Air Quality Hacks?

[mpire]

I am doing renovations work and the air is full of dust and its driving me nuts.

I was going to buy an expensive air purifier for a few hundred bucks, but I did a search and found lots of guys using a box fan with regular furnace filters taped on to clean the dust out of the air.

I have replaced the fiberglass batt insulation in the walls, then installed drywall on top so its minimally exposed now. I have a few saws cutting wood etc, and of course the drywall dust is terrible.

I wear a respirator when doing most of the work, but generally not when I am not actually working.

I just crawled into the return on my 9 mo old A/C and found lots of dust on the evaporator so I vacuumed it off. I don't think the filter/grate is doing the best job of keeping the dust out and I don't run the A/C when I'm doing work.

Any ideas or hacks to help with the dust? I have been running the box fan/filters over night while I am gone to collect some dust, but not sure if its helping.

 

[PWC Repair]

I've found the best and quickest way to remove dust is to open the door and place a large shop fan pointing out. Open a window or two on the opposite end of the building. Start at that side and fire up the leaf blower, even the electric ones work great. Point it at everything waving it around. A you stir up all the dust it will be carried right out the door by the draft from the fan. Work towards the fan. A whole house or shop can be done this way in 30 minutes or less. Let the fan keep drafting for a few minutes after you're done. Repeat if it's really dusty like an old wood shop. This method really works great.

 

[madison069]

I've found the best and quickest way to remove dust is to open the door and place a large shop fan pointing out. Open a window or two on the opposite end of the building. Start at that side and fire up the leaf blower, even the electric ones work great. Point it at everything waving it around. A you stir up all the dust it will be carried right out the door by the draft from the fan. Work towards the fan. A whole house or shop can be done this way in 30 minutes or less. Let the fan keep drafting for a few minutes after you're done. Repeat if it's really dusty like an old wood shop. This method really works great.

I just got chills thinking about opening my doors and window with a fan moving the air. I do agree that it works, but would be nice to find something that works without opening doors and windows! LOL

 

[mpire]

I've found the best and quickest way to remove dust is to open the door and place a large shop fan pointing out.

That's a great idea. I will give that a try tonight.

 

[mpire]

...would be nice to find something that works without opening doors and windows! LOL

Its 72 degrees here, so I don't think it will hurt to try.

 

[madison069]

Its 72 degrees here, so I don't think it will hurt to try.

Oh sure just let the Iguanas and Boa Pythons in your house! LOL

It's 32*F here and being a relocated Texan, it's pretty cold to me!

 

[PWC Repair]

That's a great idea. I will give that a try tonight.

It needs to be a high powered fan, like the 36" ones. If you don't have one you can rent them cheap at Home Depot or other places.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Propeller type fans can't develop static pressure. Putting a filter in front of it may reduce the airflow enough to overheat the motor. YMMV.

Tommy

 

[Stuart in MN]

I've found the best and quickest way to remove dust is to open the door and place a large shop fan pointing out.

I did something similar a few years back when I had a crew cutting concrete in my basement. I took a window fan, built a duct out of cardboard that matched the shape of a basement window at one end and the shape of the fan at the other, taped it all together with duct tape, turned on the fan, and finally opened the basement door at the other end of the room. The guys cutting the concrete said it worked great.

The fan was a little trashed after it was all over, but they're pretty inexpensive to replace.