Air quality monitor recs
August 19, 2020 11:23 AM Subscribe
Hi, does anyone use an indoor air quality monitor that they're happy with? It's fire season here and I would like to see if my air purifier is actually doing anything. Thanks!
Wirecutter recommends the Coway filters.
I have two, the small one, which we've had for two years (bought because of wildfire smoke) which works very well. We change the main filters twice a year, instead of once, because they simply need it.
Earlier this year I decided to buy the larger one for our shared spaces (open floorplan) because the little one seemed to be on high rather often. There are several models including one that has a bluetooth reporting of the air quality. I didn't opt for that, but I can see the benefit.
The larger one is quiet enough to have in the living room near my seat on the couch and not interfere with hear conversation or the TV ... the small one, when on high, is quite loud. For that reason, and the fact that it has some very bright buttons, I turn the bedroom one off at night.
I've found with both filters (smaller one moved to the bedroom) that we have far less dust on surfaces in the house. Which is a good indicator that it's catching something.
Another suggestion is to change the filters in your AC more often than recommended. It makes them more efficient and of course helps to keep your air clearer.
(I'm such a enthusiast, a neighbor also bought one of the small ones, and finds it works very well for multi-cat homes as long as you change the carbon filters and I got one for my mother for mother's day last year.)
They are pricey, and there are some non-OEM filters available that are not as good, so be careful when purchasing any filter that needs supplies that you're getting filters that that fit properly and will do what they say.
(Sorry, I got confused when answering, I see I'm not addressing the OP ... which is for a monitor ... which the Coways have, in addition to the filtering. But it's not a standalone. I regret the error.)
posted by typetive at 11:52 AM on August 19, 2020
I have two, the small one, which we've had for two years (bought because of wildfire smoke) which works very well. We change the main filters twice a year, instead of once, because they simply need it.
Earlier this year I decided to buy the larger one for our shared spaces (open floorplan) because the little one seemed to be on high rather often. There are several models including one that has a bluetooth reporting of the air quality. I didn't opt for that, but I can see the benefit.
The larger one is quiet enough to have in the living room near my seat on the couch and not interfere with hear conversation or the TV ... the small one, when on high, is quite loud. For that reason, and the fact that it has some very bright buttons, I turn the bedroom one off at night.
I've found with both filters (smaller one moved to the bedroom) that we have far less dust on surfaces in the house. Which is a good indicator that it's catching something.
Another suggestion is to change the filters in your AC more often than recommended. It makes them more efficient and of course helps to keep your air clearer.
(I'm such a enthusiast, a neighbor also bought one of the small ones, and finds it works very well for multi-cat homes as long as you change the carbon filters and I got one for my mother for mother's day last year.)
They are pricey, and there are some non-OEM filters available that are not as good, so be careful when purchasing any filter that needs supplies that you're getting filters that that fit properly and will do what they say.
(Sorry, I got confused when answering, I see I'm not addressing the OP ... which is for a monitor ... which the Coways have, in addition to the filtering. But it's not a standalone. I regret the error.)
posted by typetive at 11:52 AM on August 19, 2020
We have this one. It's $260.99, so not exactly cheap, but we have been pretty happy with it.
The numbers on the screen are better interpreted in the context of being a "relative" measurement; for instance, we've figured out over time that 'good' air = less than 1000 small particles, less than 100 large particles. Last night it shot up to 5500 small particles when the wildfire smoke (we are in the San Jose area) blew in, and that had gone back down to ~3000 ten minutes after turning on our air filter unit. Dylos makes a number of different models that display info in a variety of ways, so if you go that route I'd recommend looking at the offerings and seeing what might work best for you, but the product seems solid.
posted by aecorwin at 12:07 PM on August 19, 2020
The numbers on the screen are better interpreted in the context of being a "relative" measurement; for instance, we've figured out over time that 'good' air = less than 1000 small particles, less than 100 large particles. Last night it shot up to 5500 small particles when the wildfire smoke (we are in the San Jose area) blew in, and that had gone back down to ~3000 ten minutes after turning on our air filter unit. Dylos makes a number of different models that display info in a variety of ways, so if you go that route I'd recommend looking at the offerings and seeing what might work best for you, but the product seems solid.
posted by aecorwin at 12:07 PM on August 19, 2020
I don't have one, but you might want to consider the PurpleAir indoor sensor. There are many of these devices where their owners have made their information public (via Map - PurpleAir) and the data seems consistent (for outdoors), so there's some confidence in the measurements. Unlike other non-connected sensors where you have a single data point and no idea if it's right or even similar to other sensors.
posted by meowzilla at 2:52 PM on August 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by meowzilla at 2:52 PM on August 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
I've heard from people who work in air quality research that the cheap sensors aren't very accurate. But I personally have Blueair's monitor, and I'll say that it does at least correlate with my sense of smell (when I open the window right now, and the air smells horribly smoky, the PM 2.5 reading spikes, and it goes back down after I've closed it and I've run an air purifier for a while.)
posted by pinochiette at 7:34 AM on August 20, 2020
posted by pinochiette at 7:34 AM on August 20, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
I would also be interested in air purifiers that people have that work really well.
posted by answergrape at 11:41 AM on August 19, 2020