Looking for computer fans (for air cleaner) to buy in Canada
March 22, 2023 6:11 PM Subscribe
Now that we have some cats, the amount of dust and crime in the house is skyrocketing.
To address the dust, I'm going to make some small air cleaners with computer fans and air filters. Where do I find some bulk computer fans and power supplies?
Need to have: cheap (I plan on 3 units each using 5 or 6 fans)
Nice to have: quiet; no RGB
Don't care about: colour; dimensions; voltage
I thought to just check ebay and amazon, but either I'm not searching for the right terms, or fans are more money than I thought.
Need to have: cheap (I plan on 3 units each using 5 or 6 fans)
Nice to have: quiet; no RGB
Don't care about: colour; dimensions; voltage
I thought to just check ebay and amazon, but either I'm not searching for the right terms, or fans are more money than I thought.
Best answer: I think you might be able to pick used fans for cheap. Computer repair shop, second hand store, ...
Also ... crime? What are those felines up to?
posted by falsedmitri at 7:01 PM on March 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
Also ... crime? What are those felines up to?
posted by falsedmitri at 7:01 PM on March 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Note that the linked computer fan moves 31 cubic feet of air per minute; this Lasko air fan is $42 at Home Depot, or about 5 times more expensive; it moves 1800 cubic feet of air per minute -- 58 times more air.
I suspect that a computer fan is just not strong enough to move a cat hair that's falling more than a few inches away. (The acid test: If you have a desktop, is your computer case filling up with cat dander? If not, then a computer fan won't cut it.)
posted by Superilla at 7:06 PM on March 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
I suspect that a computer fan is just not strong enough to move a cat hair that's falling more than a few inches away. (The acid test: If you have a desktop, is your computer case filling up with cat dander? If not, then a computer fan won't cut it.)
posted by Superilla at 7:06 PM on March 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
Yeah, computer fans are built for cooling a few square inches of circuitry, not for heavy-duty air filtering. Maybe better to get the right kind of tool for the job.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 7:16 PM on March 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 7:16 PM on March 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: This is in addition to a big box fan. There exist circumstances in which cfm isn't the only consideration. Please assume that I know about box fans.
The cats do standard cat crimes, although one just managed to bring a paring knife up the stairs, through a baby gate, into the bed and under the covers and under my legs, so... Maybe some nonstandard cat crimes, too.
posted by Acari at 8:42 PM on March 22, 2023 [10 favorites]
The cats do standard cat crimes, although one just managed to bring a paring knife up the stairs, through a baby gate, into the bed and under the covers and under my legs, so... Maybe some nonstandard cat crimes, too.
posted by Acari at 8:42 PM on March 22, 2023 [10 favorites]
Best answer: I don't know what your idea of "cheap" is, but this 5 pack of 80mm fans is $15 on Amazon. You may have luck searching for "80mm fan" or *120mm fan" or the like, especially if you know what size you'd like to wind up with.
posted by xedrik at 10:17 PM on March 22, 2023
posted by xedrik at 10:17 PM on March 22, 2023
Best answer: one just managed to bring a paring knife up the stairs, through a baby gate, into the bed and under the covers and under my legs, so... Maybe some nonstandard cat crimes, too
No, that's bog-standard cat crime.
I made an experimental filter based on Big Clive's design, with a nice silent 120mm Arctic F12 fan in it that I'd picked up on eBay as part of a lot of four for AU$50 (new in boxes). It took about four weeks of running this thing in a particularly dusty spot in our house before the paper filter became perceptibly discoloured.
The quarter of a square foot of floor directly underneath this unit's exhaust side did stay less dusty than the rest of that room.
I'd strongly recommend building and test one of your PC-fan-based designs before spending enough to make three, because I think they're likely to perform quite disappointingly.
posted by flabdablet at 11:29 PM on March 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
No, that's bog-standard cat crime.
I made an experimental filter based on Big Clive's design, with a nice silent 120mm Arctic F12 fan in it that I'd picked up on eBay as part of a lot of four for AU$50 (new in boxes). It took about four weeks of running this thing in a particularly dusty spot in our house before the paper filter became perceptibly discoloured.
The quarter of a square foot of floor directly underneath this unit's exhaust side did stay less dusty than the rest of that room.
I'd strongly recommend building and test one of your PC-fan-based designs before spending enough to make three, because I think they're likely to perform quite disappointingly.
posted by flabdablet at 11:29 PM on March 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Here's another Big Clive design that uses a commercial HEPA filter instead of a bit of toilet paper, and many of the commenters are recommending Arctic's P series fans instead of their F series; the P series is pressure optimized rather than flow optimized, which is what you want when pulling air through a restriction like a filter.
I might try putting a P12 in my existing prototype to see if it works any better. Thanks for nudging that with this question!
posted by flabdablet at 11:44 PM on March 22, 2023
I might try putting a P12 in my existing prototype to see if it works any better. Thanks for nudging that with this question!
posted by flabdablet at 11:44 PM on March 22, 2023
Best answer: If you post on freecycle, Buy Nothing(usually facebook) and Craigslist/free, you should get a bunch of fans, free, and keep them out of hte waste stream a bit longer..
posted by theora55 at 11:15 AM on March 23, 2023
posted by theora55 at 11:15 AM on March 23, 2023
Response by poster: I built one as a test and the main reason I'm not building more is aesthetics and noise. It's not too big or too loud, but... just not unobtrusive enough.
I tried positioning it in various places, and found best results when the clean air is directed across areas that I'd like to be less fuzzy. So, stove or kitchen table or bed would be good targets. Alas, none of those are places where this contraption would be welcome.
It does a POOR job of sucking up cat hair (like - position it near the cat hangouts and have it intake cat-fur air doesn't work well enough). That was anticipated, but I tried it anyway. Also it turned cat hangouts into spaces that the cats didn't like being, so another failure.
Big box fan with cheapo filter taped on? Still acceptable to all in the house somehow!
Life remains full of mystery.
posted by Acari at 9:25 AM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
I tried positioning it in various places, and found best results when the clean air is directed across areas that I'd like to be less fuzzy. So, stove or kitchen table or bed would be good targets. Alas, none of those are places where this contraption would be welcome.
It does a POOR job of sucking up cat hair (like - position it near the cat hangouts and have it intake cat-fur air doesn't work well enough). That was anticipated, but I tried it anyway. Also it turned cat hangouts into spaces that the cats didn't like being, so another failure.
Big box fan with cheapo filter taped on? Still acceptable to all in the house somehow!
Life remains full of mystery.
posted by Acari at 9:25 AM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
« Older Excersie makes me feel great why can't I keep... | Tesla charger keeps tripping our outdoor outlets? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sagc at 6:50 PM on March 22, 2023