(Part 2) Best household furnace parts & accessories according to redditors

I'm originally from the Chico area, and the Camp Fire hit my social circle pretty hard. I went up to help out in the make-shift camps/shelters being set up, dropping off and passing out supplies. The smoke was so bad that in the middle of the day, there was very little sunlight.

Some tips I've learned:

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1. It's all about PM2.5 particles

Last year, people were sharing masks and filters that weren't sufficient for the true hazards in the air, the PM2.5 particles. These can get into your lungs and blood stream and wreck havoc long-term. So you need filters that cover these. Always look for that (and P95/N95 ratings on masks), and don't fall for some of the trendy-looking-but-otherwise-useless masks some people share around the Internet, or think that a surgical mask is going to do any good.

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2. Treat yourself to quality personal air filters and goggles

Buy a good reusable N95/P95 respirator. The little paper-like masks are good in a pinch, but you're going to find that they're not that comfortable to breathe in, and if you wear glasses, you're going to fog them up.

I recommend the 3M 07193 Dual Cartridge Respirator. This is technically disposable (you can get replacement particular filters, but the carbon filter can't be replaced). However, it will actually last you a fairly long time. They're affordable and you're going to feel like you can actually breathe comfortably, even in heavy smoke, especially compared to those little disposable masks. I have a couple of these so that I can share with those around me.

I've since picked up the 3M 65021HA1-C Respirator, which is P100 (better than a P95/N95, adding resistance to solids and liquids containing oil) and has replacement organic vapor/particulate filter cartridges.

Along with these, some good safety goggles will help keep the smoke out of your eyes. I find these Dewalt DPG82-11 goggles to be pretty comfortable, even with glasses (though they may be a difficult fit for larger glasses).

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3. Buy a new, quality home air filter

You have whole-house air filters in your home/apartment, and they probably do nothing for smoke. Most air filters people buy help with allergens only. So do yourself a favor and buy some air filters before they're out of stock everywhere. Something along the lines of the 3M Filtrete MPR 1900 filters or, even better, the MPR 2200 filters (make sure you get the right size for your place, but I think 14x24x1 is pretty standard?).

MPR 1900 ratings are a minimum requirement here. There's a chart on that Amazon link in the product pictures that shows you what filters you need based on what you're trying to filter. Look for the PM 2.5 Air Pollution.

Note that the higher the filter, the more your heating system will have to work, so just be aware of that.

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4. Buy good portable air purifiers for the home

Along with the whole-house filter, you're going to want something you can put by the door or the windows (by the way, close those windows). I have a few of the Vornado AC350 air purifiers (one for Palo Alto, a couple for my place in Chico). They're not cheap (and right now they're more expensive than they were -- I paid $99 -- so shop around).

You'll also want replacement filters. In a pinch, you can wash the old filters, but I don't that that's a good long-term solution.

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5. Car filters!

If the smoke gets really bad, and you're driving around in it a lot, your car's cabin filter is going to capture a lot of that smoke, and that's going to start working its way back into your cabin. You might want to consider getting your cabin filter replaced.

I know this can be done manually, just buy one online, take out the old, replace it. I had the dealership do this for me in Chico, but they were doing this for free for everybody, so... Lucked out there.

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6. Avoid being outside as much as you can

If you don't have to go anywhere, don't. It's just not worth exposing yourself. You don't know what's in that smoke, or how well protected you are. Just prepare, buy food for the home, get the filters, and minimize how often you leave the house. This isn't always practical, and if you do have to leave, make sure you and your family are using quality air filters.

Check the air quality on a site like PurpleAir. Don't rely exclusively on your phone's Weather app. You want to use something that's tracking many sensors in an area, not just one or two official sensors.

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Stay safe.

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Edit: Added a link to the PurpleAir air quality map.

Edit 2: Thanks for my first-ever Gold, kind stranger! That was very nice of you.

Other commenters are completely correct, but I'll just add on a little bit, and make a list for you.

I tried to silence my printer a few weeks ago, and it was a bit of work, but it was worth it. You're going to have to spend a bit of money, but it's totally worth it.

1. Mount your whole printer on closed cell foam. But, don't just let it sit on something soft, because you'll lower your print quality. The difficulty is that you're not technically "getting rid of the vibrations", you're just trying to transfer them into something that absorbs them. Putting your printer Either get a thin piece of foam that spans the whole base of your printer, or get softer foam and bolt your printer down to a sheet of MDF with the foam in between, and then put another foam piece in between the MDF and the table. I'm using a memory foam sheet for the time being and it seems silly but it gets rid of stray vibrations. Just make sure to get firmer foam.
   
   
2. TMC2100 stepper motor drivers. If you just google that you'll see countless "made my printer silent!" If you don't do anything else, get these drivers. They can be found for cheaper than my link, I'm sure.
   
   
3. Astrosyn dampers. I did this before changing the drivers, and it helped way more than I thought. Man, just these dampers alone got rid of probably 2/3s of the noise. I tried to print my own, make my own dampers, etc. Not worth the time at all. You really want your steppers mounted firmly and accurately, and it's just way better to buy the dampers than try to rig something up out of plastic and o-rings or foam. Trust me on this one.
   
   
4. People said switch to Repetier, that's fine and true, but if you change the stepper drivers, add foam paddings, and add stepper dampers, especially if you're going to add an enclosure, it won't be necessary to change your firmware because the noise will already be decreased by like 98%. But, switching to repetier is an option.
   
   
5. Oh another thing, it's a little more involved, but depending on what your printers use for linear motion, you may want to switch them. The single largest source for noise in my printer was actually not vibration at all, it was the lm8uu linear bearings. Even high quality, expensive ones are noisy. Even if your printer is not using lm8uu's, anything that is metal on metal will create noise. First I tried to print my own, but that was also not worth it, because you want to get the best accuracy possible, it's worth it just to buy some igus drylin bushings. Depending on what your printer uses they have bushings for everything, lm8uu direct replacements, bushings for linear rails, etc. It'll cost a pretty penny but I changed my bearings to bushing first, before doing anything else, and it made my printer absolutely silent besides the stepper noise. It was incredible how much noise and vibration the bearings were creating. Then I just had to work on getting rid of the stepper noise.

Masalah cepet sih gw ngga punya alatnya untuk bener bener ukur. Tapi harusnya karena ukuran filternya ngga gede akan makan waktu cukup lama. Makanya kalau di kamar gw, filternya gw sambung ke timer, beberapa jam sebelum gw pulang kantor udah nyala.

Filter makin gede sih harusnya makin cepet bersihin udara juga. Kalau bisa ketemu filter yang ukuran 20" mestinya ideal.

Unfortunately, this design will have zero impact on PM2.5 pollution levels, which is what causes most of the long term health problems.

The data sheet for the suggested 3M Filtrete filters clearly states that they do not filter PM2.5 pollution. The MPR 2200 is designed to handle PM2.5 pollution, but it's only rated to remove 94% of particles per pass, compared to 99% for a proper HEPA filter. Additionally, this type of filter will have a high flow resistance, requiring a larger and noisier fan for a given air flow. So swapping to a properly rated filter is still going to result in a system that's only good for very small volumes.

A good air purifier needs three things: A way to accurately measure pollution levels, a HEPA filter capable of filtering 2.5µm particles, and a fan capable of recirculating sufficient air for the intended space.

A laser PM2.5 sensor costs $29. A HEPA+activated charcoal filter costs $95. A fan with sufficient static pressure to work with the filter and circulate enough air for a small room, with electronics, is about $76. There's probably $10 in a micro-controller and associated electronics to integrate the PM2.5 sensor with the fan, and then another $20-30 for a robust enclosure. So to build something that actually works will cost a minimum of about $220-230 USD.

To pay for assembly labour, and other overheads associated with manufacturing, certification, and support, a rule of thumb is to multiply the material costs by 2.5. Economies of scale can sometimes bring this down, but it's usually a good estimate. So to purchase a functional air purifier, you should expect to pay around $550 USD.

It shouldn't surprise anyone then that the ~900 RMB air purifiers produced by companies like Xiaomi "Leaves air unsafe for 86% of the time".

As long as the relay is optically isolated and rated for that much voltage, sure. And nothing line oriented connects to the pi side.

Here's an example. https://www.amazon.com/Opto-isolated-Optocoupler-Capability-Optimus-Electric/dp/B071JQ95GN

When I purchased my house I found that the previous owner had Air-Care washable filters installed. They are extremely high quality but appear to restrict airflow quit a bit. If you have over sized registers for high efficiency filters then I would recommend. I'm personally going to go with FC40 filters. They're 3" thick filters designed to fit in registers that are meant for 1" filters and are good for up to a year.

Id start with getting a box fan and buying some filters. I use these Aerostar 20x20x1 MERV 11 Pleated Air Filter, Made in the USA, 6-Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CR9K2HW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gz1YDbEFHAM9T

It will help with inhaling any spores and help you feel more steady. I wouldnt use the ac at all.

https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Washable-Furnace-Filter-Electrostatic/dp/B01MYD6LBX

Set a reminder on your phone to change out your air filter every 3 months.

This stuff works great - https://www.amazon.com/VEGA-Furnace-Vent-Conditioner-Filter/dp/B01M4FAQSK/ Most hardware stores will carry it. I think at my local Do-it-best hardware store its called "hogs hair" filter.

You led off by calling the smart speakers "wiretapping devices" which is disingenuous fearmongering. No, that's a bad way to make a discussion.

For more clarity, this is the type of chip that powers the hotword detection:
https://www.amazon.com/HM2007-Speech-Recognition-Integrated-Circuit/dp/B01D942E5C

As soon as this chip detects the hotword, it will spin up the real Alexa OS which then actually records your voice, and then, and only then, can you consider it a "wiretapping" device. And even still, that's a disingenuous assumption, and they are no more invasive for your privacy than the cookies on ads in Reddit, or Facebook, or literally anywhere else on the web.

I followed this tutorial a few months ago and its worked out pretty well. Used https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HTL3U6S/ and https://www.walmart.com/ip/Midea-International-20-in-WP-Black-Box-Fan/795907279

You won't find any inline fans that can move enough air through that hose. You are going to need an air intake and sound will move through and across the ventilation.

Are you prepared to get enough power into that box? You will need a 15 to 20 amp 120 VAC circuit per S9. You can use the spare current from a 20 amp circuit to run your blower or run it's own circuit. You can hit up craigslist for a household hvac blower and that will move enough air. You could probably use a few layers of air filters on the intake and exhaust to reduce the noise level but these will greatly reduce air flow so you will need a blower that is significantly more powerful than you might think.

You will be building a box shaped tunnel with a few layers of air filters on the front and back. You will need a divider to mount the blower; so you final shape will be more like two boxes with one open side on each and a hole for the blower in between. The open sides are where you will mount the air filters. I suggest something like these with two or more on the intake and exhaust.

First of all - your neighbors suck. I have a similar issue but no a/c just like having the window open and not have the room fill with smoke.

Maybe something like this will work? https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Pure-Carbon-Window-Filter/dp/B01MU1VG3K

Alternatively, this year I am going to rig up a garden mister outside and below the window to mist the air and hopefully trap the smoke. And maybe discourage the idiot smoker.

Unscrew the short green/yellow ground wire that is connected to the plastic connector and throw it away.
Get this: https://www.amazon.com/iLightingSupply-56-1815-19-Cordset-Covered-Plugsilver/dp/B01M1VI8TQ

Connect the SVT cable’s ground wire to the yellow wire on your lamp. Screw the two other SVT cables into the plastic connector on the opposite side of where the lamp wires are connected.

Mount the metal hook to an appropriate ceiling mount and connect the SVT plug to a power socket.

Thanks for the tips. Just to verify i'm reading this correctly. You're saying:

1. Change the 6" carbon filter to a 4" one
   
2. Remove the other one and purchase a fan and controller and hit up these things instead.
   
   fan, fan controller, filter
   
   Is there not that much a difference between a 4" and 6" carbon filter or is a 6" just overkill for my size?

These are the air filters we use in our home: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B5BK9GW/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_93w3Db3GMF9AP, which is home to a Maine Coon, two Chihuahuas, and two heavy pot smokers, who only smoke in the basement. I dust weekly and find that since we switched to these filters, I'm not picking up as much in my duster.

Scully VGC - 01455 2" X 2" VENTALARM GAUGE FOR 26"-27" TANKS https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017RQVU8K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_h2KLDbCFV830Q

I don’t think they make newer ones 1-1/2” with female. Get a 2” all the way around and use a 2”x1-1/2” reducing bushing.

Thanks for the info.
Do you think the fact that it's cold weather and we're using heat has anything to do with the problem appearing more recently?

Also do you have any recommendations on an air filter/MERV rating that might be good to try?

maybe this ?

Thanks!

Thanks! I was probably going to use one of these or these. I'm thinking building a duct and sending air through one 20x25 filter for each wall unit, and also for my air intake. Really sure how it will affect the units, although I was thinking I could add a boost fan later where needed.

...or maybe this one: better MERV

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Update Oct 17::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeImprovement/comments/diwk1p/air_exchange_upgrade_intake_filter_boost_fan/

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Nov. 4 Update::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ok, I've made some tentative new progress fixing my problem. I've basically decided I need to rebuild my crawlspace, and perhaps expand it in the process. I've come to realize that I think the vapor barrier was ripped when I had my initial problems with the groundhog, and at this point, doing a patch fix will be a major pain, and perhaps not good enough. Also I think some of the other groundhog proofing that was done DIY is probably causing some extra wood rot problems, and really should be removed. So I've come up with the plan to tear up the old crawlspace, and build a new one that goes the full width of the building, in the process installing a new vapor barrier, and adding a couple extra features to help with pest-proofing. In the end I should be left with a new 8'x25' tall crawlspace.

I've been in touch with a few contractors at this point, and have had a couple out to look at the site. I had one guy was obviously just trying to talk up the price, I was not able to get a quote from the other. I tried to get a quote from the concrete supplier although they couldn't quote me without a final plan. (I'm probably leaning more toward getting some handymen types to help me, at this point, as my initial contractor interactions have been mediocre to bad). In the mean time I've been looking into what materials I need. I went and bought some heavy duty plastic from Lowes the other day, and my roll of vapor-barrier-seam-tape just arrived today. I'm also thinking of getting a portable cement mixer, incase I decide to the project with bags(probably much cheaper that way). My local concrete supplier did provide some interesting ideas however about details/best-practices of doing the job: basically that it is a 2 part job, with a poured foundation, and then a masonry wall on top. Below is some "napkin math": I think I can probably get all of the materials for less than $2k, not including tool rentals(cement-pump, mixer, picks&shovels).

Pump trailers are not cheap: looks like the average cost to own is $30k-$50, although I guess it's just a question of how much a contractor would charge on the job. Also, I'm not sure if I actually need a pump, although pouring from the truck might be difficult(actually leaning more towards bags and a mixer at this point).

I'm still not sure about exactly what we want to do about the back wall. Does it need a back wall? part of the problem i'm trying to fix was that groundhogs dug around behind the old wall, and came in, ripping the plastic in the process. thinking perhaps I could do something clever with pavers on the outside to discourage this. and then there is the difficult quesiton of how to make the new plastic vapor barrier seamless with the old? looks like I've got my work cut out for me ;P