Part 2: Introduction to the Low Cost Sensor & DIY Air Purifier
- The Box fan cost me $20.00. The filter I used (Honeywell FPR 10 Filter) was also $20.00. I purchased both at the hardware store.
- Buying filters online, will get me twice as many (Merv 13) filters as going to the hardware store.
- If I put the air filter on the back of the box fan, the suction from the fan will hold it in place and I don't need duct tape. I don't know if this strains the motor more; but it makes it easier to switch between using a regular fan or using it as a DIY air purifier;
- The fan can be used as a stand alone fan, and not a DIY air purifier, on days with good air quality;
- The filter's lifespan was about two to three weeks during the heaviest wildfires; and
- Some areas have groups of folks working to get these out to community, at no cost to recipients.
Myself: Thank you. Okay, Eddie, So now that you've hosted an indoor & outdoor monitor for several weeks, maybe a month and a half, how would you rate your knowledge of air quality now?
Eddie: I'm going to say its probably between a 2 and 3. I mean, I still don't know a lot about it it, but now I'm more aware of what to look out for, and have a better understanding about what some of the numbers mean, between, you know, 0 and 50 and and so forth; and this way I can better plan my day on how I want to treat my indoor air quality by using an indoor air filter.
Myself: You mentioned an air filter; did the addition of an air filter... to hosting the low-cost sensors create more, less, or no interest in this project for you?
Eddie: Yeah, it did; because when I understood that I was at 85% of the outdoor air quality in my indoor space, and not knowing that before, made it interesting; especially because I saw the indoor air quality go down to 60 (AQI) in one hour, when it was 150 outside, after using an air filter. Seeing it go down made it interesting.
Myself: Has this experience changed the way you'd go about your daily activities?
Eddie: Yeah. Just being more aware of what the outside air is allows me to make a better decision. Do I want to go outside and breathe bad air, or do I want to stay inside and breathe clean air.
This experience allowed us to sleep better at night, when I have the
fans (DIY air purifier) on. I have chronic bronchitis. So having that on, I'm able to sleep better
because I'm coughing less at night. It's also to the point where my dog sleeps better. She's was a snore and she now sleeps without snoring. So its like she's even getting a benefit.
Myself: A better quality of sleep is all good. So do check outdoor air quality regularly now?
Eddie: Yeah, that's like every other day; especially during the wildfires because even though the last fires they weren't as bad as the first ones, I was still able to see smoke in the air. They (community folks) mistake it for fog at this time of the year, but it really is just smoke. So yeah, it just makes me more aware; and then its about trying to figure out what are we even breathing...with all the things that are actually burning (its not just trees).
Myself: Did you share what you learned with anybody like your friends or your family? Would, this, did this, experience make you want to learn more about air quality?
Eddie: Oh yeah, I sure did. I shared with some friends on Facebook, and some friends that experienced the two fires in Paradise. They were asking me how to make a homemade air purifier; so I gave them some instructions on how to do it.
Myself: Would you be more likely to speak up for cleaner air, water or soil as a result for this project?
Eddie: After I saw the difference in the way that I breathe at night, it just made me more aware of you know, what am I breathing? What are we putting in our body? Especially in these low income neighborhoods where you know, we pay! I'm a homeowner. So I pay taxes into the city, schools, roads, everything. And living in Oak Park. I believe it's District 1, maybe, and seeing the lack of my tax dollars at work really makes me wonder what's out there. Why aren't we being told about it, you know? stuff like that.
Myself: Thank you. And the final question is do you have suggestions or concerns or anything for what we could have done better to make this a better experience for you?
Eddie: I don't want to say concerns, I just think it just needs to be out there more in these communities. When I pull up the PurpleAir and I see the red dots (monitors on bad air days) I see maybe five or six probably within 1 or 2 mile radius from where I'm at (work in downtown Sacramento). So you know, we don't really see the dots concentrated on where we are at (the neighborhood he lives in). But you do see them in other neighborhoods (affluent ones): whether it's Land Park, East Sac, etc. ... you know, different from these, you know, these other neighborhoods (low income neighborhoods).
I think it's probably even more important (to have them) where people live that
have, you know, suffer more from chronic conditions like bronchitis, have COPD, and
diabetes and stuff like that because the air affects your body
differently. So I think just about expanding that out and then giving more knowledge
to you know the average resident, or the less fortunate.
Myself: Well, that was spoken like an expert Eddie. You definitely hit it on the knobs.
Thank you so much for time and wisdom Eddie!
[I should note that Eddie also works for a health-based non-profit that serves many of same folks we in the Environmental Justice field serve. He does great work for the people as well; and participated in this endeavor with that base of knowledge as a foundation]