Air purifier which to buy?

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, CanadaSam said:

 

You were absolutely right in the first part of your reply, but wrong about this. 

 

Portable aircons always have a big round flexible pipe that you are supposed to vent to outside, to remove the warm air.

 

Unlike air coolers, which is a totally different animal.

Yes, my mistake, sorry.

I have an Hatari air COOLER on which you fill a tank at the back with cold iced water. Finish up with humidity of over 80% after an hour. Useless.

[tomazbodner]

1 hour ago, maxcorrigan said:

The only wifi problem i have found with my Xiaomi it does not work with 5g systems wifi, but can use ok without wifi so ok

True. Most IoT appliances only support 2.4 GHz network. Most if not all Wifi routers that support 5 GHz network also support 2.4 GHz, just needs to be enabled, if it's not.

[alex8912]

23 hours ago, Doctor Tom said:

 The best option is having one integral to your aircon. Most modern inverter aircons will have some air purifier options incorporated, some more than others.  Mine, set on 'dry' rather than 'cool', seem to be very effective.  

I mean really?? We should all adapt to this advise?

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

We have a Philips 1215 air purifier and it works well.

 

Replacement filters from Philips Thailand run about 1,500 baht for the charcoal filter and 2,000 baht for the HEPA filter. Replacement filters on Lazada cost less than 350 baht for both. I suspect the Lazada HEPA filters aren't really up to standard, but will test one using an air quality monitor and see if it is ok.

They also sell HEPA sheets, specifically for air purifiers, and ACs.  Or you can be generic rolls or sheets and custom cut your own.

 

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

9 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

They also sell HEPA sheets, specifically for air purifiers, and ACs.  Or you can be generic rolls or sheets and custom cut your own.

 

 

 

Thanks, I'll look into that.

[4MyEgo]

On 2/16/2024 at 4:35 PM, samtam said:

 

THB19,300

 

THB 60,000 about 5 years ago. Big house, so cart it around from room to room when I want. 

 

Hospital grad, not for everyone's budget, that said, I see it as a long term investment that has already paid itself off, because you have never breathed fresh air till you have used one of these.

 

Besides, you only live once, so might as well, breath well, especially here with all the smoke.

 

 

[lopburi3]

12 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

 

Thanks, I'll look into that.

But remember air has to flow easily through the air conditioner to work - even 3M filtrete is not advised to use for more than part of air intake.

[norbra]

2 hours ago, skorts said:

I just bought the Smart Air - The Sqair Air Purifier direct from wedo-air.com. Only just been delivered and unpacking it today. More than 10,000 sold in Thailand. Some great info in the attached link:

 

https://wedo-air.com/product/sqair-air-purifier/

 

This unit is suitable up to 40 sqm but they do others for bigger rooms. 

Unfortunately they don't have a pre-filter.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 hours ago, Thaddee said:

There is a Chiang Mai company that, in cooperation with Chiang Mai university and some German engineers, has created a simple et effective air purifier. No frills, no extra electronic sensors and gadgets but effective and quite silent. Last year they ran out of replacement filters but they might have prepared more for this season. Check out their website https://airdeveloppa.co/ Their air purifier works great at a fraction of the cost of a Xiaomi.

 

The unit you're posting on appears to have a relatively lower quality/ low efficiency filter used that's not a true HEPA filter (99.97% rating):

 

"Filters meeting the HEPA standard must satisfy certain levels of efficiency. Common standards require that a HEPA air filter must remove—from the air that passes through—at least 99.95% (ISO, European Standard)^[4][5] or 99.97% (ASME, U.S. DOE)^[6][7] of particles whose diameter is equal to 0.3 μm, with the filtration efficiency increasing for particle diameters both less than and greater than 0.3 μm.^[8] "

 

On their website, they list for sale a replacement so-callled HEPA filter rated as H11 and claim it can remove 99.5% of pollutants.

 

https://wedo-air.com/product/sqair-hepa-filter/

 

For their larger purifier unit, they say "The Sqair’s H12 HEPA filter effectively traps 99.5% of viruses,"

 

https://wedo-air.com/product/sqair-air-purifier/

 

No explanation I can find for why they list one type of filter as their replacement filter (H11) but a slightly higher (H12), but still not true HEPA, filter in the writeup on their unit. True HEPA filters start with H13 and H14 ratings as noted in the chart below.

 

HEPA filters are graded by "H" number reference. The lower the number, the lower the efficiency of the filter.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA

 

All of the above is not to say that their air purifiers and filter won't work. They will work, just not as efficiently / effectively as units/filters that actually meet the real standard for true HEPA filtration. Obviously, though, any level of filtration of polluted air is better than none.

 

FWIW, Xiaomi used to do the same thing with their Chinese produced air purifiers, calling them HEPA but actually using filters that were rated at less than HEPA standards. Truth in advertising isn't a particularly strong thing here.

 

[Captor]

On 2/16/2024 at 6:59 AM, tomazbodner said:

Air purifiers don't need to run 24/7. If you get Xiaomi (I have these so I'm confident, but I would bet some others have the same), they are Wifi connected and controlled from mobile phone. On the phone, you can select schedule, and if you take whole home automation set, with air quality sensors, you can make even a lot more detailed automation of when to run, like when you're on the way home, turn it on 30 minutes before you arrive, etc.

 

I have one air purifier in each room. Set the bedroom ones to work overnight, and living/working room ones to work over the daytime but turn off at night. That can be easily overridden if pollution outside is really bad and a single air purifier can't handle it by simply turning others on by app or touch button on the box.

 

I prefer Xiaomi not only because they are cheap, but because they have air quality sensors and display with current information, can be controlled from phone, and have easily obtainable filter cartridges which cost about 800-900 baht each and last (in my case) about 9 months with schedule enabled, or about 6 months if running 24/7.

 

One word of caution with XIaomi - they have global and China versions. They use different cloud locations. So if you have China version, all is in Chinese and App has to be set to mainland China. I have all items Global versions, so I can control them all from same app. You'd need 2 phones if you had a mix. Chinese versions are usually a little cheaper than Global version.

Were are the sensors located? Are they not inside the air purifier? Maybe close to the inlet or outlet? It would be more interesting to have it away from the purifier. For example in the middle of the room in order to get a correct value. Or am I wrong about that?

[tomazbodner]

31 minutes ago, Captor said:

Were are the sensors located? Are they not inside the air purifier? Maybe close to the inlet or outlet? It would be more interesting to have it away from the purifier. For example in the middle of the room in order to get a correct value. Or am I wrong about that?

On Xiaomi, they are at the back of the box, having a fan that draws in ambient air separately from the main air intake.

 

 

If you use their Home Gateway, you can add their air quality sensors and make rules based on their readings as well. But in automatic mode, the air purifiers will adjust the speed of the fan based on their own sensors at the back of the boxes.

[motdaeng]

some very good answers have already been given regarding air pollution / air purifier

 

just some points from my personal perspective:

 

- use a pm2.5 meter. air pollution often reaches unhealthy levels that are neither visible nor smellable!

- please note that AQI and pm2.5 µg/m3 are two different units of measurement. many air purifiers have

   a built-in pm2.5 µg/m3 meter, while most apps and websites display the value of air pollution in AQI.

- the size of the air purifier depends on several factors, such as the airtightness of your house/room,

   your location (north or south), whether it is a bedroom (quiet fan) or a workspace...

   for eg chiang mai, i would recommend a CADR (m3/h) that is at least 3 times higher than the room volume.

   you need to consider not only the square meters but also the room height, which results in cubic meters (m3).

- it is important that replacement filters should be easily available. whether the filter is 99% effective or

   only 92%, in my opinion, is negligible. more important is not to use the air purifier only when the air quality

   is extremly poor! start to use the air purifier when the air starts to be unhealthy ...

- about 9 years ago, i bought my first air purifier. since november, my 4 air purifiers have been in use depending

   on the air quality. when the air purifiers are on, my target value for the pm2.5 is to remain below 5 µg/m3.

- for larger rooms where quick air purification and quiet operation are important, i recommend using 2 air purifiers.

- inexpensive air purifiers also serve the purpose of cleaning the air. just hold the pm2.5 meter at the air outlet.

  but they are often loud and cheaply made.

- expensive air purifiers come with many features that the average person rarely uses, unless they are allergic.

- closing the windows does not reduce the PM2.5 level. no air conditioner can effectively reduce a high level of PM2.5,

  only air purifiers with HEPA filter are. if you'd like to take it a step further, consider installing a system with positive pressure ...

[Yellowtail]

8 hours ago, Captor said:

Were are the sensors located? Are they not inside the air purifier? Maybe close to the inlet or outlet? It would be more interesting to have it away from the purifier. For example in the middle of the room in order to get a correct value. Or am I wrong about that?

It works in the same way that the temperature sensor on a typical air conditioner works. The sensors measure the quality of the return air. Measuring the filtered air would make no sense, because assuming the filter is working, it would always be the same.

 

Like your air-conditioner, the filter circulates the air in the room, but given most rooms will have an air-conditioned and or a fan, the air quality will be pretty uniform. 

 

[maxcorrigan]

20 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

True. Most IoT appliances only support 2.4 GHz network. Most if not all Wifi routers that support 5 GHz network also support 2.4 GHz, just needs to be enabled, if it's not.

Yes i know but evrything wifi in the house is slow on 2.4 it's slow enough already on 5, correct me if i'm wrong, thanks for reply!

[tomazbodner]

1 hour ago, maxcorrigan said:

Yes i know but evrything wifi in the house is slow on 2.4 it's slow enough already on 5, correct me if i'm wrong, thanks for reply!

The amount of data that flows through the Wifi from air purifier would work fine on 56 kbps modem from 1990.

[skorts]

On 2/17/2024 at 1:40 PM, norbra said:

Unfortunately they don't have a pre-filter.

https://wedo-air.com/product/sqair-air-purifier/ 

 

They do sell carbon filters which can be installed alongside the HEPA filter. The carbon filter acts as the pre-filter. It filtrates larger particles and eliminates odours from the air before reaching the filter. Carbon has the ability to absorb almost any type of gas and molecules. Not everybody requires the pre-filter and only want the HEPA filter but the option exists for those who want it. 

[lopburi3]

13 minutes ago, skorts said:

https://wedo-air.com/product/sqair-air-purifier/ 

 

They do sell carbon filters which can be installed alongside the HEPA filter. The carbon filter acts as the pre-filter. It filtrates larger particles and eliminates odours from the air before reaching the filter. Carbon has the ability to absorb almost any type of gas and molecules. Not everybody requires the pre-filter and only want the HEPA filter but the option exists for those who want it. 

You can't wash a carbon filter AFAIK.  You can wash a pre-filter which both my Hatari and Sharp units have - just like an airconditioner filter it helps keep large particles from entry and blocking airflow.

[scoutman360]

I buy HEPA filter sheets from Lazada and tape them to the aircon input screens. Very cheap solution. Try it. After 1 week and am shocked how dirty it looks. I can't believe what we are breathing is this bad.

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, scoutman360 said:

I buy HEPA filter sheets from Lazada and tape them to the aircon input screens. Very cheap solution. Try it. After 1 week and am shocked how dirty it looks. I can't believe what we are breathing is this bad.

Not cheap if you have to pay for the electricity.

 

[motdaeng]

6 hours ago, scoutman360 said:

I buy HEPA filter sheets from Lazada and tape them to the aircon input screens. Very cheap solution. Try it. After 1 week and am shocked how dirty it looks. I can't believe what we are breathing is this bad.

 

purchase a PM2.5 meter, and you'll see that your solution isn't effective against high polluted air at all.

 

the only thing you achive is, your air conditioner will need to work harder and consume more electricity ...

 

[maxcorrigan]

21 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

The amount of data that flows through the Wifi from air purifier would work fine on 56 kbps modem from 1990.

Thanks, but when i try to connect wifi, the wifi icon just continuesly blinks on and off but never connecting!

[tomazbodner]

48 minutes ago, maxcorrigan said:

Thanks, but when i try to connect wifi, the wifi icon just continuesly blinks on and off but never connecting!

Most IoT devices that have no input to enter passwords, etc. are connected by using a phone to connect to them, to configure them.

So on the box, when you reset it (press power and back button) the Wifi icon starts to blink. On your phone with Mi Home app installed and logged in, add filter in the app, which will ask you to change the Wifi to that of the air filter. It suggests how the name would look like. In Wifi menu select the air purifier's network. Once you've done that, app will ask you which Wifi network you wish to connect your box to, select your 2.4 GHz network, and enter password for it. Once it connects, it'll ask you to flip your phone back to your usual Wifi network to continue setup.

 

I've had same kind of setup for Wifi cameras, washing machines, air conditioners, etc., so it seems to be pretty standard. Some others have own web server in them, so you need to connect to their network, then open a web page like 192.168.1.1 (listed in installation manual), where you configure the network settings.

 

Obviously that's necessary as the device itself has no user interface allowing you to select the network and enter password for it.

 

Hope this helps.

[Phulublub]

14 hours ago, motdaeng said:

 

purchase a PM2.5 meter, and you'll see that your solution isn't effective against high polluted air at all.

 

the only thing you achive is, your air conditioner will need to work harder and consume more electricity ...

 

If the filter is dirty, then is HAS to be catching dirt.  Maybe not all - but somehting is way better than nothng, and may well extend the life of your main HEPA filter in your airpurifier.

 

PH

[maxcorrigan]

23 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Most IoT devices that have no input to enter passwords, etc. are connected by using a phone to connect to them, to configure them.

So on the box, when you reset it (press power and back button) the Wifi icon starts to blink. On your phone with Mi Home app installed and logged in, add filter in the app, which will ask you to change the Wifi to that of the air filter. It suggests how the name would look like. In Wifi menu select the air purifier's network. Once you've done that, app will ask you which Wifi network you wish to connect your box to, select your 2.4 GHz network, and enter password for it. Once it connects, it'll ask you to flip your phone back to your usual Wifi network to continue setup.

 

I've had same kind of setup for Wifi cameras, washing machines, air conditioners, etc., so it seems to be pretty standard. Some others have own web server in them, so you need to connect to their network, then open a web page like 192.168.1.1 (listed in installation manual), where you configure the network settings.

 

Obviously that's necessary as the device itself has no user interface allowing you to select the network and enter password for it.

 

Hope this helps.

Thank you, i will try as you suggest i have the app set up on my phone it would be handy to be able to use it, thanks again!

[bang saen guy]

Philips from HomePro. Seems to do the trick. Had a cough but gone now

[Neeranam]

On 2/16/2024 at 12:52 PM, KannikaP said:

 

A 'normal' air-con, be it inverter or old style, DO NOT vent any air out of the room. They merely circulate the air whether cooling it, or de-humidifying it. The only thing which goes outside is the water which it extracts.

Oh, so the dirty air outside doesn't come in, therefore I can use an old A/c with an air purifier?

I have emphysema(mild) and need to start changing a few things in the air.

[lopburi3]

6 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Oh, so the dirty air outside doesn't come in, therefore I can use an old A/c with an air purifier?

I have emphysema(mild) and need to start changing a few things in the air.

Yes you can use any split type AC unit to cool room and an air purifier to maintain healthy AQI.  Hopefully you are not smoking in the room or burning incense.

[Neeranam]

13 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Yes you can use any split type AC unit to cool room and an air purifier to maintain healthy AQI.  Hopefully you are not smoking in the room or burning incense.

I quit smoking 10 years ago 🙂

 

Never thought about incense being bad for lungs . Thanks .

[motdaeng]

22 hours ago, Phulublub said:

If the filter is dirty, then is HAS to be catching dirt.  Maybe not all - but somehting is way better than nothng, and may well extend the life of your main HEPA filter in your airpurifier.

 

PH

 

i have a different view on this:

if your air con filter reduces the pm2.5 level from eg. 50 µg/m3 to 40 µg/m3, the air is still unhealthy!

 

my suggestion, use an air purifier to get to a pm2.5 level at least under 10 µg/m3. 

using the air con to clean a polluted air a little bit will not help your health / will not make a different!

 

 

[Neeranam]