HEPA Air purifier(s) for fine dust

[onionlikeapple]

Hi all.

I’m getting far enough into the hobby where I’m finding myself more and more concerned about dust collection.

I have a shop vac with a cyclone attached which I use to attempt to get most dust at source. However there is still a fine layer of dust across most things in the garage.

The garage also doubles as a home gym, so want to it to be as safe as possible for whoever in the house might be using the gym after my doing whatever in the workshop. It’s roughly 21m squared in size, and I use the workshop in a hobbyist capacity.

I’ve seen the Record Power air filter box which I’m tempted by. However, we have a couple of the HEPA air purifiers at home that don’t get a huge amount of use. How close would those air purifiers get to matching the RP solution? I would get the RP, and will do if it’s necessary, I’m just becoming increasingly aware how much everything is costing me.

Not sure if its worth mentioning, but its 2 of these Philips air purifiers.

And as an secondary question, if I’ve been sanding in the garage, how long do you reckon it would be until it’s safe for someone to use the gym, providing all the above accommodations are in place eg shop vac, air filter of sorts? Appreciate that’s hard to put an exact number on.

Thanks!

 

[Inspector]

To answer the secondary question. There are lots of inexpensive particle counters that you can use to measure the outside air quality to get a baseline and then monitor the air in the garage for each activity. That will tell you when you need to put on PPE and when the levels are low enough to remove it. Just don't put the counter directly in the dust making stream like at the end of a stationary belt sander. It will overwhelm it and clog it up.

Pete

 

[onionlikeapple]

To answer the secondary question. There are lots of inexpensive particle counters that you can use to measure the outside air quality to get a baseline and then monitor the air in the garage for each activity. That will tell you when you need to put on PPE and when the levels are low enough to remove it. Just don't put the counter directly in the dust making stream like at the end of a stationary belt sander. It will overwhelm it and clog it up.

Pete

Thanks for this Pete. I've just had a look on Amazon and the like, and the cheapest counter I'm seeing is ~£90. Was that the sort of ballpark price you were thinking of with the particle counters?

 

[Inspector]

They seem to be cheaper here, in the $50Cad range in some instances. https://www.amazon.ca/VEVOR-Profess...-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

You could try direct from China and pay even less. Temu, Aliexpress, etc. Or get a better one for about what you pay for the Amazon ones.

The object is to know roughly how much dust is in the air so you aren't guessing.

Pete

 

[onionlikeapple]

They seem to be cheaper here, in the $50Cad range in some instances. https://www.amazon.ca/VEVOR-Professional-Formaldehyde-Temperature-Thresholds/dp/B0D5CBQZ91/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=1A18E4XGUVPRR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9qJt8SjSznY5nwer_TXgxcswZNQ5nJPOs5FFdvuPaSSkvF3wz2nwkvRYuRGhWVDNTJbdupKc3iQbLdnlwJ5kfQHB_NEydTh5wOCML1Ca1MUWgCvL2dbEuL5YZWvaLDXH1QCIOsATPb78kjXhrx1X52VfvjHkdC7ylp87AthhDycDVRAcXbDX79DHPGjfAtJgJVHtHk9JLu-8H63clRH3k5pbRn-1fXsEe96cWOuCt0jOtJS3z4BrwNRRWlbdLzyFnx0smsJTes3OUUUO1ICoFYsF27Ta5BGT1IyMweLBwUI.GAl1yMxvPdS7TKnV-TAZ1sIo39r9vmEr1daGLvOvu20&dib_tag=se&keywords=particle+counter&qid=1736355654&sprefix=particle+counter,aps,284&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

You could try direct from China and pay even less. Temu, Aliexpress, etc. Or get a better one for about what you pay for the Amazon ones.

The object is to know roughly how much dust is in the air so you aren't guessing.

Pete

I'll do some research on what that looks like in the UK price wise.

Our air purifiers have a - somewhat simple - air quality LED on it (red = bad, purple = getting bad, green = good), and I'm wondering if thats good enough for this job too.

 

[onionlikeapple]

Just seen this from IKEA - could be interesting perhaps. And this one for an absolute bargain of £7.99.

 

[SammyQ]

Both of those IKEA hobbies are limited. 2.5micron. The dangerous stuff is sub-micron. IKEA pair can't detect it.

 

[SammyQ]

Both of those IKEA hobbies are limited. 2.5micron. The dangerous stuff is sub-micron. IKEA pair can't detect it.

WHY, OH WHY did Otto Korrwrecktt make j-o-b-b-i-e-s into "hobbies"?? This prim, puritanical, We-think-Billy-Connolly-is-a-blasphemer kind of censorship is:
A) Irritating
B) Unnecessary
C) A contextual idiocy.
D) A sign of a constipated mind.

(Sorry, again in context, that last one just seemed so apt!).

Yet again Folks, we visit the oxymoron known as "Free Speech".

 

[onionlikeapple]

WHY, OH WHY did Otto Korrwrecktt make j-o-b-b-i-e-s into "hobbies"?? This prim, puritanical, We-think-Billy-Connolly-is-a-blasphemer kind of censorship is:
A) Irritating
B) Unnecessary
C) A contextual idiocy.
D) A sign of a constipated mind.

(Sorry, again in context, that last one just seemed so apt!).

Yet again Folks, we visit the oxymoron known as "Free Speech".

…

Yeah so anyways, air purifiers…

 

[Sideways]

The record power air filter that first comes up in a google search is specified as having a 1 micron filter.
That's all.
No reference to an actual standard in the specification on the website. Maybe more if you download the manual, maybe not.

The following definition of HEPA filtration is from Wiki.
It doesn't sound like that Record filter is anywhere near HEPA standard and visually it doesn't look to be.

"Common standards require that a HEPA air filter must remove—from the air that passes through—at least 99.95% (ISO, European Standard)[4][5] or 99.97% (ASME, U.S. DOE)[6][7] of particles whose diameter is equal to 0.3 μm, with the filtration efficiency increasing for particle diameters both less than and greater than 0.3 μm."

Air filtration generally. Aim for 6 to 10 air changes an hour so the air is cleared in about 10 minutes. You would be able to see the air clearing as you watch it.

 

[Chris152]

If you can open the garage door(s)/ windows, it'll clear much more quickly if there's any breeze. Bit chilly at the moment tho.

 

[onionlikeapple]

The record power air filter that first comes up in a google search is specified as having a 1 micron filter.
That's all.
No reference to an actual standard in the specification on the website. Maybe more if you download the manual, maybe not.

The following definition of HEPA filtration is from Wiki.
It doesn't sound like that Record filter is anywhere near HEPA standard and visually it doesn't look to be.

"Common standards require that a HEPA air filter must remove—from the air that passes through—at least 99.95% (ISO, European Standard)[4][5] or 99.97% (ASME, U.S. DOE)[6][7] of particles whose diameter is equal to 0.3 μm, with the filtration efficiency increasing for particle diameters both less than and greater than 0.3 μm."

Air filtration generally. Aim for 6 to 10 air changes an hour so the air is cleared in about 10 minutes. You would be able to see the air clearing as you watch it.

So you'd be more in favour of a HEPA air purifier than the RP system?

 

[onionlikeapple]

If you can open the garage door(s)/ windows, it'll clear much more quickly if there's any breeze. Bit chilly at the moment tho.

This is a two fold thing:

- A couple months ago we got a mouse in the garage and it turns out I am proper Tom and Jerry stand-up-on-a-chair scared of mice. It got in because I left the garage door open whilst tidying.

- Very cold.

So I'm trying to avoid doing that ha. But totally take your point!