Thanks for watching! I am working on a second obscenely detailed version of this video at the moment and it would be great to know if I left anything out of this video. How to the charts look, easily readable? etc.
Very well done! Sure would be nice to have the tall prototype autographed and sent over! Looking forward to your next video, Thx! Just as a side note, it would be good to have one of the filter sides as a door on piano hinges so it can easily be opened and vacuumed clean inside.. Be sure to check out my channel as well
@@paramtrx9558 I do like the slide in filter concept. Will have to work on that in the future. As they are they seem to be relatively user friendly. Will do a video on assembly soon. Nice CNC table! I would like to be running one of those one day.
How about providing cadr from particle reduction rather than IAQ reading decay charts? ACE-IT air cleaner efficacy investigation tool makes it easy. Try starting calc from 50% below the initial value to ensure air mixing has settled down.
@@mechaflowmaniac Great find!!!!!!!! I was wanting to figure out the CADR but didn't want to buy the AHAM book on the subject and doubted that my testing space was that good of an Environmental chamber to start with. Thank you for this! (edited... ANSI replaced with AHAM)
If you’ve never used an air filter these are great. ru-vid.comUgkx_dppjvjF8BYEmPSDTcgCUdRsgWYLXNHN I ended up with three after starting out with one. The noise level depends on the 1-3 settings with how hard you want the machine to work. You can also upgrade the filters and get one better for pet hair and smells which is a must have in my home. I noticed the air seemed lighter and easier to breathe when running the machine for the first time. Works great every time. Highly recommended!
You can consider adding a fan shroud with a 15" open area in the center. It doesn't take the sound level down or improve the performance much but the tone of the fan is more pleasant. I'll do a video on this some time next month or so. Still probably want to shut it down for recording, tho 👍
Thanks for the informative video, that must have taken AGES to plan, set-up, film, and edit! I really appreciate that these aren't just taped together and rickety/flimsy
All together it took about 2 months and waaay to much money. lol. After 40 filter changes on the Model C kit is is still as sturdy as day 1. Very happy with them so far!
Thanks for doing this. I recently moved in with my brother. Now that the weather has grown colder he smokes at the basement door. Needless to say the smoke flows behind him into the finished basement and up through the floorboards and carpet into the main living area. I'm trying to find a good cost effective solution. This video was so helpful.
Happy to help! I had a roommate that smoked for a long time and the smoke would always end up blowing into the house. A box fan and a single 3M MERV 14 filter might be all you need.
This is a solid video. Thank you for compiling the information. I have relatives that live near areas of Florida that have been struck with costal Red Tide algae outbreaks. Their allergies have been horrible for over a year now. Using your results, going to build a DIY system with the 3M filters.
I know that older HVAC systems will not hold up to Merv 11 - 14, the systems were not designed for the heavier loads put on the units. But on the other hand if you have a unit that old you might want to update your whole system.
I think it's worth mentioning that these high MERV filters can cause issues for some people. My plan is to do an update for this video with more tests and a correction to that recommendation. It's really better to do the fine particle filtering outside of the HVAC system. Thanks for the comment!
Very thorough test and much appreciated. When I replaced by home HVAC in 2019, I opt'd for an integrated MERV 13 system with a 4" pleated furnace filter (AprilAire 413)... a nice balance of ability to remove most household pollutants and cost to replace the filters. Those above MERV 13 can be very expensive. As per industry standards, it does 90% or better at particles at and above 1 micron and ~75% at those below. I don't have breathing issues, but those that do may want to look at higher rated systems. I must say it amazes me how dirty the filter becomes after about 6 months when compared to my old 4" system dated back to the mid-90s (probably no more than a MERV 8). I change it every spring and fall with the heat & cold seasonal use cycles. BTW... if your HVAC supports it, run the fan (air cycle) feature when your system is not heating or cooling. Mine runs the fan on low for 15 minutes each hour to cycle the house air. It vastly helps keep the air cleaned.
My furnace runs a 14x25x1 filter. I tried running a basic very low merv filtrate pleated filter and it was too restrictive for the system and kept tripping. So the furnace runs basic 3m fiberglass filters. I then made two Corsi Rosenthal style boxes running basic 20" lasko fans with 3m filtrete 2200 20"x30" filters. I catch them on sale and the price is usually the same as the 20x20 however I am getting a little more surface area. My wife has asthma and the diy filters have greatly helped. Along with reading data that air quality can affect the risk of heart attack. We live in a 2,600sq ft two story home and have one filter placed on each level. I have never measured with a particle meter. Fantastic content!
Thanks for real world feedback! I think you are right, it may just not be worth it to run anything fancy in the HVAC unit, there is just too much risk involved. I would have to imagine that with 2 CR boxes running on each floor the air should be very clean. Even on low if they are running all the time they will do a great job. The 3M 2200 20x30s are pretty much the best option out there. Excellent choice! How often do you need to replace them? Is it filter color that determines your replacement time or an amount of time elapsed?
I'm glad your data confirms what I've done inside of my house. Every time I've done one of the 3m products it seemed to have been a lot better for the house. We had wildfires the last couple of years and a couple of those times in my apartment the only ones I could get are cheaper knockoff brands.
I kept going after the Merv 13 because of a noticeable difference in the smell of the air but that's cool to know that my 14 is a little bit better. I really appreciate this whole series and I look forward to building one of the little boxes versus just one fan and one filter
It is always great to have a separate test come to the same conclusions. My girlfriend has a few dogs and when I installed a 3M MERV 12 in the furnace the air got a lot more fresh. In the next video I do in this series the filters get tested for airflow and the MERV 14s are a bit more restrictive than the 13s. It would be great if an HVAC tech could way in on how much of an issue that really could be for the fan motor. Testing that might take a decade!
Your videos are incredible. I’ve fallen down the air quality DIY rabbit hole of yours 🤣 Looking for a way to improve the air in my barn for my horses. Your data has been so beneficial for this learning curve I’m on. The analysis and presentation of real world data.., bar none 👏🏻
Thank you! Keep in mind that if you are using one of the MERV 12+ filters in you HVAC that you may want to replace it every 3 months if the dust levels in your home are high.
I just came across your video series while research air filtration for 3D printing. Great content that's thoughtful and uses a reasonable methodology for getting data!
Leaving a comment for relevance, but also really looking forward to the next video. It'll help make my decision on filtration for my downtown loft. I just know I'm breathing in more than I think with how much dust we deal with.
So true. I was really surprised at how much particulate matter was on the road when I went to test for it. There was probably only 50 cars at the intersection on a windy day. I have sat in downtown traffic with 10 times that many. I'm sure the pollution meter would be off the charts in such a scenario.
With the recent wildfire smoke, I dug out some coolmaster box fans I got free and bent some filter brackets from flashing metal. With DuPont 9100 filters, they have done well to end irritation and have helped a lot with allergens now that the AC is not running much. Noisy, but cheap and effective.
Thanks for your eye opening series on dust collection and DIY air filters! good info. Clean and concise charts. I prefer the animated and color coded charts. they are easier to read as you are giving the pertinent info. thanks again for the monster effort. Cant wait for "a" and "b".👍
Thank you for putting in the work investing the time and money so we wouldn't have to! Your channel has helped me tremendously in my pursuit/Quest to my shops filtration!
Whatever happened with the model c prototype giveaway? I was looking forward to it. My elderly father cannot be removed out of his workshop since he retired despite what my mother and his doctor say. He complaints about a irritated throat feeling that constantly has him clearing his throat. Doctor said it's a result from the fine dust particles in the air he's breathing in from the shop. He would really benefit from something like this! Hence what started my rabbit hole journey of finding something diy that can possibly be made cheaply with left over materials since funds are tight right now. Appreciate and thank you for all your time and research on the matter. it's been a huge help!
Thank you for the video. I built a 5 filter version with a lasko fan to help improve the air quality in my basement. I have a wood burning stove in the basement and some ash and smoke get into the air. Your testing helped me with my design and purchase of the materials. I used the 2 inch 20x20x2 merv 12 air filters. I am hoping the quality of the filters is good. I just purchased the 3m merv 11 20x20x2 filters for when i need a filter replacement and will compare. I am very interested in your model C prototype unit as well as your other units.
Awesome. Thanks for the real world feedback! I would think the MERV 12s should work pretty well for you from any brand. The 3M MERV 11s should also be solid. I will be testing some 4" versions of those for the next video. The video on the Model B should be out in a few weeks. At the moment I am swamped with orders for the kits and don't have much spare time to work on content.
Incredible job! Catching up to your vids.. got busy with work and the holidays. I am glad you also saw the 3M filters are the best... While their more costly... They do have sales.
Awesome! Sound like a fun project. My father is the one that got me started in woodworking. We should have probably been more safety conscious, but hey, it was the 90's! :)
@The 3D Handyman You can prove out the efficiency of your set up using CFD. A predictive 3D CFD analysis is required for any indoor environment before purchasing an air purifier (AP) and placing it into that place. CFD analyses show that a wrong placement of AP could be inefficient and even counterproductive in some locations. I can connect you to an expert who modelled my dental clinic and the results were surprising and unexpected.
I plan to do a video about this and I did look into CFD a year ago. I cant recall the name of the program I settled on but the resolution of the resulting model was very low. Like, there was no detail in the objects in the room, just large boxes in place of more complex fixtures. I'm not sure if voxel based fluid simulations would accurately predict air movements for something like this. The outputs would look nice and the detail of the room model would be pretty high. After my house flooded last year, this video got derailed and I cant say when I might be able to get back to it. So, what I am going to do is work this concept into my next video that covers some new air filter concepts and kits. Thanks for the opportunity to talk with an expert! The workload here is 100+ hours a weeks and I cant imagine adding anything else to the schedule for quite some time. But I hope I can have time for that one day. Would you mind messaging me on facebook or instagram or etsy with your info? Thanks for your very thoughtful comment!
Looking forward to the next video, I'm eager to implement a low cost solution into my shed. I was able to get a start on one with just a single filter and the same fan you use, and while not ideal, sanding some 3d prints right in front of it definitely reduced the fine particulate that usually accumulates on my hands when doing that.
Great video. We came to similar conclusions regarding performance of 3m from testing by LIFTec in Spain. Why they are specified for UK versions of the corsi Rosenthal design. Eager to see your frame kits become available.
Thank you! I'm always happy to hear that my tests came to the same conclusions as others. I will be shooting assembly videos for the kits this week and hope to launch them in the beginning of December.
Great video with amazing details. I'm very interested pursuing the DIY filter systems and this has been a great, consolidated educational experience. Thnx!
Happy to hear that! I will be covering DIY filters construction in even more detail in the next deep-dive video on the subject. I hope to have that out by the end of the month.
Whatever happened with the model c prototype giveaway? I was looking forward to it. My elderly father cannot be removed out of his workshop since he retired despite what my mother and his doctor say. He complaints about a irritated throat feeling that constantly has him clearing his throat. Doctor said it's a result from the fine dust particles in the air he's breathing in from the shop. He would really benefit from something like this! Hence what started my rabbit hole journey of finding something diy that can possibly be made cheaply with left over materials since funds are tight right now. Appreciate and thank you for all your time and research on the matter. it's been a huge help!
Well, that's a long story. Generally things have been in complete chaos since launch and the giveaway hasn't happened yet because I was focusing on things that people purchased first. I will be making a new video soon where I announce the winner and send out the free unit. If you don't happen to win the unit (I'll be using a random number generator) I am going to offer a cheap kit of 3D printed parts/screws/plans so you can make your own with available scraps. I've printed a lot of parts for the upcoming launch, so I should be able to get them in the mail pretty much immediately. There will also be another budget air filter available in the same launch. Money is tight here as well so I get where you are coming from. I really need this to be a mind blowingly successful launch because the home I am living in for the second time in 2 years is being sold and I will find myself without a place to live or work within a few months. All of the spare parts for the model B and C were screwed to the walls of my family's bedrooms for bulletproofing. Things here have gotten really bad really quickly. One thing your father should consider is an N95 mask. They aren't fun to wear, especially for hours and hours on end (the skin on my face can vouch) but they work and they are cheap. I hope to have this video out in a few weeks. Sorry for the wait on the free unit. I really should have done that 2 months ago.
Great work @The 3D Handyman. Im looking for garage filtering options but also bacteria and virus filteration for a bedroom of a person who's immune system is compromised.
I would like to experiment with some DIY HEPA options some time soon. Bacteria tends to be a bit larger than viruses to catch but the 3M MERV 14s should preform well on the back of a box fan in this scenario, just not quite as good as HEPA options. There are some $100 options like the Levoit 300 out there that would work well in a small room. amzn.to/3ArjsxR
I would love one of those prototypes! I currently taped one together using Costco filters. We’ll see how well they do. We have three huskies that are constantly bringing in dirt from the back yard. 😅 I used the Home Depot brand ones before and they worked great! The only problem was they filled up with dirt way too quickly.
Consider yourself entered in the drawing! What I want to experiment with soon is some washable pre-filter material for extending the life of the filters. Stay tuned!
@@The3DHandyman Did I get an entry too? Or is the contest over? 🤔 Could use a couple of filters, lost everything in a fire. Wanna make sure the air is safe, when I return, thanks.
Awesome video. Can you please test the Castle Filters. It claims to good for 1 entire year! No one else has tested this filter from what I have been able to find.
Another informative video. Have you considered any configurations other than the "box" style? I would think that style would work great with all four sides of the unit accessible, but for small garage shops that may not be practical. So would it be just as beneficial to have four filters all on a single side as long as the airflow can remain the same? Sort of a wall of filters, instead of a box of filters?
I have given some though to wall filters but haven't tested anything out yet. I'm working on some canister filter designs with duct work that will be out soon. Those concepts can be easily adapted to a "filter wall"
One thing to consider, is pleat count. The total media area of a filter is the frame dimensions, X the number of pleats. If you look at a MERV-7 filter, you might see 15-20 pleats. A HEPA filter could have as many as 60 pleats in a 20" X 20" frame. The restriction (Static Pressure) could be similar, by virtue of the extra total media area, to compensate for the higher static pressure per Sq. In. of the HEPA media. (You will see the difference in price!)
I will talk about pleat count in an upcoming video. Generally the more the better! There is some difference based on filter media but it's mostly the amount of filter material that counts. Thanks for the comment!
Just curious, if you turn the corsi-rosenthal box filter off, do the particles caught get released back into the air if you open a window & breeze hits it, or another fan used to cool the room hits it? 🤔 Thanks‼️😁
@@capcom4eva If the surface of the filter is disturbed/impacted that will knock dust off. Otherwise the dust will stay on the filter. When you change filters, do that outside to limit dust being released from the filter surface. If you blow air into the inside of the filter box (rather than out of it), it is easier to ensure that dust cant be knocked off the filter into the room. This method lowers air movement, though. So, you will need more filters if you are filtering a large space. Sorry about the house fire! My place flooded last year and cleanup was a huge task.
Thanks for putting this together! I switched to 3m about a year ago and they have such low pressure drop given the Merv rating. I'd be curious for you to add dB levels to this evaluation as well as that's important even in my shop and I've thought about using a commercial air cleaner just because of their low noise levels Thanks!
Any time! The air flow is high but the noise levels can be to. Here are all the fan's I've tested from highest speed to lowest speed: Background sound 40db Lasko @1 ft - 63, 60, 55 Air King @1ft - 68, 66, 61 Air doctor @1ft - 64, 58, 52, 45 Maxx air @1ft - 71, 67, 57 Caterpillar @1ft - 71, 67, 63, 57
You are amazing!!! Thank you SO very much! My son has severe MCAS and we have a neighbor that burns green wood every weekend. You rock!! So truly the shortest amount of time that it would clean the smoke is 38 minutes with the 3M MERV 14 using the 4 filters. Do you see any benefit to getting the charcoal filters? Or are standard filters enough to get rid of the smoke? I would love if you did a video on how to read and understand the Air Quality Monitor! Thank you! Do you have a chart comparing the different models A,B and C to show how much air they can filter?
Thanks, that means a lot! So far the 3M MERV 14 is the best I've tested out of all filters including MERV 13+ Charcoal filters when it comes to smoke. I haven't done the video for that filter test yet but but the results are clear. I'll be testing some MERV 16+Charcoal filters on a box fan some time soon to see if they preform any better. They are cost prohibitive tho, so I'll only be using one for the test. In a home with many rooms, sometimes single filters on the back of a fan can be more advantageous because you can put one in every room rather than rely on one large filter in a single space. I have some of the data from all the tests I've run hon my website. I need more charts tho. These only tell part of the picture. I hope to have interactive charts with even more data and results from 25 pending tests in a few weeks. Here is the link the3dhandyman.com/what-is-the-best-air-filter/ I will make a note to do a video on air quality monitors! Thanks for the idea. Hope all that helps and sorry for the late reply!
Always informative videos in a digestible way. Have you done a bigger comparison on filter thickness? Just had a new hvac installed and we went for the 20x20x5” but the cost and availability for the 5” thickness makes me think it’s not worth any real benefits. Please try the a,b and c models with 4 or 5” thickness filters even if joust one sample run of a known brand like 3M since they scaled well.
Thanks! I have not done that much with the thicker filters. The 4in Filter Buy does not preform better than the 2in filters, by surprise. In the next video I will talk more about airflow and static pressure and though the 4" filter has more surface area than the others, it does not outperform them. Considering that 1" 3M MERV 11 almost outperformed the 4" Filter Buy in the single filter box fan test, I figure the 4" 3M MERV 11(or 12) filters would preform significantly better than the Off brand MERV 13s. So maybe there is an adapter (or DIY option) that can just fill up that extra inch? I will try to fit in a single filter test with a 4" filter from 3M in the next video.
Interesting results. Operational costs could possibly be decreased with an alternative power source such as a solar panel and battery setup. But of course, that would have a higher initial cost. I’m curious as to how viable of an option that would be.
Excellent Video - I would be happy to purchase your kit. Would a 20x20x2 MERV 13 be more efficient by providing more surface area and slightly better airflow.
Awesome! things are a little delayed due to the holiday but they should be available in a few weeks. As far as the 20x20x2 MERV 13 filters go, the Filter Buy and Nordic Pure options both preformed well but not quite as good as the 3M 20x20x1 MERV 13 filter but they do have a bit cheaper starting price.
Thanks for the very informative video, sir. I’ve learned something new with the MERV classifications that other videos don’t mention. I’ve very recently stumbled on a duct tape version video that I will most likely use to get rid of pet dander as I rescue cats and currently have 11. I would attempt to make one like yours but my carpenter skills aren’t good nor do I have a 3D printer. Do you happen to sell it?
Thank you! I do sell the 4 filter versions but they are sold out until next month some time. I will also have a 1 filter design as well. There is a lot going on that the moment, so it will just take some time to get them out there. Until then, taping a filter to the back of a box fan actually works pretty good for in-home use. Let me know if you have any questions.
Wow. this was cool. Thanks. I was always wondering on Amazon how to compare the function of all those filters for actual smoke. I guess 3m is the right brand from this application. Can we really get a prototype for a comment? If not, I would pay for one, just send me a link.
It really does look like 3M is the best brand for smoke filtration. Few others competed at their level. If you aren't filtering a huge amount of particles then most of the filters in the test would preform fairly well. All comments get an entry into a giveaway that is coming up in the next few weeks. You will be in the running. If you don't get the free one or you want one sooner, you can buy one here www.etsy.com/listing/1373712349 Let me know if you have any other questions!
This was super helpful as I was convinced I needed 2"+ thickness filters to achieve decent results. Once again, you have me rethinking my options. These filter systems are proven to be efficient and effective, but the filters are a consumable and replacement costs add up . My new question is, can I cycle my spent MERV 14 furnace filters in the C&R cube in my workshop? The shop has different needs, mostly sawdust and dirt. Hoping to get 2 cycles of use out of the filters. Am I wrong to think this is a good idea? Can't wait to see the results from the different build variants you have been teasing.
I was also surprised by the fact the the thicker filters only preformed marginally next to the 3Ms. As far as reusing them in your shop, they wont preform like they did out of the box but they will still pull large stuff out of the air. I'll do a video on used filter performance some time soon but until then I can say that the 6 month old extremely dirty Nordic Pure MERV14 filters lose half of their ability to capture smoke (2 hours vs 1 hour to completely the air). Smoke is of course very tiny stuff, so if you are working with larger particles generally, the performance should be better than that...But the only way to truly know is to get a particle/pollution meter.
Curious if an inline duct fan could be used to pull behind a box fan with a single filter attached. I have a 4” dryer vent going out in my small shop but low ceilings and very small space
The answer is yes! A 4" inline fan does about 200CFM and that would be perfect for a 20x20" filter without creating much of any static pressure. A wooden box that creates a gap between the intake for the fan and the back of the filter would help draw air more evenly over the entire surface of the filter.
Wow very through data collection I am impressed. I mix a lot of cement and mortar which’s creates a lot of fine dust. Which do you think would work better if the fan was pulling the dust into the filter box at the top? Or if the fan was drawing the dust through the filters first?
Good question! The answer relied on how your workspace is set up. Personally I like to work right next to the filter with the drum fan pushing into the filter box. The dust is reliably sucked right in without being airborne for more than a few seconds. This help keep most of the ultra fine cement from getting all over everything. I use my Model A this filter because it can capture ultra fine dust at 5-6ft away (without significant air disturbances). A single filter on a box fan (filter on the back side of the fan) only has a capture radius of about 2 feet. I use that config for some things but the it's not quite powerful enough to avoid blowing some of the dust into the rest of the shop space during a more energetic process. This video has some more info about how I filter cement dust specifically. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NmgNQu4zDy0.html I think I have also figured out a way to insert a dust bag into the filter box so that the big dust does not clog the filters as quickly. I'll make a video about that in December. The parts are in the mail.
Was the 200 comment level reached? Nwver cared about the air quality until i would blow my nose amd find ot full of sawdust from black walnut biards. I built a 1 inch box fan filter and couldn't even tell if it was moving ait until hours later when sawdust started collecting on the filter. Then I spent hundreds on a Jet air filter system. Looking at your B/C designs now and will compare costs and filter ratings with the Jet.
Sorry for the late reply. I have been focusing on getting the kits into the mail the last few days and fell behind on comments. In this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KobogQMf_Xc.html I compared the high end Jet systems to the CR boxes and the Model-A. I only tested for CFM in that video tho. I don't know how the Jet systems would compare when trying to filter smoke. The best Jet does about 1200cfm (wood magazine article). The Model-A does out preform the AFS-2000 in terms of air flow. The next best option is the Model-B with 3M MERV 13s. I haven't gotten this video put together yet, but I have the data. This combo will do 1198CFM. A 2" MERV 13 filter from Filter Buy will do 1222CFM but it does not handle smoke as well. The same smoke test in this video yielded these results with an Air King fan on a Model-B: 3M MERV 13: 42min Filter Buy 2" MERV 13: 54min As for the 200 comments, it's not there quite yet but it will be soon. I am not counting my comments as entries. Let me know if you have any more questions!
These filter videos have been really helpful to me. You have done an amazing job with them and I hope to see more in the series. On a side note, I use the 3M Merv 14 2800 filters in my HVAC and have for years. I am going to use 4 of them to make some DIY filters after watching your series. I normally replace my HVAC units every 2-3 months. Any idea how often 4 of them in a DIY unit will last? I am guessing that once the air space is cleared they will just clean up any new pollutants so running them 24/7 might not "use them up" as quickly as you might think. I don't guess there is any way to know other than measuring the static pressure in the chamber or seeing them actually get dark/dirty with dust and whatnot. Any ideas on a simple way of attaching a DIY static pressure device to your 4x units to monitor the static pressure while they are running in the main chamber? Might be some new things to add to your testing for the series.
Good call replacing the filters at the 2-3 month mark. I need to mention that in a future video. The high MERV filters can really restrict your system especially if there is a lot of pollen/pet dander, etc in the air. I ran a Corsi Rosenthal box with Nordic Pure MERV 14s in a friends kennel room for her dogs for abut 6 months and there was only a slight discoloration in the filters after about 6 months. I think it could have easily gone a year but I pulled it out to loan it to someone whos house flooded and the tape all fell apart on it. That was part of the inspiration for the wooden kits. I did buy a manometer to do some tests but haven't gotten to it yet. Maybe next month?
As an engineer, this is quite an interesting topic to think about. I was searching for DIY air filtration since I just started my hobby woodworking, but your video made me think more than I expected. All charts are great and I can understand the concept. I will try to make your model A and B probably but one question that, model A or B with cat/max air ones suck the air inside the filter box, not thru the filter? I am confused because some smoke is sucked into the fan instead of the filters below the fan. In this case, the filter air direction should be out from the box not into the box. It looks like the video shows the filter direction and fan direction are all into the box.
Good question! I will be doing a video on this concept in a month or two. The Model A or a Model B modified to accept the Caterpillar fan are capable of working in either direction. There is a tradeoff, though... When the air is pulled through the filters and up out of the box the ambient air in the shop is filtered more efficiently. When the air is blown into the filter box then the dust within 5 feet of the filter is captured very well before it gets a chance to float around your workspace BUT it does not do as well cleaning the ambient air in a large space. It comes down to how you want to use the filter. Personally I like the into-the-box method for what I'm generally doing. I would only recommend this with the Caterpillar fan because the fan motor is enclosed. I would not recommend it for a box fan at all. I am also working on adding a dust bag into the design without the need for modifications to the plans. That will also be a video in a month or two. This video talks a bit about the fan direction options and how I use it ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NmgNQu4zDy0.html
@@The3DHandyman thanks for the long answer. I checked your videos and figured out why you chose the air-into-box system. I have two more questions. 1. From this video I also saw there was a flim? Plastic cover? on the filter box. What is that for? My guess is you tried to block some unnecessary particles out of the filters so that air flow can go out from the box? In this case, you may lose air flow coming out from the box. 2. If you design from the beginning, what kind of shape could be better for air-out-box? You suggested some designs in the video, and downward 8-filter design could be good. Or any design suggestions in your mind? I already ordered the cap fan (from your link. Hope it helps you have more videos ;) ). I do woodwork in my garage about 800 sqft. It is just a hobby thing but I don't want to damage my family with wood dust and my lungs.
@@jeewonsuh6204 No problem! 1) Yes I used a think mesh screen that captured large dust but did little to obstruct the filters. I want to further improve this concept with a heavier/washable cover and do more testing on it to confirm that it does not significantly decrease the performance of the filter. 2) I think the best design would be something something with a long duct that promotes great circulation through the space. I designed a version of this for a shop space that is now in limbo, so it has not been tested but in theory, it would work really well. I did an animation of the design in this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OhVWsnTm8iU.html 800sq. ft is quite large so 2 of these might work really well. The fans should both blow toward one side and the filters mounted on the opposite side so that the air in the whole space is always headed towards a filter. Some prefilters would be good to use if you want to prolong the life of high MERV filters in there. Maybe some breathable fabric would do the trick. Again, I'll test a few options out soon. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for using the link to buy the fan, it helps a lot!
Sure thing! I plan on selling the plans at some point but I am way behind on content production for that launch at the moment. Cant say when that will be ready to go. I am selling the full kits though. If you were to buy one today, it should ship in about 2 weeks Here's the listing www.etsy.com/listing/1373712349 Let me know if you have any questions
Hey. Thanks for the info. It's good to know how to get the best bang for your buck. I'm curious how high thread count cloth would perform. I was reading a study a while back that looked at filtering ability for cloth masks and they made a mask out of 600 thread count sheets and it performed at over n95 levels I think. That would be really cool to see some testing on. Cloth filter would be quite easy to acquire and put together and would last basically forever I would think. Too bad that air meter is 180 bucks here in Canada
That is quite a bit more expensive than down here! Maybe there are others available? I will see if I can fit in a cloth test for the next video or make that a separate video at some point. I want to try cloth as a prefilter as well.
@@The3DHandyman awesome. Thanks man. This may be the third time I posted this comment, but I think the other two got eaten by auto mod because I included the link to the study I was looking at. But that study used wamsutta sheets. I believe Costco and Wayfair also have reasonable priced 600 count sheets. Though y'all have more options down there so there might be something I don't even know about lol. The study also actually found that much lower thread count cotton with batting in between actually worked really well as well. So did natural silk. As well as the high count cotton combined with a layer of chiffon. Thanks again for all the testing man. It's been really cool.
All things are tested on HIGH only. If you want the LOW and MED performance, take the manufactures CFM specs and increase the filtration time by that amount. So if the fan's low CFM is 1/2 of the high CFM, double the expected filtration time.
Just curious if I’m in an enclosed 2 car garage with the cat 4000 cfm running through 4 filters ~ do I need to have a vent open somewhere to reduce pressure? What happens if I don’t vent while the fan is running and scrubbing the garage air? My use case is wood working; and just want to remove dust from the air without having to open the garage since its very cold outside.
Good question! I would think that the inflow and outflow pressure would cancel each other out, so in theory no venting should be required unless your filters are blowing out of the building.
Cigar smoke and incense smoke should be effectively the same size particles. As for complete smell removal, carbon filtration is the most effective. I will do a video on this concept in the next month or two.
@@mechaflowmaniac I will add that to my testing schedule for the next video. I have a "Homepoint" box fan that appears to be identical to the Utilitech 3 speed box fan. Many of these are made in the same factory with different logos printed on them.
@@The3DHandyman great, thank you so much for providing such great testing and clear explanations. Your probably right that they are identical if look the same. Lot of the same fan rebranded under eg Utilitech/Genesis/Hurricane/ForLiving/Brentwood/Pelonis/Best Comfort brands.
@@mechaflowmaniac The fan blades in the Air king and the Lasko also look like they came off the same machine. The motor windings are a bit different tho and that's what makes a big difference in the power output. I will check the power draw on The Homepoint and the other brands to see if they are the same inside and out.
I have done this test with a few select filters. Just need to find the time to make the video. There is a lot going on at the moment. Hopefully before the end of the year I'll have that out
If you make one of these for your home, how can you get it to redistribute the clean air and have access to the dirty air? I could put this in my basement storage room but it would just clean the heck out of that room and that room alone. And my wife isn't gonna let me run a DIY air filter on the main floor of my house.
It's true that these clean the air in one room very well. I have a ducted design coming out soon that will help with that situation but then you will need to run an 8" duct up the staircase or into the HVAC ductwork, etc. It's way better to circulate the air through the whole house but DIY filters are not generally ideal for that. Otherwise, the CR style filter box will just clean the heck out of one room and you will have to rely on your HVAC to circulate the air from the rest of the house back down to the basement. In the end it's a lot better than nothing.
@@The3DHandyman seems like it would be very easy to just dump the clean air into the main return. Honestly this seems like it would be best if it operated as a parallel air cleaning unit took air from and return, cleaned it, and dumped it back into the return. I suspect you could have easily have 90% of your home air run through this before it entered the furnace. But not sure if it is a good idea to have positive pressure going into the furnace. Curious what an HVAC professional would say.
@@MrHatt7777 I would also like to hear what they would have to say on the subject. If you are good at home automation, you could program the air filter to run at specific times (when the furnace is not running) and to open and close a gate that stops air from leaking out of the HVAC system while the furnace is running. It is a must that air be moving in the right direction through a furnace. Otherwise too much heat can build up in the system and damage the unit. I thought that you were not using the furnace and had switched to a mini split system alone. That would be a different situation.
@@The3DHandyman I've been thinking about this more and more and I just don't know enough about HVAC to try and mess with system. I don't want to create any pressures that would screw it up. However, I am considering the possibility of building a big DIY air purifier that sits in a basement closet and dumps clean air into our living room via a new duct and vent that isn't part of the HVAC system. In order to provide return air to the basement, I could simply install a vent on the other side of the house. FWIW I run my furnace fan 24/7 and change my 25 x20 MERV12 filter every month. I have had the pm2.5 tested by professionals and the air coming out of the vents in my home was almost to the level of a clean room. Something like 25 total particles per cubic foot for pm2.5. Furnace filtration can work well.
@@MrHatt7777 That's some high quality filtration you got there! I do like your idea of pushing clean air out of the DIY filter up to the next floor. That is a good solution. You may be able to run your HVAC fan less if that is running all the time. The large HVAC fans tend to pull much higher wattage than the DIY units. Just a thought.
You may be able to buy a sensor(s) and hook it up to a computer for cheaper than the one in the video description. Other than that, the cheapest ones are a little over $100
@@talflex25 I have only tried one air quality monitor at this point. Maybe one day I can test others but that day is a long way off. Here's the one I picked up. It's works fine but will sometimes turn off after hours of operation. Not to much of an issues, but an issue none the less. --AIR QUALITY SENSOR-- Find out the air quality in your space amzn.to/3V4RZtt
the purpose of hvac filter is just to keep blowers and coils clean. the allergen filters that can remove smoke restrict airflow too much and can ruin the hvac equipment. the clean filter pressure drop means little, what matters is what happens when it gets a little dirty. do not buy more than merv 8 if you have a 1" filter slot.
Thanks for the info. I'm going to do a correction on that in the next video. Those filters should really only be used for a month or two under normal conditions in an HVAC. Their yearly price at that replacement rate is pointless.
@Jon-hx7pe which MERV 8 brands do you recommend? Which are best quality and performance? HDX? Filterbuy? Nordic Pure? Aerostar? 3M Filtrete? Etc.? Thank you.
i think they're all pretty similar. 3m is a waste of money - over priced. the home depot hdx 3 packs are a decent value. you can also look at a trublu merv 7 in the states, I liked those trublu ones but they stopped selling in canada. @@mikeike7114
HI, Do you know if AAF Flanders Filters is a good brand ? It's really hard to find certification that guarentee the quality of the air filters as for the NIOSH certification for N-95 mask
It looks like they make high quality commercial filters, so I would think that they are good quality. The MERV rating is more or less an "N95" sort of certification. I'm not sure if a company needs to receive some sort of certification to make a MERV claim. Technically a MERV 16 would indicate 95% particle capture rate (N95 equivalent). There are not many MERV 16 filters out there to choose from though. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes in my tests with MERV 13s and MERV 14 preform better than the household HEPA (35CADR) filters. I have not tested a 4 filter units with MERV 16s but I did just test a MERV 16 single filter/box fan option and it preforms better than most DIY filters with an Air King box fan. Filter Link amzn.to/3r2AC2O This is about as close as you can get to a HEPA (MERV 17) in a 20x20in format.
Hey! It looks like you commented but it disappeared for some reason. Feel free to respond again. If you included links, RU-vid will remove the comment sometimes.
@@The3DHandyman I contacted a canadian company and I ask them if their filters has a certification that guarantee filtration quality and they answered me that all their filters respond to ASHRAE Standards... I think MERV 13 would do the job for wildfire. MERV 16 are too expensive. The only brand that I totally trust without doubt is 3M. The association of asthma approve the MERV 13 furnace filter by 3M. On the Jim Rosenthal's twitter post they said that some furnace filters aren't really good. The brand Filterbuy seems not to be really reliable. Jim Rosenthal :
I think the most questionable aspect of off-brand filters is that they can change their materials without warning. 3M will always make their products in the same way. My tests with MERV 13 FilterBuy products have yielded middle-of-the-road results in some cases and good results in others. Their 20x30x2" MERV 13 filters only preformed 24% worse than the 3M MERV 13s. That said, I also have some 20x20x2" filters from FilterBuy that look like they came from a completely different manufacturer. Unless you are dealing with dense smoke, most off-brand filters may preform well enough. If you want the best, 3M is the way to go. Even their MERV 11s do a good job with smoke for a very reasonable price.
@@The3DHandyman Air quality monitor 🫤 Unless you pay 2000$ you can't be really sure about the data. Any suggestions ?? What do you think about Temtop M10 / LKC1000 ?? Main purpose : evaluate the efficiency of my CR box
The green bars show the highest performers (higher better). The blue bars show the cost of filter replacements (lower better). The chart is organized from cheapest to most expensive. My charts need work :)
Air Change/Hour = how many times your unit can pull the entire air in your home through the filter. 4 ACH means the entire air circulates through the filter every 15 minutes. Furnace/air handler unit blower motors are designed to create low pressure in the return ducts and draw house air in. Ducts and blower motors must be sized correctly to handle the air flow rate (measured in Cubic Feet per Minute) desired. Under sizing anything results in poor results and you will not actually move all the air. Placement of return and supply ducts matter. Hot and cold air stratifies. Supply ducts are placed near windows because windows let in heat or cold, and this helps push air toward the center of the room. Placing your return duct in the wrong place and undermine the whole operation. A box fan cannot draw all the air through a filter because it's propeller blades aren't designed to suck air. It's designed to push (propel) air. So your particulates are leaving the test area. Some are ending up in the filter, but anything more than 3ft away from the fan is likely settling about the shop. However, virus particles are 10x smaller than dust. Small viral particles can hang suspended in the air, or be picked up by eddies. A door opening, a person walking past, will send viral particles into the air. Sorry to blow up your comments section, but fluid dynamics is a pretty complicated field. I do appreciate your videos though. More of this sort of testing needs to be done.
I have tested a 3 more commercial HEPA filters to see how they compare to box fan air filters and the box fan still preforms quite well. None of these are a closed loop system like an HVAC system but they still do a fairly good job at filtering the air of small particles, even 15 feet away in a large space. There is a perfect system and then there is an adequate system, these DIY concepts are the latter. Thanks for the detailed comments. I will add some corrections to the next video based on your thoughts on the subject 👍
@@The3DHandyman so my issue isn't dust, and your personal setup (blowing into the filters with a high powered fan) looks solid. My issue is people are using Corsi-Rosenthal boxes as 'better than HEPA' for purifying viruses. This fan cannot grab and filter all the air in a shop/classroom with any efficacy to protect against infection. That claim has no sound engineering behind it. They get away with the claim because measuring aerosols is extremely difficult with no nationally recognized standard for measuring PM reduction. And this comes from ASHRAE and AHRI.
@@RobertGoodsense I suppose I took Corsi/Rosenthals word for it. It seems logical that if a MERV 14 can capture up to 84% of tiny particles, that's better than nothing. I'll be doing a MERV 16 designs and some HEPA design sometime early next year and I'll bring this up.
@@RobertGoodsense I was only able to measure the rate at which they naturally settled out of the air in the space VS how fast they were removed by the filter. I assume that the difference between the two numbers is due to smoke becoming entrapped in the filter.
I was surprised as well, especially with the 4" filters. Seemingly this is because of the shear volume of filter media in this type of configuration. Once the device reaches near zero static pressure, it cant perform any better. The 2" and 4" filters should allow for longer use and higher performance levels with significant dust build up on average. That said, with significant dust build up, 3M MERV 13s+ still preform better than off-brand 2" filters. If you are going with off-brand filters, thicker tends to be better.
So, the reason why I didn't run it to an AQI of 0 is that would have taken hundreds of hours. As it was running these tests took over 100 hours of testing time alone. The filters that preform the best in these tests typically reach an AQI of 2 (as low as my pollution meter appears to go) a few minutes after they hit an AQI or 45. The trouble is that the graphs are exponential curves and filters that do not perform that well or perform badly will have to run for 10+ hours to reach the lowest possible AQI. Realistically the only way that I could test so many filters was to pick a higher AQI target. Filters that reach an AQI of 45 first will reach an AQI 2 first as well (based on a few tests), therefore all tests don't need to be run to completion because we already know what the best filter is.
I think they both last pretty long in this sort of design. I just ran a test where I dumped a half pound of ultra fine wood dust, 3lbs of flower, and then 5 gallon bucket of dust from a woodshop dust collector into a 20x30in 4 filter (drum fan) design and it still preformed well in a smoke test. A box fan won't handle this as well but in most scenarios other than the most punishing dusty environments, the 3Ms and 2in off brand filters will likely last several years before you need to replace the filters. Even then you may just throw them out because they look disgusting but they may still be preforming well. The 4 filter design is remarkably efficient.
@@joebobjoesayshi 2" filters are generally better but the 1" 3M MERV 13 and 14 (maybe also MERV 12) are in a class of their own. They have way more pleats and material than even most off brand 2" filters. 2" filters also build a more robust Corsi Rosenthal box if that is of concern.
@@joebobjoesayshi 2" filters are generally better but the 1" 3M MERV 13 and 14 (maybe also MERV 12) are in a class of their own. They have way more pleats and material than even most off brand 2" filters. 2" filters also build a more robust Corsi Rosenthal box if that is of concern.
@@The3DHandyman personally, I like using the insense for testing. Alot of asia, south america, africa and other areas (even some in Florida) have a burning season related to their crops (usually sugar cane). AQI is very high in several countries in Asia right now.
@@darwinjina Agreed. It's a consistent and reliable method for determining the best filters for ultra fine particle reduction. I'll be doing about 30 more smoke tests this coming week.
I imagine that all of those but Carbon Monoxide are a particle. If you select the highest MERV level filters, the filters may preform well. You can connect these MERV 16 filters to the back of a single box fan(s) and place them throughout the affected area. amzn.to/3qE9J5b I would suspect that this setup would not preform as well as equipment used by professional fire damage mitigation teams. It might be good to get a pollution meter to make sure they are working properly. As for carbon monoxide, these filters wont do anything. Air out the space as much as possible to get that out of the house and otherwise refer to a professional in the area.
@@The3DHandyman which AQI meter do you recommend? I decided to go with the max size at costco, 4 x 20x30x1 Filtrete MERV 13, only $44.99! I’ll use the Air King Box Fan you recommend, for maximum airflow. Very affordable high air flow, high capture filtration system. Thank you for the suggestions in your videos!! :-)
@@The3DHandyman do you know where to find a good deal on an AQI meter? Is that & this air filter what I need to check & remediate air quality after a house fire? Thanks so much! ❤️
@@capcom4eva I picked up one of these and it will tell you something about what in the air amzn.to/3NgbrBq They aren't too cheap but there are cheaper ones on Amazon, I just haven't tested them others. You may want to ask a fire damage restoration channel what they think is best/adequate. I just test air filters :)
How can we DIY something similar to the IQ Air GC Multigas? That thing is $1,400, but has 12 lbs of carbon media to reliminate a multitude of gases. Too expensive.
I'll have a video out on VOC reduction in the next month or two. That will cover the best replacement for something like the IQ Air GC Multigas (less the ionizing part) and its real world performance. Hint: it wont be as nice looking as the IQ Air but it will have way more carbon!
Ok.. You're making a few errors. HVAC techs don't care what brand of filter you get. They measure static pressures. Static pressures give an idea of air velocity. If your furnace heat exchange does not get a sufficient flow of air over it, the metal overheats and can crack. A cracked heat exchange is dangerous because that allows carbon monoxide to enter your home. This will kill you. So HVAC techs check for good air flow. Too much resistance means low air flow and a serious problem. Similarly too much resistance from a filter will slow the air down in cooling mode. Not enough warm air flowing over the cold coil means your coil will freeze the water condensate on the coil, and pretty soon you have a new filter that stops EVERYTHING from flowing through it.... because it's a block of ice. Proper air flow is CRITICAL in HVAC performance. Techs test static pressures with a manometer like the Fieldpiece SDMN6 Pressure Switch Tester. Retails on Amazon for about $303. Techs test air velocities in furnaces with a hotwire anemometer like the Fieldpiece STA2 in Duct Hot Wire Anemometer. Retails on Amazon for 381.65 Upshot is the brand of filter doesn't matter. What matters is 1) it lets air flow at the right rate. 2) it stops dust and crud from getting to the wet coil (matting issues) or the blazing hot heat exchange (fire issues).
Good stuff. I will put this info in the next video. I just got a super cheap manometer to test a 4 month old 3M filter in a friends house. Will see that it reads new vs old!
Question: the national average that a house is emptied and replenished again with fresh air is 7 times a hour (source here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZRqOUcVs52k.html). Why do I need to purify air that’s going to be replaced before I can even have time to purify it?
Allergens and pet dander, pollution like wildfire smoke or heavy traffic, are just a few of the things you want need to pull more rapidly from the air. People with COPD or other breathing issues are more sensitive to particles in the air as well. Largely I use these for my workshop but a lot of people use them to replace HEPA filters. If you are breathing fine, there isn't a need for something like this.
