Reddit mentions: The best household furnace parts & accessories

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.

I own both a gen 4 and a gen 5 FSL hobby laser, and I really like them both. There's a decent community forum here:

http://fslusers.freeforums.org/

You'll get some good answers there.

For 1), I don't know; I don't have their exhaust fan. They didn't have it available when I bought mine, but it looks decent enough. Without seeing it in person I can't comment on if it's worth $200 or not, but I use this one on one of my lasers: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O8D0IC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage and it's loud but works well. On my other I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005XNNYMU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage and it's much quieter and also works very well. Granted my ducting is 6" to match, but I like it.

For 2), what diameter items? I got my rotary for free from some promotion/preorder/I can't remember and I actually have barely used it. It's hard to fit into the machine, as it raises items up off the floor of the laser, and there isn't much vertical height left over. I'd estimate you could only do roughly 1/2" diameter stuff without removing the floor of the laser (which isn't hard), but even then you'll likely only get to 1" or so. You'd need to remove the floor and set it up on something to get anything bigger. The removable floor is pretty nice; I took mine out and haven't looked back.

For 3), I can't comment on the cost of the 45W tube, as I didn't get one with mine, but I don't see it being worth it. You can get a whole second tube from LightObject for less than the cost of "upgrading" that first tube: http://www.lightobject.com/SP-35W-CO2-Sealed-Laser-Tube-for-Small-K40-laser-engraving-machine-P208.aspx Note that, despite being labeled as a "40W" laser, most of these small machines are actually about 30-32W. 40W refers to the peak pulse power when starting up; it's not a continuous run rating.

As far as compressors go, I haven't ever run without one. It helps TREMENDOUSLY when vector cutting and helps a LOT to keep your lens clean. Their compressor is OK but it's a bit pricey; I'd look around and see if I could find a continuous-duty-rated compressor for cheaper than that.

Don't get their water chillers either. The $600 one is just a radiator and a fan, and won't chill your water much. You get WAY more bang for your buck from a 5 gallon bucket. If you run it for a long time, freeze gallon jugs of water and put them in the bucket. I've run 100% power vector cutting jobs for 2 hours at a time with a gallon of ice in there, and it's just about right. You might need another half gallon; it's been a while since I've used that method. Their "Advanced chiller" looks decent, but it's WAY overpriced. An equivalent unit from here: http://www.vminnovations.com/search/index.html?q=AACH25 is $425 for a brand new one, and less than $300 for a refurb, and it's actually a refrigerant based unit. I installed an 80W tube in mine (not their official kit) and use that chiller and it works great.

Last, don't get their 90W upgrade kit either unless you have a REALLY good reason to. A tube and PSU cost around $1100, so you're paying nearly $2000 for brackets and a wiring harness. It's just not a good value, but then again installing your own 80W tube isn't exactly a walk in the park if you don't have some fabrication tools handy.

I hope that helps. For what it's worth I really like my lasers and they have served me well. If I get another laser it'll probably be a direct import from GWeike, but that's only because I've been using the FSL lasers for so long and have learned a TON from them.

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.

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".

PLAs, PETGs and co-polyesters, flexibles do not need one at all. These materials also produce least smell and particles.

PAs (Nylon) and HIPS benefit from an enclosure.

ABSs, ASAs and PCs ideally need a heated chamber or as minimum an enclosure.

Other benefits of enclosures are that it keeps dust or curious fingers out, may help reduce noise and with good activated carbon filters installed will help reduce smells and emissions getting into the environment. AFAIK this filter is the best for diy air filtration.

Edit: also - an ideal enclosure size is about the size of your printer.

I've got the exact same machine.

- I run my Air pressure at about 100-120 PSI.

-Be sure the keep your lenses clean. I cracked one in my first week due to stupidity.

-Be sure your air is on. The machine wont run if the chiller isn't running, so you don't have to worry about that.

-Be sure to pull your collection tray before it is full, otherwise you are going to be pulling bed slats to get the excess out.

-Spend $100 bucks on amazon and get a different blower for exhaust. The one that comes with it is super loud. I got one like this: https://www.amazon.com/Tjernlund-M-6-Booster-Hydroponic-Conditioning/dp/B005XNNYMU/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=6%22+blower&qid=1564068420&s=industrial&sr=1-13

-If you are cutting metal, be sure you are using oxygen and not compressed air

-Have Fun. The boss is a great machine. Just start playing and learning and if you get really really stuck, boss laser tech support is awesome

Hi from NJ too! I hope you're ok cause the last two days have been hellish on my allergies as well, mine are not nearly as bad as it sounds like you have it though. I replaced my home central air system last summer and a large part of my goal with doing that was to make my allergies better (and I have very much succeeded)

I did a lot while replacing my system to make things better.

The system (carrier infinity) includes a "GAPA" system filter

Which is a very dense filter (MRV 15) that removes "basically everything".

I've also replaced the filters on all the returns with these NordicPure filters. Some might complain about the "double filtering" going on there, but I can replace the return duct filters much more easily and often than the main system filter, and I do change that out as often as monthly depending on how much my system is running (which I can see easily thanks in part to my Nests).

If I was as bad as you sound, I would probably also consider investing in UV lamps for inside your system. I don't have one, but still considering adding.

The other thing I would point out is that you really don't know what's causing any of this (as you say), the best place you can really put your money is to have someone come in and test the air. I don't have any particular experience doing this but here's something from the state of nj that lists companies that test. Once you know you have mold, or whatever else they might find, you can make better decisions on where to put your money.

Hello, I also suffer from ENS but not nearly to the degree that you do. I have a very similar situation to /u/TheNerdWithNoName. I also went through the "pseudosleep for 16 hours a day" phase because it is impossible to sleep with this problem. I considered killing myself hundreds of times.

Without a Hail Mary surgical option there is only one way to get sleep: Hooking up a CPAP machine to 3-5 humidifiers has saved my life. The built in CPAP humidifiers work the best but you can supplement them with Fisher-packel ones to improve the process. Making sure the air in your home is SUPER filtered also does a world of good.

CPAP Humidifer: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/fisher-paykel-hc150-heated-humidifier.html

Air filters: https://www.amazon.com/MERV-16x25x1-Ultra-Allergen-Filter/dp/B00AKOLRIK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1513113510&sr=8-2&keywords=filtrete+16x25x1+1500

I do have kids but there's no chance they can reach the boiling pot of water. Yes, this is a potential fire hazard which is why I'm looking for an alternate solution.

I've had 4 cool mist humidifiers around the house and warm mist humidifiers in the bedrooms but it was such work to keep adding water, and replacing the filters as they become calcified with minerals.

It seems some HVAC humidifiers are reasonably priced like this one for $97 plus $56 for the installation kit. But at $9.25 per filter, I am concerned that I may have to replace the filter every other week as my experience with the cool mist humidifiers due to the minerals in the water. I'll have to look more into this.

If you can see the supply duct work, and it is indeed zoned, there should be some sort of electric motor visible from the outside of the duct. Sometimes there are 1 or 2 large dampers and sometimes there are a bunch of smaller dampers for each individual supply run. Pictures would really help to confirm. Models of your furnace and AC would also be really helpful to determine what features/functions they have. Because you already have 2 thermostat it is likely that you have zoning. The NEST and Lyric thermostats would work but you would definitely need 2. Some other brands include sensors that are controlled by 1 central thermostat. Models of you existing system will help determine.

example of smaller damper

example of zoning panel that controls dampers, you would have something like this installed on or near the furnace if you have zoning

One nice thing about these cabinets, and their design option to use industry-standard filters is you have flexibility in air-flow v/s particulate filtration.

We went with these filters:

18"x30"x1" MERV-8

That felt like the right balance for our use-case.

But you could go with these, if you wanted more air-flow and less protection:

18x30x1 MERV-4

Or something like these, if you're dealing with something like super-fine Saudi Arabian cake-flour sand:

18x30x1 MERV-13

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MERV rating Wiki Article

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I bought a 6-pack of filters (2 at a time) and set a reminder for the whole team to swap them each year.
If you go with tighter filters, be prepared to replace more frequently.

Powered humidifiers do not require a return (i.e. they can be installed on only the supply side). Some people like the stand alone humidifiers better.

There is great debate as to whether or not whole home humidifiers like this actually do much to increase the humidity in many homes.

Much depends on how tight your house is, and how long your furnace runs (for the ones that humidify inside the ducts).

Get some good AC filters that will pick up the dander. They should still be rated for home use - something that doesn't slow air flow too much. I use a MERV 8 rated filter and I can tell it picks up quite a lot of dander from the air every month (though make sure you buy a filter sized appropriately for the AC unit). You can also also buy standalone air purifiers to help. You could move them around different rooms of the house to get the best coverage. Other than that, exactly what you said. Vacuum and mop it up.

Where? Haven't seen anything close to that lol.

I was on Amazon and saw Nordic Pure 10x24x1 M8-6 MERV 8 Pleated. They're not too expensive. Someone there explained why Merv 8 is best and what you said about the air quality and how it affects the motor. Are you familiar with this brand is it better than the one I have? They are also made in the USA.

Edit: this is the site:
https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Pure-10x24x1M8-6-Pleated-Furnace/dp/B005ESNTW4

On this heading, given all the smoke of late, it may be worth it to spring for a higher-end air filter the next time around. Standard air filters don't do that great a job at filtering smoke out of the air. I recently changed air filters over to these (obviously get the size you need) and the difference in how they look when they are ready to be changed versus my old ones is massive. These look filthy when I go to change them after the same time period the old ones just looked dirty. The difference is all the stuff the standard ones were letting through. I don't tend to link-drop or promote specific products, but given the recent air quality concerns, wanted to make people aware not all air filters are created equal, or equally capable of handling smoke.

Skimped out in what way? Telling you about what I do, or not managing effectively?

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Here's what I did with the rack. I've sealed the front and back of the rack. I then mounted a 6" Tjernlund Blower (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XNNYMU/) capable of 530 ft\^3 /min of airflow (major overkill, the rack is only 32ft\^3). Attached to it is a Duct Fan Speed Controller (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B007TFTITS/) that I have to throttle down the airflow. I use it mostly to balance out the noise to heat ratio. The blower is amazingly effective, but it is also amazingly loud when running full-tilt. To that, I attached a long length of metallic dryer hose that basically dead-ends into the drop ceiling and runs a few feet. Ideally I'd like to exhaust it to the outside, but it doesn't currently. I think this is why I still have heat issues.

i'm looking at this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XNNYMU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

and:

http://www.amazon.com/Active-Air-720-Inline-8-Inch/dp/B002JQ4K1I/

would these be considered good quality? or do i need to spend roughly twice as much?

thanks for the info.

You got it my friend!

Shelving - $90

Shelf Cover - $30

Landscape Fabric - $33

Storage Totes (6 pack) - $50

Local Temp/Humidity Gauges (12 pack) - $23

Incubation Tote Filters - $10

Sterlite Medium Stacking Basket (6 pack) - $15

Humidifier - $26

Standard Fan - Already Owned

Sonoff R2 Wifi Switches (4 pack) - $23

Sonoff TH16 Sensor Switch - $20

1500W Immersion Heater - $45

Standard Cooler w/ Drain - Already Owned

In total, it was a $350 project that could definitely have been done for cheaper, but I wanted to design it in a way that made it as painless as possible to turn my cardboard into mushrooms.

Also, I have an old space heater/fan combo that I intend to use when the temperature starts to drop. I plan to automate it with one of the Sonoff Wifi switches and control it with the Sonoff temp sensor.

For an intake filter you can just buy some of the filter cloth used for household vents, cut it to size and tape it to the end of your intake ducting, cheap and easy to replace and will keep all the crap from entering your tent.

Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Ventilaider-Complete-Installation-Electrostatic-Allergies/dp/B079MCBJWR/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=Air+vent+filter&qid=1565015194&s=gateway&sr=8-3


Also you can usually connect your outtake filter directly to your fan for maximum efficiency.

I'm thinking a washable filter media like this might be what's supposed to fit in there. Nothing about this looks right for standard filters.

For the cooling, I have had a very good experience with this Tjernlund M-10 inline fan.

I doubt I require near the cooling you need (I'm running a 7x 1080 ti enclosed case plus some other network gear in a closet) but I can run the fan at about half speed with a variable switch and maintain the same temp as the HVAC thermostat.

Are the plastic filters like this technically electrostatic as well? It doesn't claim "electrostatic" anywhere on it and appears to have a much finer mesh.

I use this 530 CFM fan to ventilate my two rooms totaling ~175 Sq ft. Yes, it's quiet enough now that it is rubber mounted (don't mount these suckers right to a rafter. Vibration echos through the whole house).

AFAIK, it isn't possible with Wink/ecobee right now. But this is a great idea for ecobee to implement.

I run my blower for 5 mins/hr, but I also have an in-duct fan that comes on/off with the blower. Temperatures stay within 1-1.5F in my 2-storey townhouse.

530 cfm $90
440 cfm $73
Just search inline fan

Honeywell damper system.

These things (in various circumference) driven by a Honeywell zone control board. https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-ARD12-Automatic-Damper-ARD-12/dp/B000LDIK7G

Here's the control board: https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HZ432K-Truezone-Zone-Panel/dp/B003IQVKDO

There are lots of installation comments at Amazon.