Air Purifier specific questions

[Sid.Stavros]

Gentlemen, although in the past i have smoked many times indoors my pipe, i have done lately some cigars and i realise that the remaining smell creates a problem to the family. Yes the door of the room was closed and the balcony door was open but: Winter is coming so i have to find a solution, i don't want to smoke out in the balcony and i can not have a dedicated room exclusively for smoking so i have to make things better in the room when i left it.

I was inspired by this video:

and i bought an Air Purifier with the below specifications:

Smart Wi-Fi option: Yes
Filtration percentage: 99.95%
Operating range: 22㎡
The amount of purified air (CADR): 200m³/h
Humidifier: No
Filter type: HEPA + activated carbon
Recommended filter replacement time: 6 months
Timer: Yes
Automatic mode: Yes
Filter replacement indicator: Yes

I already have test it 3 times and yes it works, things are far better than before (natural ventilation only) but i have some specific questions and i need your help.

a) when i am smoking, the balcony door must be one click open or i had to let the air purifier handle all the smoke?
b) when i leave the room i must let the air purifier in the timer and after 2-3 hours to open the balcony door or i must open it immediately when i leave the room?
c) the burst of fresh air will make the air purifier absorb the odour better or will increase it's task and make him work harder?

 

[Rod]

I've built a few indoor air scrubbers, not for removing dust/allergens, but specifically for odor reduction (ie: cigar smoke). If you're looking for something effective and cheap, you might try the following:

- 4" or 6" inline exhaust fan - 345 CFM should be plenty of power.
- 4" or 6" carbon filter
- Ducting (to connect them together)

You don't need a really powerful fan, depending upon the size of your room, a 6" should be more than enough. The carbon filters last a very long time; I've been using mine for years with no degradation. If you're going to exhaust the air to outside the room, then you would connect the carbon filter to the fan so that air is pulled from the filter and out the fan, then connect the ducting from the other side of the fan (where the air is blowing out) and place the ducting outside the room. This is the preferred method for fastest odor reduction. This method will allow you to pull fresh air into the room, opposed to recirculating the air (as described below). This method will most likely work to reduce odor faster. If you're exhausting it to outside, then you technically don't need the carbon filter, just a powerful inline fan.

You can also make it simple, and just connect the fan to the carbon filter, and blow the air through the filter (instead of sucking air through the filter and out the fan). You don't need to exhaust the air to the outside using this method. Either way works, as the carbon filter will remove odors whether it's pulling or pushing air.

I'm pretty sure a carbon filter is more effective at removing smoke odor than a hepa filter is. You can probably build this type of system for under $120.

You can also add a Hepa filter too if you like, then you have all bases covered.

 

[Sid.Stavros]

My first thought was an exhaust fan to lead out the smoke in the stairwell of the apartment building (and then to the roof) or outside the balcony.
As you can understand i have to demolish a wall, draw an electric line, put an extension plastic etc and this job is not revesrable plus will create a small mess (noise-debris) inside the room while making it.

 

[Rod]

My first thought was an exhaust fan to lead out the smoke in the stairwell of the apartment building (and then to the roof) or outside the balcony.
As you can understand i have to demolish a wall, draw an electric line, put an extension plastic etc and this job is not revesrable plus will create a small mess (noise-debris) inside the room while making it.

In this case, I would recommend just using the second option of recirculating the air without exhausting it outside. As described above, you would just connect the inline fan to the carbon filter and let it run. It'll circulate the air while scrubbing it through the charcoal filter. Perhaps put the system as close to where you smoke, so that it grabs most of the smoke right away. If you decide to try this, please keep us posted. Best of luck!

 

[Sid.Stavros]

Bad news

Yesterday i tried to do a simulation as experiment, winter, the door to the rest of the house closed and the balcony door slightly open, cigar smoking and the air purifier on the 2nd scale (it has 3) to see how much smoke it could absorb. After an hour, my wife tried to come in twice to talk to me, she started coughing and complaining loudly that she was suffocating, it smelled awful, she couldn't stand it, and finally she started whining because i stopped smoking a pipe in the room and started smoking a cigar, it's not nice, i will make everyone in the house to suffocate, etc.
When I left the room, i closed the door to the house and left the balcony door as it was with the air purifier working like that for another 4 hours.

Results:

1) the evening when i opened the room, there was still a lot of smell inside. I opened half the balcony door for the rest of the evening and unfortunately in the morning there were still remnants of the smell.
2) the so much exposure to smoke caused me cardiac arrhythmia and a drop in pulse to 28 (yes 28). I was one step away from calling the doctor! It took me several hours to recover and honestly I don't want to go through the same thing again. It turned out that the air purifier alone cannot absorb all the cigar smoke so i can't rely exclusively on it anymore.

If I opened the balcony door wider, a lot of smoke would escape, but at the same time, a lot of cold would come in so no real gain. If I have to smoke with the balcony door full open, then why to go out on the balcony wearing a jacket, etc? But this is not a pleasure thing, i can't drink coffee in peace or write on the computer while siting comfortable in my desk. I can't put my family through such torture again, ι can't hear so much grouchiness and of course expose my heart to such danger again.

The solutions as i see it are:
1) stop smoking cigars in the house
2) get a second air purifier or put another ''smoke killer" device in the room
3) drill a hole in the wall and put an exhaust fan to blow the smoke out and when i turn it off, it blocks the incoming air.

What is your opinion Gentlemen?

 

[lucasbuck]

Exhaust fan to create negative pressure quickly removing smoke is a must if at all possible. I wasn’t able to do this in my man cave as I’m in a rental but I have a window fan that works ok though less than ideal. Combined with a hepa and negative ion generator the residual smoke and smell is minimal. I use an ozone machine overnight for an hour if necessary and you would never know anyone smoked in there the next day.

 

[Rod]

As stated above, you really need an exhaust fan. An air purifier won't do much. I would try first recirculating the air with a good Australian carbon filter (option 1 above). If that does not work, you'll need to exhaust it and create negative airflow like @lucasbuck said.

Also, if you have clothes, curtains, or anything that can hold onto smoke in the room, exhausting air will do a lot, but smoke sticks to things...