

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/bangkok/chulalongkorn-hospital/

 

 

Yes sure, but undoubtedly it has a significant number of bad days too.  Don't you agree?

 

50 to 125 is about 'normal' for bkk.  Constant exposure leads to respiratory tract infections as much because of the irritants.  I couldn't describe it as normal, but it's only one band worse than most European capitals.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

25 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

Yes sure, but undoubtedly it has a significant number of bad days too.  Don't you agree?

 

50 to 125 is about 'normal' for bkk.  Constant exposure leads to respiratory tract infections as much because of the irritants.  I couldn't describe it as normal, but it's only one band worse than most European capitals.

 

Well, an AQI of 50 is the top end of good on the international scale, and 100 is the top end of moderate. So it's closer to good at present, though not quite there.

 

But the perspective to bring to it is, a week or so ago in BKK, the same AQI number for PM 2.5 was in the 160s range.

 

Like the weather, there are good days and bad days... The good news is, we should be heading into the "good" season of the year for smog, March to October, where typically the prevailing daily readings for BKK are in the good to moderate range -- and not in the unhealthy for sensitive people, or unhealthy for all, ranges.

 

But just for another perspective, over the past 48 hours, here was the PM2.5 AQI reading highs and lows:

--Bangkok-Chulalongkorn -- 38-74

--Downtown Los Angeles, CA -- 9-50

 

[balo]

Where can I buy this 3M mask that is recommended ? I'm in Pattaya, Home Pro did not have it.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 minutes ago, balo said:

Where can I buy this 3M mask that is recommended ? I'm in Pattaya, Home Pro did not have it.

 

Which model, or any 3M model?

 

https://www.3mdelivery.com/subcategory/154/3m-respirator/

 

[edwardandtubs]

I'm in Vientiane now and the air is disgusting, certainly much worse than it ever is in Bangkok.