Air purifier? - Part 2

[yanbros]

pre filter is the thin filter while the hepa is the thicker one right?

i vacuum the thin one.

Then it's fine.

 

[tildveryn]

Can air purifier work together with electric repellent (liquid diffuser type)?

Would the purifier absorb the smell of the repellent? then the repellent will lose the effectiveness?

yah... if the purifier is able to absorb then the repellent would be useless...

my online search shows that if the purifier has activated carbon. it would absorb!

 

[Asakura]

well, ur AP wont know to siam ur liquid diffuser/essential oil isnt it?

 

[WussRedXLi]

Do not use repellent/essential oils with Air purifiers. Mucking up the activated charcoal layer is confirmed. Coz there is airflow, absorption of the stuff into the filter fibres/weave + particulate matter inside is also a problem. Your filter would smell funny in doubly quick time.


In fact, some types of essential oils are downright dangerous when used in an AP/ACed room over the long period, esp with babies in the room.
Esp that now there's a mozzie problem, and people might spam more of those.

"Natural" oils does not mean no risk. Eg Tiger Balm > 10% camphor products are downright dangerous to infants since we are dealing with ingestion risk. You might have gotten the warning before from pediatricians. Annually over 10k pax get sent to US Poison centres. Essential oils when undiluted can cause medical emergencies.

CDC / US EPA approved repellents like DEET/Picaridin are magnitudes safer, though the typical guy around is usually misinformed about the dangers.
Ask your specialist pediatrician if in doubt....


PS. For aerial repellents like allerthrin/prallethrin, one is not suppose to use those products in an enclosed room. Just sounding this out, not saying that anyone is using those here....

 

[galaxynote]

Air purifier the teally good ones is the industrial type costing 2k plus

 

[WussRedXLi]

Air purifier the teally good ones is the industrial type costing 2k plus

Bro if really interested and have the use + space (actually footprint is not big), can try Taobao and EZBuy prime.
Not 2k+, it's more like SGD 200+


I'd have gotten one unit to play we had EZbuy prime in 2015 July or something, and not waste time buying piece by piece off carousell and meet people pickup lug back on the MRT.

Wait i go search.....

 

[WussRedXLi]

Ok got it....This is one of those standard 1150 x 570mm filter cleanroom FFU/Fan Filter unit used for pharmaceutical or manufacturing facilities. You can upgrade the filter as you wish. H13, H14, U17 even no issue.


EZBuy Prime eligible. So "free shipping" for ezbuy prime members (not expensive in the first place)

https://ezbuy.sg/Product/Detail?url...spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.ZEKuFb#detail&src=10001

Actual product

https://world.taobao.com/item/529150390285.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.ZEKuFb#detail

 

[friedpiggy]

Anyone try the sharp AP? No good?

 

[WussRedXLi]

Anyone try the sharp AP? No good?

Expensive ba....

 

[NWT1978]

Anyone try the sharp AP? No good?

it good and lasting so far...

original replacement filter is expensive

so do the AP expensive also

 

[super365]

1. Is it any spray can e.g. insect repellent, will produce something called VOC, so is it after spraying must walk away from that area so will not inhale harmful particles?

2. If use lotion kind of repellent, will have VOC or not?

3. If wear the haze mask can avoid inhaling VOC?

4. If a room have air purifier, is it must off air purifier then can use repellent? Off air purifier already will breath in more VOC or not? #1924 mention "Do not use repellent/essential oils with Air purifiers."

Thanks

 

[WussRedXLi]

1. Is it any spray can e.g. insect repellent, will produce something called VOC, so is it after spraying must walk away from that area so will not inhale harmful particles?

2. If use lotion kind of repellent, will have VOC or not?

3. If wear the haze mask can avoid inhaling VOC?

4. If a room have air purifier, is it must off air purifier then can use repellent? Off air purifier already will breath in more VOC or not? #1924 mention "Do not use repellent/essential oils with Air purifiers."

Thanks

All these stuff would have VOCs. It would range from light to heavy levels, and even with heavy levels it would take quite a while for any uncomfortable symptoms to present itself in a person, though it might take a fair bit faster.


A very good example would be perfume. It's supposed to smell "good", but some sensitive pax would just sneeze at the first whiff of it. Even then it doesn't seem to be a big issue, until prolonged exposure to it yields headaches for some.


Point 4, Yes, pls switch off the Air Purifier if you are going to spray some hardcore smell insect repellent. Coz all these are aerosols and/or heavy lotion smells. Even light smell repellents may over time render the HEPA filter to have a smell too. Coz the AP is processing a lot of air through it over and over again.

It's just like you go to hawker centre with a clean set of clothes, eat zhi char and sit beside the stall, later you go smell your clothes kind of thingy lah.....

 

[super365]

All these stuff would have VOCs. It would range from light to heavy levels, and even with heavy levels it would take quite a while for any uncomfortable symptoms to present itself in a person, though it might take a fair bit faster.


A very good example would be perfume. It's supposed to smell "good", but some sensitive pax would just sneeze at the first whiff of it. Even then it doesn't seem to be a big issue, until prolonged exposure to it yields headaches for some.


Point 4, Yes, pls switch off the Air Purifier if you are going to spray some hardcore smell insect repellent. Coz all these are aerosols and/or heavy lotion smells. Even light smell repellents may over time render the HEPA filter to have a smell too. Coz the AP is processing a lot of air through it over and over again.

It's just like you go to hawker centre with a clean set of clothes, eat zhi char and sit beside the stall, later you go smell your clothes kind of thingy lah.....

Does it mean that VOC is there as long as you can smell it?

What about odorless insect repellent? Human cannot smell it but does it have VOC?

People using perfume does it mean they are breathing in VOC the whole day even if the person is not sensitive and no uncomfortable symptoms to the perfume?

Is the 3M haze mask efficient to block off VOC?

I thought air purifier filter is to remove smell and harmful particles in the air, when air purifier is turned on I supposed VOC is also removed, so the smell (VOC?) will go into the air purifier filter, it is better than human breathing the VOC in since VOC is harmful?

I guess your priority to switch off the Air Purifier when spray some hardcore smell insect repellent is because you want to use the filter for longer time without smelly filter? So you are sacrificing health to save money (as filter can use for longer period). Not sure if I understand correctly.

 

[kandinsky]

Does it mean that VOC is there as long as you can smell it?

...it is better than human breathing the VOC in since VOC is harmful?

There are VOCs with no odor/smell, not to humans anyway.

One thing to note is that 'VOC' doesn't always mean harmful, and 'No VOC' doesn't mean safe either.

There are naturally occurring VOCs which aren't necessarily harmful (e.g. the scent of a rose or coffee), although it also depends on the concentration level. Of course, at high enough levels, almost anything can be harmful.

via Organic Chemistry: A Mechanistic Approach By Penny Chaloner

VOCs are numerous, varied, and ubiquitous. They include both human-made and naturally occurring chemical compounds. Most scents or odors are of VOCs. VOCs play an important role in communication between plants, and messages from plants to animals. Some VOCs are dangerous to human health or cause harm to the environment. Anthropogenic VOCs are regulated by law, especially indoors, where concentrations are the highest. Harmful VOCs typically are not acutely toxic, but have compounding long-term health effects. Because the concentrations are usually low and the symptoms slow to develop, research into VOCs and their effects is difficult.

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

 

[tildveryn]

don't use vapor mosquito repellent with air purifiers lol...

 

[WussRedXLi]

Does it mean that VOC is there as long as you can smell it?

What about odorless insect repellent? Human cannot smell it but does it have VOC?

People using perfume does it mean they are breathing in VOC the whole day even if the person is not sensitive and no uncomfortable symptoms to the perfume?

Is the 3M haze mask efficient to block off VOC?

I thought air purifier filter is to remove smell and harmful particles in the air, when air purifier is turned on I supposed VOC is also removed, so the smell (VOC?) will go into the air purifier filter, it is better than human breathing the VOC in since VOC is harmful?

I guess your priority to switch off the Air Purifier when spray some hardcore smell insect repellent is because you want to use the filter for longer time without smelly filter? So you are sacrificing health to save money (as filter can use for longer period). Not sure if I understand correctly.

Bro kandisky replied much of it already. I'll reply the bolded part.


Heh...technically you can put it that way, we are trying to save the filter ($$$). Note, an original Samsung AX40 filter with AC layer is $60 range, Sharp HEPA $99 and AC layer $49. Higher end APs have filters that range in the $100+ to 200 range. You are looking at changing the filters once every 1-2 months probably, with nightly insect repellent use.

Stuff like essential oils, vicks vaporub, removing nail polish with acetone, insect repellents just don't mix in an Air Purifier room, even if you are just using the HEPA filter portion solely as it'd take on a bit of the smell.

It's probably easier to imagine this example, using an air purifier to reduce cooking oil PM2.5 in the kitchen. Of coz this is a rather extreme example with extreme levels. But it just demonstrates how "wasteful" it is to be using an AP in the kitchen.


My suggestion would be this :
If you want to use an AP, don't use insect repellent, and my guess is that it's going to be a nightly affair if you are in a dengue/zika hotspot. Instead, use aerial repellents (eg Baygon prallethrin plug-in repellent) to clear the room of mosquitoes first, then close the windows and door, switch on both the AP and AC.

If you want to use an insect repellent, do not sleep with the AP on. So there would be VOCs, so probably you cannot close the windows totally (leave a slight gap of maybe 3-5cm?), if you find that to waste electricity, then can't be helped but have to use the fan.

No perfect solution.

 

[Akai Ryu]

I still have reservation about its effectiveness in attracting mozzie...which is usually more by CO2 than UV and black body but i guess some will still go for this. if no mozzie, can dont put the sticky pad and put extra activated charcoal

 

[Asakura]

u r sacrificing health if u think u should be using repellent in a aircon/enclosed room thru out the night.

 

[super365]

If I wear 3M PM2.5 haze mask first, then spray insect repellent. After about 20mins the repellent smell mostly disappear already then remove mask. Does it prevent me inhaling VOC?

 

[super365]

If I apply insect repellent on my skin, and the product say it has repellent protection effect for 6 hours, does it means I have VOC on my skin for 6 hours and I should not be in a air con room (enclosed room no open windows) for 6 hours?