Air purifier?

[WussRedXLi]

Took out that Taobao claimed H12 filter to verify the Samsung AX40 filter measurements. I just did some wind speed output test and got the following.
(made sure I measured at the same spot at the output vent).


Samsung AX40

All measurements of 0.3 microns made at nearly the same time with window opened

Taobao H12 (310mm x 282mm x 44mm) customised dimensions filter.
Wind speed = 10.5kph
Output 0.3 microns particle / L = 700
Link to seller (this is not the product link)
ÏÄÆÕ¾»»¯»ú¹ýÂËÍøרҵ¶¨×ö(ÊʺÏFZ-180HFS/FZ-240HFS/FZ-A420HF)-ÌÔ±¦Íø
Price = RMB110 customised sizing.

Taobao SmartAir Filter. 300x300x25mm (cut to 300 x 282 x 25mm, stuffed with tissue)
Wind = 12.5kph
Output at 0.3 microns = 500 particles / L
Link to seller :
SmartAir
This taobao seller is the same as the Particle Counting website that's run by the ang moh.
Particle Counting
Price = RMB 80

Original Samsung AX40 H13 filter. I think the HEPA portion is 1.5" or 37.5mm thick
Used, ie partially clogged
Airflow = 13.0kph
Output at 0.3 microns = 20
Price on qoo10 = SGD88

Ambient = 14000 particles /L @ 0.3 microns

Hence, even the 2 taobao filters varies in performance. Both are about 95-97% @ 0.3 microns which are excellent. But the thicker one (44mm) gives you lower airflow than the thinner one (25mm). ie 10.5 vs 12.5kph or 20% difference.

44mm can hold much more particulate matter than 25mm. But since I am gonna be using it for an avg period of 6-9 months, this point is moot. Why?
Coz the Samsung AX40 I have used for 9 months, it's beginning to smell after the 2014 haze period. The particulate matter caught inside gives off a very faint smell. If you put your nose near the filter, you can smell it.


HEPA is not washable, don't even think of that.

 

[WussRedXLi]

ie Some taobao filters might impact the CADR by about 25% due to the drop in airflow.

323m3/hr CADR becomes 242m3/hr. But the Samsung AX40 is a powerful unit, not to worry for HDB rooms.


In case anyone is wondering, I am using this to get the airflow speed. (I got this coz i'm also sort of a weather freak, plus coz I DIY clean my aircon...so this comes in useful for that as well )

 

[WussRedXLi]

Taobao SmartAir Filter. 300x300x25mm (cut to 300 x 282 x 25mm, stuffed with tissue)
Wind = 12.5kph
Output at 0.3 microns = 500 particles / L
Link to seller :
SmartAir
This taobao seller is the same as the Particle Counting website that's run by the ang moh.
Particle Counting
Price = RMB 80

That Particle Counting SmartAir website did a measurement test of its HEPA filter vs another taobao site's filter. The site is called Blue Sky taobao.com. What they found is similar to mine, their filter is closer to 96-97% efficiency, while the Blue Sky one is like 90%. If I may hazard a guess, this Bluesky HEPA is also more restrictive than the Particle Counting website's HEPA by about 25% due to the material used.

Actually I bought that Blue sky filter, same size same thickness of 305x305x25mm but it's only RMB 29.9. Versus RMB80.

¾Ü¾øSmartAir±©Àû hepa¹ýÂËÍø diy×ÔÖÆ °ì¹«ÊÒ¿ÕÆø¾»»¯Æ÷¼ÒÓÃÂËо-ÌÔ±¦Íø

Main page (they even copied/lifted the term "SmartAir" in one of their items)
Ê×Ò³-°ÙÐÕ¾»»¯Æ÷-ÌÔ±¦Íø

What I read is that there are 3 types of material.
1. PP + PET (this type you can check out both sides of the HEPA, one side is smooth and has some cottony wisp if you try to drag the sides of your fingernails across it, while the other side is rough)
2. PP
3. Fibreglass

As posted before in post #3304
just last week :
滤网通常有PP、玻璃纤维和复合PP+PET三种材质，其中PP+PET复合材料价高但风阻最低。市面上的中低端机器都采用玻纤或者PP材质的HEPA滤网，虽然过滤效率还不错，但是风阻实在太大，使得有效风量大打折扣。我们这款定制的滤网采用复合材料，和PP，玻纤的滤网比较，风阻比大约是1:3:9。材质和瑞典Blueair原厂滤网完全一样，风阻小、效率高、成本高。HEPA滤网通常情况下需要3-6个月更换，雾霾严重的时候，甚至需要30天-40天更换，大牌机数百元一张的滤网怎么舍得说扔就扔。现在有了我们超高性价比的定制滤网，终于可以毫无压力的用完一张扔一张了啦。


The Fellowes HF-230 and Honeywell H or R type H13 HEPAs on Amazon are top-grade, and not that much more expensive than the taobao stuff. Though the HF-230 can only fit (with trimming) the Sharp A28 and Novita NAP501 which I can confirm with my knowledge and experience coz I own them. And 3 pcs of Honeywell H type can be trimmed and DIYed to fit the Sharp KC-840 and A40 (probably the D40 as well)....though you'd need more like 30 mins to DIY it instead of approx 5-10 mins for the Fellowes HF-230 to fit the Sharp A28 or NAP501i.

And coz it's on Amazon.com, they are good "filler" items to consolidate for your $125 Amazon freeship order.

 

[WussRedXLi]

Wao lao eh...so sexpensive nowadays.

I got 2 of this HF-230 for usd25.99 last time only. Now 33.23
http://www.amazon.com/Fellowes-HF-2...ie=UTF8&qid=1421588451&sr=8-1&keywords=HF-230

Honeywell H type, usd9.99. Last time I got the 2-pack at usd16.99 (now usd30).
Need 3 of this to nicely fill up the Sharp KC-840/A40 filter cavity.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EERH36/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[WussRedXLi]

I found a big sized filter that's H13 and airflow is not restrictive. I tested before the Fellowes H13 filter, it's basically near to zero particles in output.

Amazon.com - True HEPA 9287201 Filter with AeraSafe Antimicrobial Treatment for AeraMax 300 Air Purifier - Air Purifier Replacement Filters

The HEPA is 25mm or 1 inch thick. The cardboard sides make it to 1.2 inch.
1.2 x 12.6 x 16.3 inches ; 12.8 ounces

Free ship also.

 

[WussRedXLi]

Another H12 filter. They claim that the airflow is not a restrictive as the PP type.

99.3% efficiency, as tested. Ambient 11000 particles/L @ 0.5 microns, output 70/L.

Video of the test with the laser particle counter
hepa12


¶¨ÖÆ¿îÂËÍø HEPA h12¼¶±ð¸´ºÏ²ÄÖʸßЧÂËÍøÎáÓÅÎáÂ˶¨ÖÆרÓÃ-ÌÔ±¦Íø

 

[tradey]

Anyone of u got any Car air purifier to recommend ?

 

[WussRedXLi]

Learned somethnig new here.... I think the info is quite legit.

HEPA Filtration – Fact from Myth. This HEPA filter guide will review the pro’s and the con’s of HEPA filtration in vacuum cleaners. It will cover what exactly is HEPA Filtration and the different kinds of HEPA filtration. Most importantly we will also cover the specifics of the kind of HEPA filtration vacuums that you DEFINITLY want to avoid.

Hi my name is Dustin Chaffin and I am the General Manager for Great-Vacs. We started selling vacuums on ebay in 1998 and since then we have sold over 9000 high end vacuums on ebay alone. Being ebays largest high end vacuum seller we get on average 100 emails a day. Most of which are asking what is the best kind of vacuum and asking for general vacuum knowledge. So I am excited to write this guide because this is an email we get asked a lot, my children have allergies which HEPA filtration Vacuum would be best for us?

All the words in this article that is used with quotation marks are from a article in the August 2006 Floor Care Professional Magazine written by Frank Hammes, President of IQAir North America.

WHAT IS HEPA FILTRATION?

HEPA filtration basically is a type or rating of filtration. It is a standard of filtration that is just tighter than most filtration. Its function is to be so tight of a filtration that it keeps almost all dirt particles in the bag or dirt chamber while allowing the air out. “HEPA is a dense micro glassed fiber based filter paper which is tightly pleated for all surface area. The efficiency of a real HEPA air filter should be 99.97 percent for particles 0.3 microns or larger. HEPA in hospitals and cleanrooms has been chosen for the distinct advantage of never re-releasing any captured particles – ever”.

WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF HEPA FILTRATION?

The pros of HEPA filtration is you keep more of your dirt in the bag and out of your lungs. If you have a real HEPA filtration system that works like it should you should be able to cut down on dusting as well.

The cons of HEPA filtration system is it chokes down your power. The filtration is so tight that it will require more power to push through the HEPA filter. I would say a good rule of thumb is a vacuum cleaner needs to be designed to be used with a HEPA filter.

For example most big box vacuums with HEPA filters were the same before HEPA filtration and when HEPA filtration became popular they just upgraded the filter to HEPA without changing much else. That would cause a loss of power and more leakage around seams and seals as the dirt “back tracks”. “Many manufacturers are cutting corners when it comes to integrating filter media into vacuums and air cleaners. Many vacuums and air cleaners loose as much as 50 percent of their efficiency because of gaps between their filters and housing. A significant portion of the air bypasses the filter through the gaps and never gets filtered”. So when the vacuum cleaner model is being designed it needs to be specifically designed to handle the HEPA filtration. For example when the KIRBY VACUUM was being designed for HEPA filtration (starting in the Gsix model) they changed the Mini Emptor bag part which increases airflow through the dirt chamber. When the Eseries rainbow vacuum model came out with HEPA filtration they increased the power of the motor and had more airflow of cubic feet per minute. These are two examples of how good vacuums implemented HEPA filtration without loosing performance.

ARE ALL HEPA FILTERS THE SAME?

No they are not. “The efficiency of most HEPA air cleaners, including so called “True HEPA” air cleaners can be as low as 50 percent. Air cleaner manufacturers…..want to attract customers using the glitzy marketing term HEPA. It’s a fact that over 90 percent of all air cleaners do not use the same galss fiber filter media that is used in hospitals and cleanrooms. In an effort to reduce component costs, most air cleaner manufactures are using a much less dense synthetic (usually polypropylene) as “TRUE HEPA”. The inferior synthetic filter material allows them to get away with using less filter media and less powerful fans. They also get less efficient with usage, as opposed to glass fiber based HEPA which gets more efficient with usage.” So another way manufactures can add “TRUE HEPA” filtration to their vacuums without increasing the power and seals of the vacuum is to add a sub standard HEPA filter that is cheaper to produce and requires less power to push through.

HOW DO YOU PICK THE BEST VACUUM WITH HEPA FITLRATION?

I have not taken a particle counter and tested every vacuum to tell you which is the best. It is safe to say that there are several that are bad and several that are good. In my humble opinion a good rule of thumb if you want great HEPA filtration is to stay away from the big box store vacuums. A vacuum that is on sale for 99 dollars is not going to have good HEPA filtration. You need to go with a higher end vacuum that is built to handle HEPA filtration. If a customer asked me what vacuum I would buy for the best filtration I would suggest the Filter Queen Vacuum. They have always been light years ahead of everyone else when it comes to filtration (thus the name). I think some other good HEPA filtration vacuums are the KIRBY VACUUM, RAINBOW VACUUM, LINDHAUS VACUUM, MIELE VACUUM, SEBO VACUUM and more.

So if you are still unsure of the right vacuum for you check out our Vacuum Education Center or feel free to drop me an email. If you do tell me about your needs like pets, carpet vs. hardwood, allergies, budget, need a light vacuum etc. Then I can make a suggestion on a vacuum that would best meet your needs. I hope this article was helpful and that you get the BEST vacuum for your needs.


If you found this review helpful would you please take the time right now to vote for it? There are a lot of irrelevant reviews out their so the more votes this gets the higher it will go in the vacuum reviews rankings.


To see all vacuum cleaner guides and reviews click here


Thank You,
Dustin Chaffin
Great-Vacs Manager

 

[WussRedXLi]

Learned somethnig new here.... I think the info is quite legit.


ARE ALL HEPA FILTERS THE SAME?

No they are not. “The efficiency of most HEPA air cleaners, including so called “True HEPA” air cleaners can be as low as 50 percent. Air cleaner manufacturers…..want to attract customers using the glitzy marketing term HEPA. It’s a fact that over 90 percent of all air cleaners do not use the same galss fiber filter media that is used in hospitals and cleanrooms. In an effort to reduce component costs, most air cleaner manufactures are using a much less dense synthetic (usually polypropylene) as “TRUE HEPA”. The inferior synthetic filter material allows them to get away with using less filter media and less powerful fans. They also get less efficient with usage, as opposed to glass fiber based HEPA which gets more efficient with usage.” So another way manufactures can add “TRUE HEPA” filtration to their vacuums without increasing the power and seals of the vacuum is to add a sub standard HEPA filter that is cheaper to produce and requires less power to push through.

He may have a point here. Luckily from what i tested, the Samsung AX40 original filter (used for a good 9 mths + haze 2014) just dropped in airflow a bit but noticeably, plus output is still way up there 99.9+% @ 0.3 microns.

Fellowes HF-230 from Amazon is also way up there 99.9+% @ 0.3 microns.

I still have a KC-840/A40 True HEPA filter (the filter is for the A40 but fits KC-840 as well....and possibly the D40 also) in the storeroom.

Gonna measure my Philips vacuum cleaner with 3M 99.9% filter that i bought from Amazon. It is equipped with a H10 Philips bag (85%) + H12/H13 (99+%) 3M-based exhaust filter. Should be pretty tokong in filtration since it's double filtered.

S-bag
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000V6Z12/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Amazon.com - 3M Filtrete Electrolux S / Eureka HF-1 HEPA Vacuum Filter, 1 Pack - Household Vacuum Filters Upright
Amazon.com - 3M Filtrete Electrolux S / Eureka HF-1 HEPA Vacuum Filter, 1 Pack - Household Vacuum Filters Upright

 

[WussRedXLi]

Anyone of u got any Car air purifier to recommend ?

Someone was using a Philips one, but it's extremely costly for the performance it offers.

Qoo10 - philips car air purifier Search Results : (Q·Ranking)


Someone asked a similar question in 2014 during haze, coz he was doing sales and sometimes > 6hrs out there on the road driving (no joke). Exposure timing is longer than we office workers experice, coz as I have recently measured, at least in my building, the AHU HVAC filters off > 90% of the particulate matter and i'm referring to is PM0.3-PM0.5, which is pretty small.


You could see if you have a filter box that is fitting in your car behind the glove compartment box. Many years ago when i was driving a Corolla, they did not fit any sort of filter in that box. Not even those 500 micron net filter that you see on aircon FCUs etc.

You could DIY fit some 3M filterete aircon filter, but the drop in airflow speed is high if you do not have any form of pleating.
You'd just have to measure and think of something. Any form of electrostatic filter could do nicely as well. But you could also get the taobao HEPA filters and try. Try to get it as thick as possible in terms of pleating depth, so as to increase surface area and minimise airflow drop.

The car also uses one of those powerful centrifugal or what...rotating squirrel fans, so the suction shd be pretty decent. Issue is, you'd want good airflow in the car even on speed 2 or 3 coz it does get hot in Singapore's weather. Speed 4 fan speed is ALWAYS too noisy.

So think it through how you can go about doing that. A small car air purifier does NOTHING for that short 10 to 20-minute typical drive here in SG, esp with such a low CADR air purifier.


See if you can find something from this TB seller, he uses F9 media. Coz don't want too much resistance (1 grade below H10, 85% efficiency).
ÊÊÓÃÓÚFU-GB10-WÏÄÆÕ¿ÕÆø¾»Æ÷KC/FU-Y180SW¼¯³¾¹ýÂËÍøFZ-Y180SFS-ÌÔ±¦Íø

 

[IntelFlash]

Siao or not, still buy gadgets to measure.

House got people breathing on tubes is it.

 

[WussRedXLi]

Siao or not, still buy gadgets to measure.

House got people breathing on tubes is it.

For fun lah.....

But seriously, i buy and measure, get the info so that more folks can make informed decisions and see whether they find it worthwhile to save.
The laser particle counter is just RMB299/S$64 and more than sensitive enough for this. Of coz i will not spend 3k on a MetOne on ebay.

Some people splurge more on one meal for 1 pax than this, or bought a BMW and it's is a good buy but air purifiers for their kids no budget. It's all in the mind i guess. Edit - the BMW is a truestory, not CSB....a car as a status symbol is of utmost importance here.

The original filters are like S$88 (Samsung) to S$109 (Sharp A50), think S$139 for Novita NAP611....no joke brudder. And recommended to change @ 6 months to 12 months or as long as it starts to smell (unless that does not bother you).

A Philips H12/H13 exhaust filter costs SGD49 @ Best Denki and it's 9usd on AMZ, need to change yearly.

Costs start to build up esp with > 1 device.

PS. The anemometer is more for my air-con DIY cleaning, which i can save ard $150 a year. And also for my weather interest. (nothing much happening lately though)

It adds up over the years.

And yeah, previously 8 years ago i was whacking chloropheniramine + adezio antihistamines for a good number of years due to chronic allergic rhinitis. Due to very dirty aircon FCU. I'd prefer air purifers over medication.
Haze, no big issues other than getting headaches often, and of coz it's definitely not recommeneded to take 2pcs x 4 paracetamol per day for more than 2 days (max course = 16), due to liver impairment risk. This one i am very aware of. 2014 was not jialuck in terms of absolute PM2.5 concentration but it was very very prolonged.

Interestingly, i have no big issues in Indonesia, i do travel to Batam occasionally + my wife's hometown in Riau province sometimes.

 

[WussRedXLi]

Story time :

Everything seems to be fun and games until shiat hit the fan.

Sep 2014 my FIL had to move over to SG for a few weeks coz he was getting smoked prolongingly from the Palembang hotspots. Despite having a Sharp A40, but i think the room is some 40 sqm.

50000 Riau folks were hospitalised in March last year

Feb 2014 State of Emergency
Indonesia

 

[WussRedXLi]

We are supposed to be enjoy nice air now. Dunno where is the source....
It's still not bad, of coz.

 

[tradey]

Someone was using a Philips one, but it's extremely costly for the performance it offers.

Qoo10 - philips car air purifier Search Results : (Q·Ranking)


Someone asked a similar question in 2014 during haze, coz he was doing sales and sometimes > 6hrs out there on the road driving (no joke). Exposure timing is longer than we office workers experice, coz as I have recently measured, at least in my building, the AHU HVAC filters off > 90% of the particulate matter and i'm referring to is PM0.3-PM0.5, which is pretty small.


You could see if you have a filter box that is fitting in your car behind the glove compartment box. Many years ago when i was driving a Corolla, they did not fit any sort of filter in that box. Not even those 500 micron net filter that you see on aircon FCUs etc.

You could DIY fit some 3M filterete aircon filter, but the drop in airflow speed is high if you do not have any form of pleating.
You'd just have to measure and think of something. Any form of electrostatic filter could do nicely as well. But you could also get the taobao HEPA filters and try. Try to get it as thick as possible in terms of pleating depth, so as to increase surface area and minimise airflow drop.

The car also uses one of those powerful centrifugal or what...rotating squirrel fans, so the suction shd be pretty decent. Issue is, you'd want good airflow in the car even on speed 2 or 3 coz it does get hot in Singapore's weather. Speed 4 fan speed is ALWAYS too noisy.

So think it through how you can go about doing that. A small car air purifier does NOTHING for that short 10 to 20-minute typical drive here in SG, esp with such a low CADR air purifier.


See if you can find something from this TB seller, he uses F9 media. Coz don't want too much resistance (1 grade below H10, 85% efficiency).
ÊÊÓÃÓÚFU-GB10-WÏÄÆÕ¿ÕÆø¾»Æ÷KC/FU-Y180SW¼¯³¾¹ýÂËÍøFZ-Y180SFS-ÌÔ±¦Íø

Qoo10 - CRAZY SALE*NEVER AGAIN*SG BEST Car Air Purifier HEPA + UV + Photo cata... : Automotive & Ind...

Anyone tried this ? Seems it has lotsa pretty good reviews. But i value opinions of the experts here more.

 

[WussRedXLi]

Qoo10 - CRAZY SALE*NEVER AGAIN*SG BEST Car Air Purifier HEPA + UV + Photo cata... : Automotive & Ind...

Anyone tried this ? Seems it has lotsa pretty good reviews. But i value opinions of the experts here more.

That looks good. Don't switch on the ioniser though, due to ozone risk. I am not saying that ionisers create ozone, coz most air purifiers out there (the branded ones) create extremely extremely low levels of ozone, absolutely way below permissible levels in ppm.

Still, the aircon blower motor/fan is much more powerful. Easily as powerful as your typical moderate sized air purifier drawing 50W. Get a DIYed filter in there. Way way more effective for short drives.

See which way you wanna go.

PS. One thing to note, v v short exposure to slight/moderate usually presents no issue, even to the sensitive group folks. You just don't take in enough fine particulate matter in that duration, unless if you are in NE China.

 

[WussRedXLi]

But at the other end of the spectrum, yes....if you are a taxi driver (or your dad is one) or you work sales and could be on the road for 2-6hrs, then you might wanna look at HEPA purifying the air.

The roadside PM2.5 is somewhat elevated and above the WHO recommended figure of 25ug/m3, doesn't matter than we are already EURO 6 and all that stuff. The PM2.5 is slightly elevated above the NEA figures despite having no haze now, much more when there is haze.

In the cabin it's lower level, of coz, but by much.

 

[Asure7]

car purifier hepa filter I think probably need to replace at least once every month...given the size...
Once u open the door, all the "dust" come in already, and it will take a long time to clean the air again..
the maintenance cost will be crazy

the fan for the purifier will likely be quite weak too.. probably better to find a hepa aircon filter for the car instead

the closest I can find is Cairefresh aircon filter for cars.. claims to be hepa but also using electro static charged fibre.
can capture 0.3 microns.
about $40-60 depending on car model/size
to be changed every 6 mth / 10,000km

http://www.gaftech.com/automotive.htm

 

[WussRedXLi]

car purifier hepa filter I think probably need to replace at least once every month...given the size...
Once u open the door, all the "dust" come in already, and it will take a long time to clean the air again..
the maintenance cost will be crazy

the fan for the purifier will likely be quite weak too.. probably better to find a hepa aircon filter for the car instead

the closest I can find is Cairefresh aircon filter for cars.. claims to be hepa but also using electro static charged fibre.
can capture 0.3 microns.
about $40-60 depending on car model/size
to be changed every 6 mth / 10,000km

GAF Technologies

PP fibres, same as that Taobao claimed H12 seller that i posted earlier.
It has noticeably higher resistance (same cleaning efficiency @ 0.3) as compared to another taobao seller called SmartAir, which is that particle counting website operated by an Ang Moh + chinese lady. I have one pc of the SmartAir HEPA, one side is wispy and the other side is rough, seems to be a complex of PP + PET and it does give noticeably higher airflow but same cleaning power with my measurements.

Gaftech
Product Features:
1) Patented technology - HEPA filter media that contains electrostatic charged Polypropylene (PP) fibers.

Only issue with SmartAir taobao is that they do not DIY - only 1 size available 300mm x 300mm x 25mm. The other taobao seller using PP fibre can customise, so can opt 33mm / 44mm etc.


But i can guarantee that the airflow drop vs previously is tremendous. So dont buy too many first.

 

[Asure7]

Currently using CaireFresh Cabin (aircon) hepa filter for car...
Don't really feel a drop in airflow, maybe a little only.
I usually turn on lowest fan speed at 25 ℃, at times 23-24 ℃ @ Auto speed if very warm... still very acceptable.