Is your Air Purifier really doing it's job ?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

18 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

The problem I have reading between the IQAir AirVisual app which I downloaded on my iPhone for free shows that the PM2.5 reading outside is currently 27.2ug/m3 in my area and the SNDWAY PM2.5 DETECTOR is showing the inside reading to be 38ug/m3.

 

Can the above be correct or am I reading something wrong ?

 

I'm assuming the AirVisual app info is NOT for your specific home location, but for some sensor in your general area. Whereas the Sndway reading is actually measuring the indoors air in your home. I'd go with the Sndway reading as a more accurate indicator.

 

There certainly can be PM2.5 reading variations for any number of reasons, either for the public neighborhood reading you're referring to, or the home indoors reading you get from your sensor. But the actual sensor inside your home is the one I'd pay attention to the most, and the Sndway units in my experience are pretty darned accurate as a general rule.

 

[4MyEgo]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'm assuming the AirVisual app info is NOT for your specific home location, but for some sensor in your general area. Whereas the Sndway reading is actually measuring the indoors air in your home. I'd go with the Sndway reading as a more accurate indicator.

 

There certainly can be PM2.5 reading variations for any number of reasons, either for the public neighborhood reading you're referring to, or the home indoors reading you get from your sensor. But the actual sensor inside your home is the one I'd pay attention to the most, and the Sndway units in my experience are pretty darned accurate as a general rule.

 

Thanks for that, and yes the stations are in the general towns which are 15km-20km either side of us.

 

When I sent you the last post the SNDWAY ug/m3 inside was 38ug/m3-40ug/m3 so I switched on the IQAir purifer and its heading south in a 48m2 room on number 4 setting, currently at 16ug/m3.

 

I might have mentioned that I purchased this unit a couple of years back when the burning season was really affecting me, after the burning season I would put it away figuring I didn't need it, well, now with the more research and people posting I figure this is going to be on for at least 12 hours a day, if not more, and now I know why my throat feels like it has some kind of layer on it, some coughs from the family and me every now and again, and phlegm when it gets bad, I'm imagining, not to mention the slight tight chest feeling in my chest, all because the air inside as well as outside is polluted with high levels of PM2.5 particulate matter.

 

So I figure we are all being poisoned by the air slowly and no one gives a rats a$$, no escape, the more I research the more I see how many people die per year worldwide, e.g. 9.2 million from this and rising and that 91% of the world is polluted, Jesus, talk about having my head in the sand.

 

I think I am going to invest in an IQAir Visual Pro and set it up outside so that I can have my location set up as a precise location for outside air readings and keep the SNDWAY using it for the inside readings.

 

Couldn't help notice that Sydney is at 45 today whereas different parts of Thailand range from 91 to 110 atm.

[kekalot]

21 hours ago, bbi1 said:

You mean the global version of the 3H model from Lazada on their official store? I thought there was only one version of the 2H & 3H: https://www.lazada.co.th/xiaomi-official-store/?langFlag=en&q=Xiaomi&from=wangpu&pageTypeId=2 What's the difference with the Chinese version, just that the manual and the info on the LED will be written in Mandarin?

the Chinese version comes is made for Chinese people and might have a different plug layout (not sure) but the issue with it is that you need to use the Chinese Mainland servers when using Mi Home (if you use the app)

 

if you are not sure what that means, Xiaomi Mi Home app has different servers for your Smart stuff, you can have multiple things (smart bulbs, power bars, temperature sensors, security cameras, etc) from them and some of those (if chinese version) might only be available in the Chinese server and will not be showing up on the Thailand server.

 

you can only be connected to one server at a time (unless you used 2 accounts, maybe?) so if you use the Thailand server for your 5x smart light bulbs all over the house then want to add a Chinese air purifier, you would have to switch to the Chinese servers then lose access to controlling your bulbs.. go back to the Thailand server, lose access to controlling the air purifier

 

also there is the issue of warranty as they are not meant to be sold outside of China but that is dealt with on a seller by seller basis I guess.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

25 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I think I am going to invest in an IQAir Visual Pro and set it up outside so that I can have my location set up as a precise location for outside air readings and keep the SNDWAY using it for the inside readings.

 

Or just get a second Sndway unit for use outdoors, provided you have an outdoors electrical outlet to plug it into somewhere, and it can be placed in a sheltered area where it's not going to get rained on.... 

 

Air quality readings can very much be a local thing... Indoors, if I turn on my toaster oven to roast peanuts, my indoors PM2.5 level shoots thru the roof.  If I spray a eucalyptus air freshener in the room, the reading likewise climbs substantially.

 

Outdoors, it can be any number of factors as well... whether the winds have kicked up to blow the gunk away, traffic levels, inversion levels in the weather, nearby industry or business polluters, etc etc.

 

[4MyEgo]

11 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Or just get a second Sndway unit for use outdoors, provided you have an outdoors electrical outlet to plug it into somewhere, and it can be placed in a sheltered area where it's not going to get rained on.... 

 

Air quality readings can very much be a local thing... Indoors, if I turn on my toaster oven to roast peanuts, my indoors PM2.5 level shoots thru the roof.  If I spray a eucalyptus air freshener in the room, the reading likewise climbs substantially.

 

Outdoors, it can be any number of factors as well... whether the winds have kicked up to blow the gunk away, traffic levels, inversion levels in the weather, nearby industry or business polluters, etc etc.

 

That sounds like a great idea and a cheaper outlay, however it doesn't come with an outdoor plug, although I could buy a powerpoint with a usb outlet to keep it charging the battery, currently I use it with my laptop in the usb outlet, but then again I have a monibe charger that does fit it (genius), so it's sorted.

 

On another note, I took it out with me last night and sat down having a drink, main road position, it went from in the car reading of 55ug/m3 to 122ug/m3 flashing red, then this guy sat next to me and lite up a smoke, it went from 122ug/m3 to 292ug/m3 in no time and I felt the effect of the cigarette smoke, so it does work outside as well as inside, currently at 2ug/m3.

 

Many thanks for all of your input and idea about getting another SNDWAY (brilliant) and much appreciated ????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

14 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

That sounds like a great idea and a cheaper outlay, however it doesn't come with an outdoor plug, although I could buy a powerpoint with a usb outlet to keep it charging the battery, currently I use it with my laptop in the usb outlet, but then again I have a monibe charger that does fit it (genius), so it's sorted.

 

I power mine at home with various cell phone wall plugs and micro USB cords, of which I have many spares in the drawers. Work perfectly fine as a power source for the Sndway units.  And once plugged into any AC outlet, the units stay on until/unless you manually press the button to turn them off.

 

The only missing piece is the Sndway units are not "networked," so no way that I'm aware of to view their readings remotely via an app or online or anything like that. You'd have to physically walk outside and took a look at the outdoors display.

 

Another similar way, of course, would just be to use a long USB cord, plug it into a wall plug indoors, and then run the USB cable out thru a window frame to the Sndway unit on a window ledge outdoors or even affixed to an exterior wall... Would serve the same purpose.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[4MyEgo]

3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

You'd have to physically walk outside and took a look at the outdoors display.

Behind our bedroom which is at the end of the house, we have a covered area which looks out to the rice fields, a large (open area) with no houses, this is where I can see the smoke/haze first thing in the morning, mist on winter mornings, if you want to call it that, although you can still smell the smoke mixed within it.

 

Our windows (two) have ledges with a power outlet in the middle of them so it would be an ideal spot to place the SNDWAY on one of the ledges, sort of glued down so the wind doesn't knock it down and I can peep at through the window.

 

Happy days are here ????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

 

Our windows (two) have ledges with a power outlet in the middle of them so it would be an ideal spot to place the SNDWAY on one of the ledges, sort of glued down so the wind doesn't knock it down and I can peep at through the window.

 

 

I'd probably use Velcro strips you can buy at HomePro or elsewhere... One stuck onto the Sndway unit, and the other onto your ledge or wall.... and then... stick them together.

 

[unblocktheplanet]

To add to this discussion, why the <dickens> do we (continue to) live here? Bangkok’s air is close to Mumbai’s & you folks in the far north must be suffering even worse!

 

Thai govt has no political will about anything that doesn’t line their pockets. Ban cars?!? Hah! Make electricity from clean-burning garbage, solar, wind, tide?!? Hah! Really ban plastics, including water bottles, instead of a cosmetic effort?!? Hah! Ban poisonous farm chemicals?!? Are you kidding? Not when the richest Thai corporations manufacture & distribute them…and then sell the poisoned products!

 

If our ‘leaders’ don’t care, how can we expect ordinary citizens to take action? Or even demand our health back from govt.

 

Before the rant, I started this post to ask:

 

*What’s the best 2.5-filtred aircon?

 

Here in BK, I think the air pollution is worst when it’s cool & dry. It’s sticky already most of the year so why would I want a unit to humidify anything. I see only potential for mildew & black mould.

 

While I like the idea of 2.5 air filters, what I want is one where I can wash the filter myself, dry, & reuse. Why not? Makes both practical & economic sense.

 

*Anybody know of one?

 

Another factor is noise. I don’t want to have to wear noise-cancelling headphones at home!

 

I’m not a DIYer. Seems like ‘The Cannon’ works just as well. Can one buy them anywhere? And the noise factor?

 

Thanks for any info on these.     

[4MyEgo]

22 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

While I like the idea of 2.5 air filters, what I want is one where I can wash the filter myself, dry, & reuse. Why not? Makes both practical & economic sense.

I think a few people have already provided links to air purifiers that they consider to be good enough and cheap enough for them, suffice to say, as long as they have the HEPA filtration filter to remove the PM2.5 out of their places, all and good.

 

As for washing the filters yourself, I don't think that is possible yet, and yes I did hear some new air conditioners do have HEPA filters, but am not up to speed on those yet, suffice to say I am sure they will be expensive, so perhaps a good air purifier to do the area you require and an air conditioner to do the area you require after the air purifier has done its job by removing the particulate matter PM2.5 from your room/s. 

 

I went for the top of the range, and the reason I went for that, is because I have a big house and I want it to work quick and be easily maneuverable to place it in different areas at different times if required, not cheap and replacement filters are not cheap, but my research led me to believe it is the best available for the job, as for the price, well others will tell you it's expensive and I will agree with them, but the difference to me is worth it.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

While I like the idea of 2.5 air filters, what I want is one where I can wash the filter myself, dry, & reuse. Why not? Makes both practical & economic sense.

 

No current design of a HEPA air purifier filter that I'm aware of is of the "wash and re-use" variety. But you can often extend the life of HEPA filters by using a hand vacuum to gently, carefully remove any excess particles from the surface of the filter -- while being careful to not damage it.

 

Likewise, purifiers often come with secondary filters of charcoal or other materials that capture odors and larger particles, and those too can be hand-vacuumed and re-used up to a certain point. But the same as HEPA filters, you don't want to be washing/wetting charcoal filters.

 

And neither are you supposed to wash / re-use the Filtrete filter sheets. They're a one-time use and throw away variety.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

21 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

No current design of a HEPA air purifier filter that I'm aware of is of the "wash and re-use" variety. But you can often extend the life of HEPA filters by using a hand vacuum to gently, carefully remove any excess particles from the surface of the filter -- while being careful to not damage it.

 

Today at home, I hand vacuumed the two filters in my small bedroom air purifier -- the built-in back cover filter that's part of the unit, and then the charcoal sheet filter I add behind it to help capture more particles before they reach the unit's HEPA filter. Both are about 12 x 14 inches in size. I also did a quick run-over of the unit's HEPA filter with the same hand vac, which has its own close to HEPA filter. The last time I did that kind of hand vacuum cleanup was probably about 6 weeks of use ago.

 

This is what accumulated in my hand vac's filter just from cleaning out the other filters in my bedroom's Sharp HEPA air purifier. The photos below show the hand vac's plastic filter case. The unit's actual cloth filter is inside the plastic cover with more accumulated gunk on it.

 

 

 

[lopburi3]

Latphao, Bangkok after cleaning/air out of 26sm bedroom and using Harari AP12 at speed 4 on other side of room.  It is a very bad air day here in Bangkok with closest official reporting AQI 164 at 0900.

 

-PM 2.5 - AQI

1034 109/178 Turned on speed 4

1044 071/158

1059 033/095

1109 020/067

1125 014/054

1134 010/042 Turned to speed 2 (maintaining under 10)