Considering the price of replacement filters for Air Filtration Units, The Box-fan filter system looks like works great for the price difference. I Vote For The Box-fan 👍😉
Agree. You need to factor in the cost of the filters, how long they last and the electrical use. I'd say the box fan is the most cost-effective and probably uses less wattage. I'll be using one in my shop, mounted up high next to the ceiling to collect wood/sanding dust.
I wish you would have had the fog machine on for a certain amount of time and then turn on the fan see how many minutes it took to clear the room up. I think that would have made a better comparison
Yep. I have seen videos showing a huge amount of mosquitos (thousands) killed in a week with a setup by a screen door where they congregate. The box fans don't draw too much current and move mass volumes of air over a 24 hour period. Usually under $5.00 per month.
I have built a similar setup and I do have a PM sensor. I can confirm that it DOES reduce the PM count by a significant amount especially if there is no intake of outside pollution (windows/doors closed). I was able to reduce AQI from 162 to around ~40, it is significant. It took approximately 2 hours to do this, in a regular apartment living room + open kitchen. The sensor I use is a PMS7003 which is a well known laser particulate matter sensor, measuring PM2.5 and PM10. It's not laboratory grade but it clearly shows that these filters are good. I used a FPR 10 Honeywell 10x10x1 filter. And by the way after only a few days the filter color changed from white to a noticeably brownish tint, another proof that it catches stuff in the air. Even if I have to change the filter monthly I'd happily pay the $20 they want and keep my air clean !
It's not as powerful as I thought it would be, but it works very well. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxGjG43--gYqIoT4Xkur2PqCrtbKwTv2h6 There are three options to circulate air, and best of all a remote control for us lazy people. Installation was a breeze (no pun intended). It actually took longer to open the box then it did putting the side extenders on and sitting it in the window opening. It's a perfect alternative when you want airflow, but not the AC. Just might order another one for a different room. UPDATE: Bought another one like I said. They work great. Why not have two...
Dude I watched the video three times and the 20 x 20Box fan actually kicked ass it’s awesome both had blow by if you look closely the Honeywell is blowing the smoke directly straight up into the air as well as pulling it through the front. I thought the box fan did I neater a job of containing it. Even though the box fan had a little blow bye the blow by was pulled back in through the intake side of the fan and digest it, just awesome!!!
There is a clip of "This old house" where they created a filtering system using a Box fan and 4 filters. They setup the Filters at 90 degree angles to each other standing (so it made a topless Cube) and placed the Box fan on top of them, lying down pointing up. So the air would be sucked in from all around, through the filters then Up through the fan. That seems to mimic what the HP filter is doing. Might be something to try to see if that gives you a better performance.
This method is better because it increases the surface area that the fan is able to pull air from. Rather than trying to breathe through a 20x20, it can breathe through an 80x80. The weaker box fan won’t have to work so hard to do the same amount of work
That design you described was suggested for use at elementary schools at the rise of Covid-19. The filters are about $20 a piece. I've got a box frame with no grill mesh thanks to my friend tripping over it and cracking the plastic all to hell. I imagine I could repurpose it by making a filter box for one side and attaching a new metal grill to the other side for safety. That would please my friend since he's a into air purification.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this! I have been researching these things to try to find a good air purifier for a reasonable price and it’s almost impossible there’s so much scam junk out there! I was hoping I might find something like this and you are the only one that had the guts to do it! Thanks again!
It's an absolute godsend. I live in Portland and added a MERV 13/FPR10 filter to our 1 boxfan. It's taking care of our smog (500+ AQI) that flows into the apartment when we have to go anywhere. I'll have to get my family checked in to a doctor because we've been exposed for 2 days and we don't know if this could hurt us in the long term.
@@Aethelbeorn You should look into adding some sort of charcoal filter on that too. The hepa filter will help with the smoke part of the smog, but some of the nastier stuff can still get through.
The reason good purifiers blow air up is to keep from kicking up contaminants from the floor. If you build the DIY version make the version with four filters in a box configuration and fan blowing up.
jason... you said the only smart thing i read here today.. the last piece of the puzzle.. and some idiot says a table, yea the table doesn't work. but this mad man jason just spoon fed us the blueprint. and looking at mine i know this is true, thats what it looks like inside it would just be missing the censor that i never trust anyways
@@hoovesandpawsanimalrescue sensors* ..and back to the dumbest comments not worth reading... thanks again Jason, for still the only smart thing i ever read on youtube, i built one for me and one for my mom, probably saved our lungs maybe our lives.. i think im much more energetic than the people who suffered through the terrible smoke.
It's really just scatering the smoke to the point you don't see it more than really filtering it. Prob need to use dust or something then check the filter after a timmed experiment. I'm sure it's filtering either way. Dyson makes the worst air filter and it's like 700$ it's sad lol
Thank you so much! I was going to buy a Honeywell but have seen so many people do these DIYs, wanted to see how good it worked. Your video came just in time!!!
Have fun replacing a $40+ hepa filter every month instead of every 3+ months & having a less efficient means of filtering air bc a box fan does not circulate efficiently bc it does not point to the ceiling.
Wow! This is the first time i've seen your channel and i'm blown away! What a smart guy. I can't wait to try the box fan system. I've spent so much $$$ on air purifiers/filters (huge racket, my opinion). I think if the box fan is on low the blow-by won't occur as much. Thank you for being a great American and helping all of us.
Thanks for the great video. I think this video was the first of many that made me realize the efficiency of box fans is all in the blowing, not the sucking. The Honeywell is designed specifically to suck air in and then blow it out vs the design of the fan is simply just to blow air in a specific direction regardless of where it gets the air from. I think I’ll experiment with this design a little. Thanks again for giving me more to think about!
After seeing this a lot, I have had a plan tossing around my head about doing this with two high cfm bathroom fans, a wooden frame, and just a standard filter of whatever size fits where I need it. I like the idea of just a box fan and a great furnace filter, but the fan inside isn't really made for it with all the empty space between the blades. Still it's a fun project to try! Great video man! :D
Vapor/smoke and dust are different things. The fancy unit will probably remove the vapor/smoke a little better. However, for shop dust, the box fan is probably a more economic choice. Not only because the fan is cheaper, but that the replacement filters are probably much cheaper also.
No it won’t the only thing that actually does any work is the filter rating plus the fan speed or CFM. You should buy an merv 10-13 rated hepa filter and a box fan with a high CFM so it cycles more air.
Omg. I love my Honeywell air purifier. I had to purchase one bc of allergies. Ever since I got one, I don't cough anymore. If you can not afford a Honeywell purifier, amazon has a payment plan option. They take first payment then send it to you. The best purifier ever.
This video is only comparing the huge, VISIBLE particulates in the air (smoke). The HPA300 has a HEPA filter rated to eliminate 99.97% of airborne allergens and particles. Those other filters can't come close to that. Smaller invisible particulates will flow right through those filters. So the final question you need to ask yourself is: what type of particulates do I want/need removed? Here is what it says on the website: HEPA Filtration: helps capture up to 99.97% of the following microscopic airborne allergens and particles: dust, pollen, pet dander, dust mite debris and smoke. I have 3 of these in my 2700sqft house to lower dust and allergens. They are much cheaper than Air Doctors and do a little better job than them too. We LOVE them!
You changed the conditions for the second unit by moving it further away. Not saying it would change the results but we'll never know. Only change 1 variable at a time.
With these kinds of devices, the efficiency is in the filter itself. The fan only determines how fast the filter is going to get clogged :) So noone blessed with a good sense would spend 10x for the commercial product, also considering its proprietary replaceable filters are probably going to be more expensive as well.
I agree, especially when you could get high-end MERV filters for the box fans and get the same preformance; while still being cheaper than the propietary Air Purifier filters.
The air purifier’s take specific filters which are expensive and you have to look online to find them. The box fan is cheap and the filters aren’t expensive, easy to find and come in many merv ratings. You really need a particle counter to add to the testing as well to have more comparison testing but both ways work very well.
Not to mention if you could get multiple box fans for the less than the price of a purifier. With smart plugs you have a pretty integrated home filtration set up.
They're expensive because they're HEPA filters, which much higher quality and filter extremely small particles at more effective rate than typical furnace filters.
I literally just bought that same cheap box fan and have only had time to test it without the filter against a $60 round fan. The round fan blows more air. As for the filter, I chose to use the two-filter design for space. Two filters will reduce the resistance in air flow making the fan more efficient. The real question is: What is the time to clean the air in your shop worth? If they both keep up with your shop, Is the cost of your Honeywell and replacement filters worth the "pretty" you get? If not, what is the time difference worth? If your Honeywell clears the air in 30 seconds and the box fan cleans it in 45 seconds, what is it worth to you to take your mask off 15 seconds sooner? In my 9x9 utility room as a hobbyist, the fan will have to do for me, LOL.
Thanks for the video. For the garage, or a guy - the box fan by a mile. Check around on youtube - for other versions that use multiple filters and thus increase the throughput - they do even better.
I don't think the Honeywell did any better than the box fan. They both did a great job of removing the fog, and I actually think the fan was faster and I don't think it ruined the filter. The fog juice is just glycerin and demineralized water vapor.
If you pointed the box fan filter at a doorway, you would greatly increase its efficiency. The coanda effect will compensate for the restriction caused by the filter
What was the rating of the filter you used on the box fan? Also, your results will vary depending on what you're trying to filter. If you're using this to filter large dust particles, any filter should be OK. If you're trying to reduce risk for COVID, a MERV13 or better is recommended.
I use a high performance box fan, the $30 one instead of the $20 one. I attached a 2” MRV 12 filter. Works great. Going to see how the filter affects air flow, and if need to, will change it from one filter to two (triangle), or four (cube). The two inch provided so much more surface area, so air flow should be good.
"LASKO" (fan maker) has FINALLY caught on and began manufacturing a box fan with a similar HEPA filter compartment in the back. The Compartment opens and you simply slide in a cleaned or replacement filter right in and you're good to go. Far far cheaper than a standard air purifier and much better suited for a garage, shop, or even a home but in a hidden area.
Had to modify mine to accept the cord that plugs into the back/middle. I lost the ability to control the speed too, but low power is perfect for my apartment. Thanks for the idea!
you could use an old salvaged blower fan out of an old furnace and a filter, maybe the whole blower assembly with the burners removed so it drafts from the bottom of the machine and ejects out through the top with a custom plenum, or just open top and get similar performance as the honeywell at a cheaper price, interesting to see the difference in flow and performance
We have 2-3 of the box fan sets going year round. They aren't perfect, but they do well. Our furnace is from 1986 and has the old style cut yourself from the roll filters that don't do much.
The box fan air flow is being restricted too much. A box fan can move a lot of air but the single 1" filter is restricting airflow. If you made a 6 sided cube of filters with 1 side for the fan you would be surprised how much more air it will move. Doing some quick checking and the Honeywell appears to be a Hepa filter system which includes both a prefilter and a carbon filter.
In a working shop, as long as the saw dust is moving away from your station and up through the filtration, the "amount of suction" matter less. Its about consistent air flow away from your face. I have about 400sqft of shop and use a single WEN 3410. I turn it on low about 30 minutes before working and get the air moving. Then leave it on throughout the day and set the timer for 2 hours when I leave. Seems to work really well. On really dusty days I turn it up to medium. Surface dust is VERY minimal. The box fan mod works but you need a good filter on both sides to come anywhere close to a proper shop filtration unit.
A 1 inch thick filter is going to choke the airflow. You need more surface area by getting a thicker filter to get more suction. If you make a box of filters 20x20x2 and put the fan on it you can have the same if not better results. Right now I'm using a 5 inch thick filter on the back of my fan. This is how I learned it anyways but I'm by no means an expert. Feel free to correct me. :p
I built two Corsi-Rosenthal boxes, one for my garage shop and one for the room with the cat litter boxes. Little to no cat odor and fresh, clean air in the garage. Unless you're just rolling in money, the box fan approach works really well.
Looking to do this to my window fans, when CA fire season hit last year it was either wake up with a smoke hangover or burn up in the heat of the apartment.
What is the fogger putting out and what is he filter taped to the box fan? The air purifier has a hepa filter which is expensive and traps down to .03 microns. The box fan won’t stop mold spores. You would not want that blowing with a mold contamination
The HPA300's work well. They have HEPA filter + Carbon filter so they can also help reduce odors, VOC's, etc. You can find 20x20x 1 filters that would fit a box fan, that have baking soda for odor control. The Key is to get a FEP 10 or MERV 13 filter. He claims the HPA300's are $300....I bought 1 for $210 when they were in high demand, and later 1 for $175 when they weren't. You can also buy MERV 13 filters for your furnace and those help a lot too. Check amazon...or home depot.
I'm using a MERV 13 on a box fan and another on a circular osculating fan that I jerryrigged with cardboard and tape out of necessity to keep the smog clear in my apartment. I live in Portland, OR and all air purifiers are sold out. Can't find any available within a 200 mile radius. Amazon is having issues with deliveries because of the wildfires and high delivery volumes. It's very scary to live in an area that had, at some times, out of index air quality readings. I'm very worried of the long term health effects to the homeless and the newly homeless due to the evacuations.
Great video! This kind of air purifier is still very good to use. I bought a renhotecic brand purifier at the time, and it felt very good to use. If you need it, you can prepare one.
Thank you for the demo! I live on a budget so the diy appeals to me. I was wondering, for the the diy, does it matter where you place the filter, in front or back of the fan? I'm thinking if placed in the front, there would be more air suction from back, but not sure if that would make fan work harder? Possibly over heat? Thank you!
I do not have a direct answer but I have built the same setup with the filter on the back of the fan (suction side). I did not notice any overheating and I have measured a significant drop in PM pollution in my air with a PM sensor. I bought the cheapest box fan from Home Depot and a Honeywell 20x20x1 FPR10 filter.
I always put the filter on the suction side, as the fan suction holds the filter on that way, and it keeps the fan cleaner by filtering the dust out of the air before it reaches the fan. Either way the fan works equally hard because you are still pushing or pulling the air through the same filter. I've been doing this for years, both for smoke and dust and never had a fan overheat. I usually run the fan on low speed.
I put mine on the back of the fan. But I also didn’t stick the filter directly to the back of the fan like he did. I saw other people using a cardboard box between the fan and filter. It made about a 3 inch air gap between back of fan and filter. I taped the heck out of everything so it’s sealed. If you use a furnace filter, be sure to read the directions. There’s arrows that tell you the direction of air flow
You are inhibiting the fan from sucking air in to some extent by placing it on the back. Also that accelerated air being pushed directing into the filter rather than being pulled into the filter is way more efficient in terms of actually cleaning the air. If you're more concerned with keeping the blades clean put it on the back.
I'm building my box fan set up now. I appreciate your heart in doing this, but your test is skewed. The positions of each unit to the "Ground Fogger" (GF) is not at all comparable to the other in that: 1. Proximity and angle to GF; 2. Direction of the respective air intake, but more importantly in this test, the exhaust. Vertical vs horizontal exhaust is the determining factor of airflow in your test. Try that again, bc I'd like to see if I'm out of my head or not. Either way, thanks for your work.
The only issue I could fathom is stress on the box fan motor over time due to restriction.. But, it's an air filter and a cheap box fan. Disposable. Great video (I'm buying an air filter for my lady, asthma, dust, dog hair... Couldn't hurt to have it)
My friend tripped over my box fan, cracked the grills, bent the frame and snapped the handle. Despite this the fan and motor still works. He thinks I'm an idiot for keeping the frame but I'd just deep cleaned the whole thing and motor before his incident. I figure I can repurpose it somehow, maybe I could strap some air filters onto it and make my own cheap purifier. Hes dropping wads on fancy devices with touch panels and I could just strap a HEPA onto this one. I had a mesh on the back to catch flying insects and that worked great.
Is he mentioning what rating the filters are in each? Isn't that the whole point? Also what is the typical cost of a 20x20x1 furnace filter vs a stand alone air purifier?
The HEPA filtration, pollen, smoke , airborne virus and bacteria and can do a much larger area. Yeah man. Your shop Fan is a shop great idea. But it doesn't replace the Honeywell.
Hrm, not sure what the fogger shows other than air flow. Dust retention in the filter, airborne residue removal, and particulate control would be more useful information for our shops I'd presume. Especially with sawdust from sanding, or paint particulates that don't immediately get vented out by the exhaust fan.
I think your test is flawed. You say the Honeywell draws more air. Of course it does, the filter is down stream of the fan. Using the box fan the filter is up stream - the filter, in this case, actually reducing air flow. I use the same box fan setup with the filter on the down stream side of the fan. It would be interesting to see your test again with the box fan filter down stream. I do like how you used duct tape to seal the filter. I'll have to do that with mine. As of now my filter is just taped on - no sealing.
The 30 dollar idea sounds great. I'm not sure how hot the little engine in the fan would get, i would eit periodically. all in all it's a great little nugget.
Box fan filter technically should mount on the exhaust side to prevent the motor from over heating. Also, add a thin charcoal filter pad to add extra stank removal
So, it looks like you have taped the box fan off to mimic the circle of the fan. Did you duct the inside that way as well? Ducting the fan leaving less that 1/2" between the blades and the ducts should make it pull much harder. Also, going from a 1" thick filter to a 2" thick filter will double the filtration area and significantly reduce the pressure drop. I used the exact same fan as you did and a 2" filter to create an air purifier for my bedroom. I run my fan on medium to reduce the noise and it appears to pull at least as well as yours does.
In my opinion the fan worked just as good. The HPA wasn't 10x better so the fan is the better choice. I understand for aesthetics wanting the filter in the house but I was surprised how close it was.
I agree. You would need to build a larger structure, but I think the increased filter surface would reduce the drag on the fan motor as well as capture the “blow by” particle in the air. Regarding the aesthetics of the device, the more effort placed into the design and finish of the structure will determine how pleasing the look of the end result. The cost of the Honeywell device is mainly in the “looks” of the end product. A very good solution to annual pollen allergies that plague a large population of sufferers.
I have four 20x20x2 Merv 13 filters that make a cube. Cardboard on the bottom and a box fan on top. My partner is a smoker and we can see the smoke being sucked into the filters.
I think the freaking box fan was not bad. Two of them box would do better than the Honeywell... I don't know. I think the company is gonna hate you for that... Now the box fans are gonna go through the roof now thanks to you lol. Nice video Budd....will be doing this in my garage.
I think the "cost" is usually in a static/ionizer generator that most of the better units have..... personally like waiting till they show up at thrift, bought some 3 of them from different brands with fairly generic filters which makes it cheap to maintain:)
I have had both in my house for a few years. The Honeywell is better for allergens so I use it in my sons room but the box fan is better for the volume of dog hair/dander it can hold.
Considering the price of replacement filters for Air Filtration Units, The Box-fan filter system looks like works great for the price difference.
I Vote For The Box-fan 👍😉
Agree. You need to factor in the cost of the filters, how long they last and the electrical use. I'd say the box fan is the most cost-effective and probably uses less wattage. I'll be using one in my shop, mounted up high next to the ceiling to collect wood/sanding dust.
What kind brand and specifications of filter you are using
Unless you have serious health issues I definitely think the box fan is best
I added a 4 inch filter with a merv rating of 13 and it worked even better with less stress on the fan motor.
I wish you would have had the fog machine on for a certain amount of time and then turn on the fan see how many minutes it took to clear the room up. I think that would have made a better comparison
A box fan with porch screen on the suction side is literally one of the most effective mosquito catchers ever.
Yep. I have seen videos showing a huge amount of mosquitos (thousands) killed in a week with a setup by a screen door where they congregate. The box fans don't draw too much current and move mass volumes of air over a 24 hour period. Usually under $5.00 per month.
I have built a similar setup and I do have a PM sensor. I can confirm that it DOES reduce the PM count by a significant amount especially if there is no intake of outside pollution (windows/doors closed). I was able to reduce AQI from 162 to around ~40, it is significant. It took approximately 2 hours to do this, in a regular apartment living room + open kitchen. The sensor I use is a PMS7003 which is a well known laser particulate matter sensor, measuring PM2.5 and PM10. It's not laboratory grade but it clearly shows that these filters are good. I used a FPR 10 Honeywell 10x10x1 filter. And by the way after only a few days the filter color changed from white to a noticeably brownish tint, another proof that it catches stuff in the air. Even if I have to change the filter monthly I'd happily pay the $20 they want and keep my air clean !
The box fan is fine with me.
I honestly don’t think the Honeywell is much better. From the angle of the camera, we can see the same results
Same…. But I’ve already spent $350 on this very same air purifier nearly 2 years ago
Ditto. I think a gang of smoke went around the sides of the purifier
This test tested nothing.
It's not as powerful as I thought it would be, but it works very well. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxGjG43--gYqIoT4Xkur2PqCrtbKwTv2h6 There are three options to circulate air, and best of all a remote control for us lazy people. Installation was a breeze (no pun intended). It actually took longer to open the box then it did putting the side extenders on and sitting it in the window opening. It's a perfect alternative when you want airflow, but not the AC. Just might order another one for a different room. UPDATE: Bought another one like I said. They work great. Why not have two...
Dude I watched the video three times and the 20 x 20Box fan actually kicked ass it’s awesome both had blow by if you look closely the Honeywell is blowing the smoke directly straight up into the air as well as pulling it through the front. I thought the box fan did I neater a job of containing it. Even though the box fan had a little blow bye the blow by was pulled back in through the intake side of the fan and digest it, just awesome!!!
There is a clip of "This old house" where they created a filtering system using a Box fan and 4 filters. They setup the Filters at 90 degree angles to each other standing (so it made a topless Cube) and placed the Box fan on top of them, lying down pointing up. So the air would be sucked in from all around, through the filters then Up through the fan. That seems to mimic what the HP filter is doing. Might be something to try to see if that gives you a better performance.
ua-cam.com/video/aw7fUMhNov8/v-deo.html
This method is better because it increases the surface area that the fan is able to pull air from. Rather than trying to breathe through a 20x20, it can breathe through an 80x80. The weaker box fan won’t have to work so hard to do the same amount of work
20x20x2 MERV 13 = GOLD
That design you described was suggested for use at elementary schools at the rise of Covid-19. The filters are about $20 a piece. I've got a box frame with no grill mesh thanks to my friend tripping over it and cracking the plastic all to hell. I imagine I could repurpose it by making a filter box for one side and attaching a new metal grill to the other side for safety. That would please my friend since he's a into air purification.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this! I have been researching these things to try to find a good air purifier for a reasonable price and it’s almost impossible there’s so much scam junk out there! I was hoping I might find something like this and you are the only one that had the guts to do it! Thanks again!
I’ve always heard this works but this is the first time I’ve actually SEEN it. Thanks! Now I don’t feel like I wasted $20 on the filter.
It's an absolute godsend. I live in Portland and added a MERV 13/FPR10 filter to our 1 boxfan. It's taking care of our smog (500+ AQI) that flows into the apartment when we have to go anywhere.
I'll have to get my family checked in to a doctor because we've been exposed for 2 days and we don't know if this could hurt us in the long term.
Aethelbeorn I’ve had it for a week (I’m north of you in Washington) and it’s pure grey. Hope you/we get some relief soon. It’s no joke out there.
@@FitWithKT FEMA sent out a flood warning. Starting 2am today to 5 am tomorrow. This should help hopefully since its near the fires near Estecada
@@Aethelbeorn You should look into adding some sort of charcoal filter on that too. The hepa filter will help with the smoke part of the smog, but some of the nastier stuff can still get through.
The reason good purifiers blow air up is to keep from kicking up contaminants from the floor. If you build the DIY version make the version with four filters in a box configuration and fan blowing up.
or, you could put it on a table.
jason... you said the only smart thing i read here today.. the last piece of the puzzle.. and some idiot says a table, yea the table doesn't work. but this mad man jason just spoon fed us the blueprint. and looking at mine i know this is true, thats what it looks like inside it would just be missing the censor that i never trust anyways
@@mrl3285 sensor…
@@hoovesandpawsanimalrescue sensors* ..and back to the dumbest comments not worth reading... thanks again Jason, for still the only smart thing i ever read on youtube, i built one for me and one for my mom, probably saved our lungs maybe our lives.. i think im much more energetic than the people who suffered through the terrible smoke.
It's really just scatering the smoke to the point you don't see it more than really filtering it. Prob need to use dust or something then check the filter after a timmed experiment. I'm sure it's filtering either way. Dyson makes the worst air filter and it's like 700$ it's
sad lol
Thank you so much! I was going to buy a Honeywell but have seen so many people do these DIYs, wanted to see how good it worked. Your video came just in time!!!
Have fun replacing a $40+ hepa filter every month instead of every 3+ months & having a less efficient means of filtering air bc a box fan does not circulate efficiently bc it does not point to the ceiling.
One of THE BEST
Review video test
Thank you much for your time brother
God bless you and your family
One of the best review about air purifier...
Wow! This is the first time i've seen your channel and i'm blown away! What a smart guy. I can't wait to try the box fan system. I've spent so much $$$ on air purifiers/filters (huge racket, my opinion). I think if the box fan is on low the blow-by won't occur as much. Thank you for being a great American and helping all of us.
I have two box fans in my small wood shop. Works like a charm. Cost 90 bucks with a bulk order of 20 filters.
Thanks for the great video. I think this video was the first of many that made me realize the efficiency of box fans is all in the blowing, not the sucking. The Honeywell is designed specifically to suck air in and then blow it out vs the design of the fan is simply just to blow air in a specific direction regardless of where it gets the air from. I think I’ll experiment with this design a little. Thanks again for giving me more to think about!
After seeing this a lot, I have had a plan tossing around my head about doing this with two high cfm bathroom fans, a wooden frame, and just a standard filter of whatever size fits where I need it. I like the idea of just a box fan and a great furnace filter, but the fan inside isn't really made for it with all the empty space between the blades. Still it's a fun project to try! Great video man! :D
Who’s here after buying an air purifier?
👋🏽
Me 👋 lol
👋
Lmao me
Vapor/smoke and dust are different things. The fancy unit will probably remove the vapor/smoke a little better. However, for shop dust, the box fan is probably a more economic choice. Not only because the fan is cheaper, but that the replacement filters are probably much cheaper also.
No it won’t the only thing that actually does any work is the filter rating plus the fan speed or CFM.
You should buy an merv 10-13 rated hepa filter and a box fan with a high CFM so it cycles more air.
ya shop dust is just too much for expensive filter. better with cheaper option fan box.
Omg. I love my Honeywell air purifier. I had to purchase one bc of allergies. Ever since I got one, I don't cough anymore. If you can not afford a Honeywell purifier, amazon has a payment plan option. They take first payment then send it to you. The best purifier ever.
This video is only comparing the huge, VISIBLE particulates in the air (smoke). The HPA300 has a HEPA filter rated to eliminate 99.97% of airborne allergens and particles. Those other filters can't come close to that. Smaller invisible particulates will flow right through those filters. So the final question you need to ask yourself is: what type of particulates do I want/need removed? Here is what it says on the website:
HEPA Filtration: helps capture up to 99.97% of the following microscopic airborne allergens and particles: dust, pollen, pet dander, dust mite debris and smoke.
I have 3 of these in my 2700sqft house to lower dust and allergens. They are much cheaper than Air Doctors and do a little better job than them too. We LOVE them!
I'm going the box fan route myself.
From VietNam 🇻🇳 with love, i’m so love your experience ❤️
You changed the conditions for the second unit by moving it further away. Not saying it would change the results but we'll never know.
Only change 1 variable at a time.
Nice vid. I appreciated your 'FAN-freaking-tastic' pun.
With these kinds of devices, the efficiency is in the filter itself. The fan only determines how fast the filter is going to get clogged :) So noone blessed with a good sense would spend 10x for the commercial product, also considering its proprietary replaceable filters are probably going to be more expensive as well.
I agree, especially when you could get high-end MERV filters for the box fans and get the same preformance; while still being cheaper than the propietary Air Purifier filters.
The air purifier’s take specific filters which are expensive and you have to look online to find them. The box fan is cheap and the filters aren’t expensive, easy to find and come in many merv ratings. You really need a particle counter to add to the testing as well to have more comparison testing but both ways work very well.
Not to mention if you could get multiple box fans for the less than the price of a purifier. With smart plugs you have a pretty integrated home filtration set up.
They're expensive because they're HEPA filters, which much higher quality and filter extremely small particles at more effective rate than typical furnace filters.
@@wmp89 also sold out right now. Had to buy Chinese knock offs. But yeah, the Honeywell is worth every penny.
@@wmp89 : Pollen and dust only need a MERV4+ filter. Not all filtering objectives require a HEPA filter.
Then use a box fan with a HEPA filter
Thank you, I did this with a box fan and the Honeywell allergen plus fpr 10 furnace filter from home Depot and it was amazing
Great demonstration. Thank you for the video. 👍🏼👍🏼
The Wood magazine ran this test and they were surprised by how well the box fan worked beating some of the more expensive air cleaners.
2 box fans would work the same if not better than the Honeywell and still less than half the price
i made 4 for 4 corners of my tiny shop. lol
cost me $120 including wood for their boxes, hooks&chains for hanging, filters
Indeed you R correct!
20%
@@ValorantRivals you did see the words ‘less than’, yes? Ok then
Love Honeywell
I literally just bought that same cheap box fan and have only had time to test it without the filter against a $60 round fan. The round fan blows more air. As for the filter, I chose to use the two-filter design for space. Two filters will reduce the resistance in air flow making the fan more efficient.
The real question is: What is the time to clean the air in your shop worth? If they both keep up with your shop, Is the cost of your Honeywell and replacement filters worth the "pretty" you get? If not, what is the time difference worth? If your Honeywell clears the air in 30 seconds and the box fan cleans it in 45 seconds, what is it worth to you to take your mask off 15 seconds sooner?
In my 9x9 utility room as a hobbyist, the fan will have to do for me, LOL.
Thanks for the video.
For the garage, or a guy - the box fan by a mile.
Check around on youtube - for other versions that use multiple filters and thus increase the throughput - they do even better.
Great demonstration. I can't believe it worked at all.
I don't think the Honeywell did any better than the box fan. They both did a great job of removing the fog, and I actually think the fan was faster and I don't think it ruined the filter. The fog juice is just glycerin and demineralized water vapor.
If you pointed the box fan filter at a doorway, you would greatly increase its efficiency. The coanda effect will compensate for the restriction caused by the filter
Nice video. Did you sell the intro to torque test channel, assuming you have seen its the exact same ?
Great video! I came across your vid, because I was thinking of a way to fit a filter into a round, table top fan. This proves, it's possible.
Thanks, I'm keeping my Box fan filter. It works incredibly well.
What was the rating of the filter you used on the box fan?
Also, your results will vary depending on what you're trying to filter. If you're using this to filter large dust particles, any filter should be OK. If you're trying to reduce risk for COVID, a MERV13 or better is recommended.
He said at the beginning he's cutting down dust in the shop.
He is definitely trying to filter covid. lol
Lol. Risk for covid. Bahaha. Ok
@@jamesbizs Curse those facts about viruses!
Box fan for me, thank you for taking the time to make the video
I use a high performance box fan, the $30 one instead of the $20 one. I attached a 2” MRV 12 filter. Works great. Going to see how the filter affects air flow, and if need to, will change it from one filter to two (triangle), or four (cube). The two inch provided so much more surface area, so air flow should be good.
"LASKO" (fan maker) has FINALLY caught on and began manufacturing a box fan with a similar HEPA filter compartment in the back. The Compartment opens and you simply slide in a cleaned or replacement filter right in and you're good to go. Far far cheaper than a standard air purifier and much better suited for a garage, shop, or even a home but in a hidden area.
That box fan kicks ass that's a really good idea
for the price you could easily setup 2 or 3 box fans, probably at a lower energy cost too.
You really wouldn't need to. One box fan can move enough air on it's own provided you have the right setup - ua-cam.com/video/aw7fUMhNov8/v-deo.html
Had to modify mine to accept the cord that plugs into the back/middle. I lost the ability to control the speed too, but low power is perfect for my apartment. Thanks for the idea!
Honeywell HPA 300: CFM 320. Lasko box fan: CFM 1820. Honeywell filter pack: $100! Lasko filter: $34 for a MERV 13 3M Filtrete. Duct tape $5! :)
you could use an old salvaged blower fan out of an old furnace and a filter, maybe the whole blower assembly with the burners removed so it drafts from the bottom of the machine and ejects out through the top with a custom plenum, or just open top and get similar performance as the honeywell at a cheaper price, interesting to see the difference in flow and performance
We have 2-3 of the box fan sets going year round. They aren't perfect, but they do well. Our furnace is from 1986 and has the old style cut yourself from the roll filters that don't do much.
The box fan air flow is being restricted too much. A box fan can move a lot of air but the single 1" filter is restricting airflow. If you made a 6 sided cube of filters with 1 side for the fan you would be surprised how much more air it will move.
Doing some quick checking and the Honeywell appears to be a Hepa filter system which includes both a prefilter and a carbon filter.
In a working shop, as long as the saw dust is moving away from your station and up through the filtration, the "amount of suction" matter less. Its about consistent air flow away from your face. I have about 400sqft of shop and use a single WEN 3410. I turn it on low about 30 minutes before working and get the air moving. Then leave it on throughout the day and set the timer for 2 hours when I leave. Seems to work really well. On really dusty days I turn it up to medium. Surface dust is VERY minimal. The box fan mod works but you need a good filter on both sides to come anywhere close to a proper shop filtration unit.
try the same box fan with 4 inch filter. 1 inch has more restriction so it wont blow too much
A 1 inch thick filter is going to choke the airflow. You need more surface area by getting a thicker filter to get more suction. If you make a box of filters 20x20x2 and put the fan on it you can have the same if not better results. Right now I'm using a 5 inch thick filter on the back of my fan. This is how I learned it anyways but I'm by no means an expert. Feel free to correct me. :p
Thanks for this demonstration, super helpful!!
Wasn't it. I'm going to try that fan method too.
Thanks for this I purchased a Honeywell and am going to make some Corsi-Rosenthal ones too.
This is the kind of science we need.
Great vid! How many watts does the Honeywell use? Thanks!
I built two Corsi-Rosenthal boxes, one for my garage shop and one for the room with the cat litter boxes. Little to no cat odor and fresh, clean air in the garage. Unless you're just rolling in money, the box fan approach works really well.
This was a pretty darned good example. I've got to build myself a couple of those box fan filters. :)
Looking to do this to my window fans, when CA fire season hit last year it was either wake up with a smoke hangover or burn up in the heat of the apartment.
What is the fogger putting out and what is he filter taped to the box fan? The air purifier has a hepa filter which is expensive and traps down to .03 microns. The box fan won’t stop mold spores. You would not want that blowing with a mold contamination
The HPA300's work well. They have HEPA filter + Carbon filter so they can also help reduce odors, VOC's, etc. You can find 20x20x 1 filters that would fit a box fan, that have baking soda for odor control. The Key is to get a FEP 10 or MERV 13 filter. He claims the HPA300's are $300....I bought 1 for $210 when they were in high demand, and later 1 for $175 when they weren't. You can also buy MERV 13 filters for your furnace and those help a lot too. Check amazon...or home depot.
I'm using a MERV 13 on a box fan and another on a circular osculating fan that I jerryrigged with cardboard and tape out of necessity to keep the smog clear in my apartment. I live in Portland, OR and all air purifiers are sold out. Can't find any available within a 200 mile radius. Amazon is having issues with deliveries because of the wildfires and high delivery volumes.
It's very scary to live in an area that had, at some times, out of index air quality readings. I'm very worried of the long term health effects to the homeless and the newly homeless due to the evacuations.
Great video! This kind of air purifier is still very good to use. I bought a renhotecic brand purifier at the time, and it felt very good to use. If you need it, you can prepare one.
Thank you for the demo! I live on a budget so the diy appeals to me. I was wondering, for the the diy, does it matter where you place the filter, in front or back of the fan? I'm thinking if placed in the front, there would be more air suction from back, but not sure if that would make fan work harder? Possibly over heat? Thank you!
I do not have a direct answer but I have built the same setup with the filter on the back of the fan (suction side). I did not notice any overheating and I have measured a significant drop in PM pollution in my air with a PM sensor. I bought the cheapest box fan from Home Depot and a Honeywell 20x20x1 FPR10 filter.
I always put the filter on the suction side, as the fan suction holds the filter on that way, and it keeps the fan cleaner by filtering the dust out of the air before it reaches the fan. Either way the fan works equally hard because you are still pushing or pulling the air through the same filter. I've been doing this for years, both for smoke and dust and never had a fan overheat. I usually run the fan on low speed.
I put mine on the back of the fan. But I also didn’t stick the filter directly to the back of the fan like he did. I saw other people using a cardboard box between the fan and filter. It made about a 3 inch air gap between back of fan and filter. I taped the heck out of everything so it’s sealed. If you use a furnace filter, be sure to read the directions. There’s arrows that tell you the direction of air flow
You are inhibiting the fan from sucking air in to some extent by placing it on the back. Also that accelerated air being pushed directing into the filter rather than being pulled into the filter is way more efficient in terms of actually cleaning the air. If you're more concerned with keeping the blades clean put it on the back.
How have I not thought of this?!!!
I'm building my box fan set up now.
I appreciate your heart in doing this, but your test is skewed.
The positions of each unit to the "Ground Fogger" (GF) is not at all comparable to the other in that:
1. Proximity and angle to GF;
2. Direction of the respective air intake, but more importantly in this test, the exhaust.
Vertical vs horizontal exhaust is the determining factor of airflow in your test.
Try that again, bc I'd like to see if I'm out of my head or not. Either way, thanks for your work.
The only issue I could fathom is stress on the box fan motor over time due to restriction.. But, it's an air filter and a cheap box fan. Disposable. Great video (I'm buying an air filter for my lady, asthma, dust, dog hair... Couldn't hurt to have it)
These fans are indestructible
My friend tripped over my box fan, cracked the grills, bent the frame and snapped the handle. Despite this the fan and motor still works. He thinks I'm an idiot for keeping the frame but I'd just deep cleaned the whole thing and motor before his incident. I figure I can repurpose it somehow, maybe I could strap some air filters onto it and make my own cheap purifier. Hes dropping wads on fancy devices with touch panels and I could just strap a HEPA onto this one. I had a mesh on the back to catch flying insects and that worked great.
Is he mentioning what rating the filters are in each? Isn't that the whole point? Also what is the typical cost of a 20x20x1 furnace filter vs a stand alone air purifier?
The HEPA filtration, pollen, smoke , airborne virus and bacteria and can do a much larger area. Yeah man. Your shop Fan is a shop great idea. But it doesn't replace the Honeywell.
Great review I love seeing things in action so I can make a much better decision 💯💯
You did not mention what kind of filter you have attached to the box fan.
Hrm, not sure what the fogger shows other than air flow. Dust retention in the filter, airborne residue removal, and particulate control would be more useful information for our shops I'd presume. Especially with sawdust from sanding, or paint particulates that don't immediately get vented out by the exhaust fan.
I think your test is flawed. You say the Honeywell draws more air. Of course it does, the filter is down stream of the fan. Using the box fan the filter is up stream - the filter, in this case, actually reducing air flow. I use the same box fan setup with the filter on the down stream side of the fan. It would be interesting to see your test again with the box fan filter down stream. I do like how you used duct tape to seal the filter. I'll have to do that with mine. As of now my filter is just taped on - no sealing.
Building a box around the box/filter, will help.
all i can think about now is the old movie Jingle all the way staring Arnold Schwarzenegger as turbo man "IT'S TURBO TIME!"
The 30 dollar idea sounds great. I'm not sure how hot the little engine in the fan would get, i would eit periodically. all in all it's a great little nugget.
Gear Nut is using an efficient HEPA filter. Many commenters here don't know that MERV is an efficiency rating applied against all HEPA filters.
how often does the honeywell filter have to be changed in the house?
Box fan filter technically should mount on the exhaust side to prevent the motor from over heating. Also, add a thin charcoal filter pad to add extra stank removal
So, it looks like you have taped the box fan off to mimic the circle of the fan. Did you duct the inside that way as well?
Ducting the fan leaving less that 1/2" between the blades and the ducts should make it pull much harder.
Also, going from a 1" thick filter to a 2" thick filter will double the filtration area and significantly reduce the pressure drop.
I used the exact same fan as you did and a 2" filter to create an air purifier for my bedroom. I run my fan on medium to reduce the noise and it appears to pull at least as well as yours does.
I'd like to see a comparison with the Honeywell and a Corsi Box and a fan shroud.
In my opinion the fan worked just as good. The HPA wasn't 10x better so the fan is the better choice. I understand for aesthetics wanting the filter in the house but I was surprised how close it was.
Thanks great video👍I'm choosing box fan.
But does putting the filter behind the box fan cause a decrease in the air flow, which puts a strain on the fan and a possible fire hazard?
AFTER THE FOGGER WENT OFF THE BOX FAN CLEARED ALL FOG IN 5 SECONDS, THE HONEYWELL TOOK 20 SECONDS. INTERESTING!
try using 2-3 filters and make a triangle with 2 filters or a box shape. More surface area should allow more filtering and help with the air blowby
Oh, now that's a good idea.
I agree. You would need to build a larger structure, but I think the increased filter surface would reduce the drag on the fan motor as well as capture the “blow by” particle in the air. Regarding the aesthetics of the device, the more effort placed into the design and finish of the structure will determine how pleasing the look of the end result. The cost of the Honeywell device is mainly in the “looks” of the end product. A very good solution to annual pollen allergies that plague a large population of sufferers.
I use a 4-5 inch deep pleated filter from a furnace.
Those Honeywell replacement filters are $$$$$$. No contest for the box fan
I have four 20x20x2 Merv 13 filters that make a cube. Cardboard on the bottom and a box fan on top. My partner is a smoker and we can see the smoke being sucked into the filters.
I think the freaking box fan was not bad. Two of them box would do better than the Honeywell... I don't know. I think the company is gonna hate you for that... Now the box fans are gonna go through the roof now thanks to you lol. Nice video Budd....will be doing this in my garage.
Quick everyone run out and invest in box fans stock!!!!!!.....
I think the "cost" is usually in a static/ionizer generator that most of the better units have..... personally like waiting till they show up at thrift, bought some 3 of them from different brands with fairly generic filters which makes it cheap to maintain:)
Ionizers make ozone. Breathing ozone is dangerous.
thx gear nut for your work , good stuff man
I have 3 box fan filters running in my house they work great
Amazing video! Love these diy cheap alternatives!
I tried and no air is circulating dust must be within a few inches from the fan so it can be pulled in.
I intend no hate here but why would you choose fog instead of smoke?
i built one and it works great
I have had both in my house for a few years. The Honeywell is better for allergens so I use it in my sons room but the box fan is better for the volume of dog hair/dander it can hold.
I think ur supposed to have filter on side blowing out??? so fan sucks it in and out of filter, but im not sure