How to stop the smoke coming into your home, even when you have shut your windows

[4MyEgo]

Unbeknown to me, smoke was entering into our place without us knowing, even when the windows and doors were shut.

 

I recently purchased a SNDWAY PM2.5 detector and was so impressed by it, I purchased another within a couple of days.

 

With the burning season starting sooner than expected, I wanted to prepare for it best I can as the smoke affects me more than others.

 

I have a good quality air purifier with HEPA filtration system, and it can do the large areas in the house in no time at all, if I want to reduce the particular matter there, as well as the bedrooms when we are sleeping.

 

What I found of late with the SNDWAY PM 2.5 detector when I put it against the side of our sliding windows in our bedroom, was the reading for particulate matter (PM2.5) was rising at an alarming rate, we couldn't smell the smoke, but it was entering the house through the gaps in our sliding windows, when we were sleeping, suffice to say when I put my nose in to the side of the windows, even with weather strips there by the manufacturer as a standard, smoke was getting in and slowly making us inhale it while sleeping and during the day.

 

How to tackle the problem, well short of sealing all of our windows, I had decided to seal two of our 3 bedroom windows where the readings were high, i.e. the ones that face the open field where you can see the smoke coming from during the day, forget it at night you cannot see it, we still have a double sliding door and a window that we can open if we want air in the our bedroom when it's safe enough to open up during the day, if ever......lol.  

 

See photos of gaps in our 4 years old windows, standard by manufacturer, and the tape I placed over the two windows, you will see the inside reading went from 36ugm3 with the windows closed, even after they were sealed, but once I turned on the air purifier the reading dropped to 0 and have stayed that way ever since, albeit a couple of hours later its now at about 2-3 so the other window and door still allows some of that air in, but that's ok.

 

The tape I used was some left over tape that I previously used for the insulation batts in the ceiling, very easy to work with and strongly recommend it, just clean the surfaces with a damp cloth before applying the tape after cutting to size, yes I know how does one open the windows, well you don't, when the burning season is over, just slice the tape where the window usually opens and open the windows when you want, when it's burning season again, seal them up again, over where you sliced the tape, it's better than breathing in that smoke all day and night, especially when you don't know it's getting in.

 

It's not something I would do to all of our (15) windows, but certainly to any bedroom windows that show a high reading on the SNDWAY 2.5 detector until the burning season is over, as the other windows and doors can be opened to allow any "fresh" air, if any, into the house and make its way into those rooms that have their windows sealed from the outside.

 

This is my way of battling with the PM2.5 at home.

 

Hope this helps others suffering from the same.

 

 

[canopy]

Sliding windows do a poor job of sealing. Typically they use brushes to seal. What you want is something like a casement window with double rubber seals and 4 point locking that seal tight as a drum. Does wonders for noise, insulation value, and keeping smoke out.

 

[saengd]

Create positive pressure inside the house, build or buy a PIV unit, that way the bad air can't come in. I have one in my UK flat that runs 24x7, it works a treat and eliminates condensation plus all incoming air is filtered via a HEPA filter, it costs on average 1p a day to operate. When I go back to holiday in the UK this year I'm going to buy one, I'll ship the plastic body of the unit via courier and hand carry the fan in my luggage, it's only a simple variable speed blower motor.

 

https://www.nuaire.co.uk/residential/positive-input-ventilation

[1FinickyOne]

my air purifier works really well and quickly... but you have very nice looking hands, delicate, yet strong and competent... you could have been a surgeon... 

[gaucan]

smoke even after shut down windows? install linux.

[ColinChapman]

After we sealed our windows, we found that the CO2 levels were far too high (over 3,000 ppm our bedroom in the morning) so we had to install ERVs as well. You need a monitor that measures CO2 as well as particles. We use an Air Visual Pro, but I'm sure there are many alternatives. 

[4MyEgo]

30 minutes ago, ColinChapman said:

After we sealed our windows, we found that the CO2 levels were far too high (over 3,000 ppm our bedroom in the morning) so we had to install ERVs as well. You need a monitor that measures CO2 as well as particles. We use an Air Visual Pro, but I'm sure there are many alternatives. 

Could you kindly elaborate on ERV's.

 

I am new to this, although I have been complaining to the Mrs of late that I feel as if I am not getting enough air and wake up in the middle of the night, but I am breathing normally, however am not getting enough air, suffice to say as if what I am inhaling is empty, this might have something to do with what your saying ?

 

Edit: Our bedroom is 48 square metres with 3 metre high ceilings, we also leave our hallway door open which is 1.5 wide and about 10 metres long, we also have another door which we close which has a combined area of 64 square metres. The whole house has an area of 300 square metres over a single level, so it needs to be ventilated during the day.

 

We do open up the place during the day, but close up at around 4.30-5.00pm before everyone starts cooking and then the night burning in the distances which we cannot see.

 

The PM2.5 reading outside this morning was 100ug/m3, inside our bedroom the PM2.5 was around 15ug/m3 and went up when we opened up the door that accesses that cominded 64 square metre area.

 

How is one supposed to get air in at night when the air is filled with smoke ?

Edited January 22, 2020 by 4MyEgo

[sletraveler]

We have old style wood windows. I used blue masking tape to seal the bedroom windows where I run an AC and filter.   It’s the clean air sanctuary.  

[asiamaster]

if you make the room airtight eventually the oxygen levels will drop and CO2 level will rise....

[Iron Tongue]

I was just thinking the same thing.  After 9/11 and people were freaking out about weaponized gas attacks, several people suffocated in their homes because they had taped-up all their doors and windows...

 

I think oversized air purifiers would be a safer bet for the household.

[jak2002003]

I appreciate what the OP is trying to do for his family.  But, sealing up the house from all air.... why not just seal your family in a plastic bag?  Come on.... you know humans need oxygen right?  Whenever you open you front door to go out, you will let in the pollution, whenever you open you car door, or walk outside.  Even offices and shopping malls often have the high levels of dangerous particles in the air.   

 

I think a safer option is to move house to a place where there is no all this pollution, or move away when pollution levels are high, rather than trying to suffocate your selves, or get CO2 poisoning.   

[4MyEgo]

4 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

I appreciate what the OP is trying to do for his family.  But, sealing up the house from all air.... why not just seal your family in a plastic bag?  Come on.... you know humans need oxygen right?  Whenever you open you front door to go out, you will let in the pollution, whenever you open you car door, or walk outside.  Even offices and shopping malls often have the high levels of dangerous particles in the air.   

 

I think a safer option is to move house to a place where there is no all this pollution, or move away when pollution levels are high, rather than trying to suffocate your selves, or get CO2 poisoning.   

Perhaps you misread my post below, I never said "sealing up the house from all air"

 

On 1/21/2020 at 5:25 PM, 4MyEgo said:

How to tackle the problem, well short of sealing all of our windows, I had decided to seal two of our 3 bedroom windows where the readings were high, i.e. the ones that face the open field where you can see the smoke coming from during the day, forget it at night you cannot see it, we still have a double sliding door and a window that we can open if we want air in the our bedroom when it's safe enough to open up during the day, if ever......lol.  

I went on further to say;

 

On 1/21/2020 at 5:25 PM, 4MyEgo said:

It's not something I would do to all of our (15) windows, but certainly to any bedroom windows that show a high reading on the SNDWAY 2.5 detector until the burning season is over, as the other windows and doors can be opened to allow any "fresh" air, if any, into the house and make its way into those rooms that have their windows sealed from the outside.

We all know that we need oxygen to enter the house, regardless if it is polluted or we die, I am not that stupid.

 

Moving would defeat the purpose of me moving here to retire 4 years ago, it's more a management situation, e.g. how best to maintain it while the smoke season comes and goes, and yes going away for a couple of months might be the solution, either Phuket or Krabi along the coast where I have been monitoring the air on the IQAir app, mostly green lights (clean), safe levels.

 

We have kids that go to school locally, and I moved in the country for cleaner air, well guess what....lol, so going away would have to be when the kids school holidays come, i.e. early March and we would have to return by early May, something to monitor as the time comes, like I said, we have to manage it and find the best solution because most of the time, the air is ok, I think ????

 

[TechnikaIII]

On 1/21/2020 at 5:38 PM, canopy said:

Sliding windows do a poor job of sealing. Typically they use brushes to seal. What you want is something like a casement window with double rubber seals and 4 point locking that seal tight as a drum. Does wonders for noise, insulation value, and keeping smoke out.

 

Better, although illegal, dispose of the culprits. They are too thick to learn.

What's that Thai word for 'buffalo'? .. You know, the word that only Thais have the right to use ... 

ควาย .. ????

[Bandersnatch]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:18 AM, 4MyEgo said:

Could you kindly elaborate on ERV's.

I installed an energy recovery ventilator when I built my home here recently. You can read more about it in my blog https://ecohousethailand.wordpress.com

 

The inter core of my building is a conditioned space, with windows that are sealed shut and doors with 4 frames and airtight seals around the top, bottom and sides. On the ground floor this includes the living room, office and master bedroom. On the second floor this includes the second bedroom, cinema and gym.  

 

So it is important to bring fresh air in and take stale air out. The fresh air is cooled by outgoing air-conditioned air, then filtered. Incoming humid air passes humidity to the dry expelled air. Filtered air is pumped into each of the rooms with one extraction per floor. 

 

The ERV will cool incoming air, filter it and reduce its moisture content.