Does air conditioning reduce PM2.5 ?

[fvw53]

I live in an apartment opposite Bangkok Golf Club in Pathum Thani where according to AQAir.com the PM2.5 was 180 at 12 noon.

I keep my air conditioner operating the whole day at a setting of 28 C

Recently a bought an Air Quality Detector and it indicates in my apartment a PM.5 value of 29 (also at 12 noon)

Does air conditioning reduce PM2.5  and keep the dust in the filter?

 

[mudcat]

My Daikan claims to.  I point out that selecting Fan Only as mode would eliminate the cost of the compressor running.

 

 

[Will B Good]

21 minutes ago, fvw53 said:

I live in an apartment opposite Bangkok Golf Club in Pathum Thani where according to AQAir.com the PM2.5 was 180 at 12 noon.

I keep my air conditioner operating the whole day at a setting of 28 C

Recently a bought an Air Quality Detector and it indicates in my apartment a PM.5 value of 29 (also at 12 noon)

Does air conditioning reduce PM2.5  and keep the dust in the filter?

 

 

 

Unless it is fitted with a HEPA filter it is unlikely to achieve any reduction in PM2.5 particles.

[KhunLA]

Apparently yours does have air purifiers built in.  Ours do, and advertised as having.

 

Kudos to owner for not going cheap on the AC 👍

 

Was at guesthouse at Chumphon this week, and older unit definitely did not have ... my PM2.5 meter showing shy of 100 in the room.  Even when AC was running.

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1349253-expats-how-do-you-deal-with-the-toxic-air-pollution-in-thailand/page/4/#comment-19530186

 

[Raindancer]

41 minutes ago, mudcat said:

My Daikan claims to.  I point out that selecting Fan Only as mode would eliminate the cost of the compressor running.

 

 

Surely running the fan increases power consumption.  But does indeed stop the compressor running.

 

https://breathebetterair.org/all-post/fan-mode-on-ac/

[Will B Good]

39 minutes ago, mudcat said:

My Daikan claims to.  I point out that selecting Fan Only as mode would eliminate the cost of the compressor running.

 

 

 

There's an "onlyfans" option....wow.....must look into that....555

[GammaGlobulin]

55 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

Unless it is fitted with a HEPA filter it is unlikely to achieve any reduction in PM2.5 particles.

 

Actually, passing air through any "air" filter will trap PM2.5.

 

It's just a question of effectiveness.

 

The particles will bind/stick to the filter, even though not specifically designed as a HEPA filter.

 

As we all know, even human lungs will also filter PM2.5  particles out of the air, even though human lungs are not HEPA filters.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

From the Daikin website:

"Air quality filter which can filter both PM2.5 dust and germs."

https://www.daikin.co.th/en/category/ResidentialProduct#tabCategoryRoomAir

 

I have one of those ACs. Does it make a big difference? I don't really know. But looking at the filter in my air purifier and the filter in the AC I doubt the AC filters a lot. 

 

 

[UWEB]

3 hours ago, fvw53 said:

I live in an apartment opposite Bangkok Golf Club in Pathum Thani where according to AQAir.com the PM2.5 was 180 at 12 noon.

I keep my air conditioner operating the whole day at a setting of 28 C

Recently a bought an Air Quality Detector and it indicates in my apartment a PM.5 value of 29 (also at 12 noon)

Does air conditioning reduce PM2.5  and keep the dust in the filter?

 

Beside that a lot of Manufacturers advertising this I don't believe that this Filter Mats in the Aircons reducing any PM2.5. Better to buy a Purifier as your 29 microgram are still to high.

[Moonlover]

5 hours ago, fvw53 said:

I live in an apartment opposite Bangkok Golf Club in Pathum Thani where according to AQAir.com the PM2.5 was 180 at 12 noon.

I keep my air conditioner operating the whole day at a setting of 28 C

Recently a bought an Air Quality Detector and it indicates in my apartment a PM.5 value of 29 (also at 12 noon)

Does air conditioning reduce PM2.5  and keep the dust in the filter?

 

 

I doubt that it is your air conditioner that is lowering the dust reading by that amount. That's not what they're designed to do.

 

However how high is your apartment above ground level? Pollution levels reduce with height and the readings are taken at or near ground level. That and the fact that you'll be keeping your windows closed probably accounts for the difference,

[connda]

Does air conditioning reduce PM2.5 ?

An average AC or inverter without filters?  Nope.

[StephenD]

If you have an old aircon unit that doesn't filter PM2.5, then you can buy a roll of 3M Filtrete paper and stick it to the mesh filter inside your unit. This will filter out most of the PM2.5.

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

From the Daikin website:

"Air quality filter which can filter both PM2.5 dust and germs."

https://www.daikin.co.th/en/category/ResidentialProduct#tabCategoryRoomAir

 

I have one of those ACs. Does it make a big difference? I don't really know. But looking at the filter in my air purifier and the filter in the AC I doubt the AC filters a lot. 

 

 

I agree. An aircon does not draw air into the room from outside unless windows or doors are open ie the dirty air can get in. 

[motdaeng]

24 minutes ago, StephenD said:

If you have an old aircon unit that doesn't filter PM2.5, then you can buy a roll of 3M Filtrete paper and stick it to the mesh filter inside your unit. This will filter out most of the PM2.5.

 

when pm2.5 levels are high, only an air purifier can bring them down to under 10 micrograms per cubic meter. get a pm2.5 meter and see for yourself. by the way, using a 3m filter may slightly reduce pollution, but it will make your air conditioner work harder ...

[msbkk]

35 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

 

when pm2.5 levels are high, only an air purifier can bring them down to under 10 micrograms per cubic meter. get a pm2.5 meter and see for yourself. by the way, using a 3m filter may slightly reduce pollution, but it will make your air conditioner work harder ...

I am using the 3M PM2.5 filters and believe they work well. You can see the change in color within 3 days and during these smog months they are completely black within 2-3 weeks.

[atpeace]

I have a HEPA filter and could duck tape it to the air intake on the top of the AC.  Bet it would drop the PM 2.5 from around 80 to less than 30 in an hour.  Any body want to take that bet? had a few drinks tonight so will not be climbing a ladder but tomorrow I will experiment.

[BangkokHank]

Why don't you use your air quality detector to measure the air right outside of your window, and then shortly thereafter use it to measure the air inside of your apartment. If the air quality inside of the apartment is better than the air quality outside, what else could the reason be other than the air conditioner?

[Kinnock]

I think AC can help with reducing indoor pollution .... at least that's my understanding from the refrigeration engineers I used to work with.

 

Recirculating air over the cold (and therefore wet) evaporator coils helps to remove fine particulates from the air, and they are then either flushed out the drain or left on the coils.  To be effective you need to have the ac cleaned regularly.

 

I'm sceptical about the HEPA filters in some ac units and in the domestic air cleaners .... I don't think the fans have the required pressure to force air through a very fine filter.

 

Electrostatic precipitation (EP) is what's really needed, and I've not seen a domestic EP air cleaner.

 

I'm also a bit skeptical about the pm 2.5 meters on the air cleaners .... mine always starts at around 120 then gradually falls to 15 or so when the auto fan cuts off ..... reassuring, but it even does this if I put it outside, so apparently it cleans all the air in Bangkok.  Impressive!

 

The pm 2.5 meter also goes crazy if I'm cooking - shooting up to 250, and during pest control treatment it hit 300, so what's it really measuring?

[NativeBob]

Clean AC working in closed room/flat will reduce amount of any particles. Basic physics.
But air purifier is the better choice as it is intended to "purify" air. And less electricity 

[motdaeng]

10 hours ago, msbkk said:

I am using the 3M PM2.5 filters and believe they work well. You can see the change in color within 3 days and during these smog months they are completely black within 2-3 weeks.

 

believing something "works well" doesn’t make it a fact. spend a little money on a pm2.5 meter, and you’ll see it for yourself ... it doesn’t work as you might think!

 

reducing pollution from a very unhealthy level to just an unhealthy level isn’t something to be satisfied with. an air conditioner with a 3m filter only reduces pollution slightly and inefficiently ... and even that only works if you change the filter regularly!

 

 

 

 

[TCAK]

I put this over the top of my foam filter. Lazada

 

https://img.lazcdn.com/g/p/7f6b822f22ab3a071cb685c612717a51.jpg_400x400q75.jpg_.webp

 

[msbkk]

1 hour ago, motdaeng said:

 

believing something "works well" doesn’t make it a fact. spend a little money on a pm2.5 meter, and you’ll see it for yourself ... it doesn’t work as you might think!

 

reducing pollution from a very unhealthy level to just an unhealthy level isn’t something to be satisfied with. an air conditioner with a 3m filter only reduces pollution slightly and inefficiently ... and even that only works if you change the filter regularly!

 

 

 

 

While I do agree that a measuring device would be the correct way it is a fact that a large quantity of black dust is accumulating in the filter instead of my lungs. So it certainly has a visible effect even it might not be perfect. And yes, I do change the filter often, it is not that expensive.

[msbkk]

Just to show the change of 3M filter colors within around 3 weeks in the center of Bangkok.

[mikebell]

1 hour ago, msbkk said:

While I do agree that a measuring device would be the correct way it is a fact that a large quantity of black dust is accumulating in the filter instead of my lungs. So it certainly has a visible effect even it might not be perfect. And yes, I do change the filter often, it is not that expensive.

'a large quantity of black dust is accumulating' on my mesh fly screens.  I vacuumed them yesterday ready for another dose of carcinogenic air today.

[atpeace]

1 hour ago, msbkk said:

Just to show the change of 3M filter colors within around 3 weeks in the center of Bangkok.

Looks like the HEPA filter I just put in my AC.  1 hour later and the PM 2.5 dropped only 18 points in that hour compared to outside the room.  I taped to the curved filters that are inserted into the AC.  Maybe tape to the top of the AC where the air comes in? Or it might just take longer than my stand alone air purifier.

[cjinchiangrai]

It will be the same as closing the doors and windows without the AC. 

[OneMoreFarang]

Instead of opening a new thread, how do you measure your air quality?

 

I have two MI Air Purifier; one is maybe 5 years old and the other maybe 3 years old.

They show different AQI levels. 

Now I cleaned the old one thoroughly, but it still shows better AQI values then the new one.

I don't know which one is correct, probably both are not correct.

Does anybody of you use AQI or CO2 or other air quality sensors? Are they certified to show correct values?

How do you know how good or bad your air quality is?

 

 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Instead of opening a new thread, how do you measure your air quality?

 

I have two MI Air Purifier; one is maybe 5 years old and the other maybe 3 years old.

They show different AQI levels. 

Now I cleaned the old one thoroughly, but it still shows better AQI values then the new one.

I don't know which one is correct, probably both are not correct.

Does anybody of you use AQI or CO2 or other air quality sensors? Are they certified to show correct values?

How do you know how good or bad your air quality is?

Are the readings within 5-10 of each other, then I really wouldn't be concerned.

 

You could buy a stand alone meter, for '3rd opinion' and 'best out of 3' if concerned.

 

I've done that with thermometers, oven & instant, and they all pretty much agreed.  Surprisingly since el cheapos.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

Are the readings within 5-10 of each other, then I really wouldn't be concerned.

 

You could buy a stand alone meter, for '3rd opinion' and 'best out of 3' if concerned.

 

I've done that with thermometers, oven & instant, and they all pretty much agreed.  Surprisingly since el cheapos.

 

Maybe I will buy one. But if I buy one then I want to be sure if shows accurate values.

There is no point in seeing some numbers which might be true or maybe not.

 

I just cleaned the second Air Purifier today. Now I have both of them right next to each other. I will look now how much the values vary over the next days, and let's see if two of them produce better filtered air. 

 

[KhunLA]

12 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

Maybe I will buy one. But if I buy one then I want to be sure if shows accurate values.

There is no point in seeing some numbers which might be true or maybe not.

 

I just cleaned the second Air Purifier today. Now I have both of them right next to each other. I will look now how much the values vary over the next days, and let's see if two of them produce better filtered air. 

Were they in the same room before ?  Do you smoke ?

 

Is one closer to cooking area or bathroom, (shower/moist air) ?

 

I smoked a doobie with AQI meter next to me, and it shot up to 600  

 

Smoking weed isn't harmful to your health ... really, trust me