Comment by Rebelgecko | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Rebelgecko | Hacker News Reader

I wish there were multiple reps of each experiment, especially with how noisy the results were and the difficulties of reproducing smoke

Regardless, this project actually makes me feel better about buying my fancy air filter

Instead of buying 2 filters (both HEPA), a fan, and a poorly calibrated air quality sensor for $150 like the author, I bought an air purifier that contains 2 filters (1 HEPA, 1 activated charcoal) a fan and a poorly calibrated air sensor for $153.

However since my air quality sensor is integrated with my purifier, it only pulls ~60 watts at the times when I'm cooking or if something is on fire. That probably saves me $50/year on electricity

Yeah, same thought. Something like the Coway air filter ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxiDrEnjYEo ) regularly sells for under $200, and it is going to be much quieter than this option. It also has been tested fairly extensively from what I've seen, it's EnergyStar approved, etc, and it has a built in sensor. It doesn't look too bad either.

But I understand the point, especially in times when you can't find a purifier.

Also, good video on all this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH5APw_SLUU

Exactly! I have the uglier but slightly cheaper version of that air purifier (the Coway Airmega 200M). I think the faceplate is the only difference. I forgot to mention in my original comment that it also has a prefilter for larger dust particles, which I imagine probably improves the lifetime of the other filters.

Be aware that the air quality sensor on most units is a cheap VOC sensor. It detects gasses, not particles. It'll trigger if you fart near it or cook something odorous, but not for dust or smoke.

I have the Winix 5300 and 5500 purifiers (which I highly recommend), and typically run on mode 3 out of 4 because it pulls about 12 watts (and is quiet) but is not massively different airflow than mode 4 which draws about 70 watts (and is noisy).

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