Haze season

[chris_pilgrim]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/05/2 ... V720140521

guess i'm slightly "infected" with the Singapore's kiasu syndrome ...

can someone advice me which air purifier is good to buy for standby just in case the haze gets too nasty.

thanx

[taxico]

i swear by only one type - the sharp plasmacluster.

my wife mandates that i buy only the sort that allows a - or -+ mode.

get a better one with a 3, 5 or 10 year filter change interval. the cheaper sort are chinese made and requires a set of pricey filters every year or so.

[x9200]

Buy one that has at least this functionality:
- a true HEPA* filter (the haze is largly made of particles, HEPA removes them)
- a carbon filter (it removes toxic gases that may come along with the haze).
- optional but good to have: something that burns organic components: plasma, UV assisted (if for some reason the carbon filter can not get some contaminants, this will turn them to water and CO2)

The rest is IMHO secondary.

If you do not use it every-day, I don't really think the cost of the filters is that important. We have a Fellowes Plasmatrue purifier, paid for it ~SGD400, and to replace all the filters is ~SGD$50 and under normal use it should be done once every 1-2years or so.
If used as an emergency (during the haze like the recent one) I would replace all the filters after anyway.

*) Removes at least 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 micrometers (µm) in diameter.

[chris_pilgrim]

thanx for the info.

another thing, this will be my first time to get "hazed" in sg.

back home in london, i get bad hay fever attack during the summer months but i do not use any air purifier. just loratadine to keep it at bay.

was the haze very bad last year? currently i live on the 20th floor. will it make the situation such as the dust particles, smell, the fog ... 'badder' or better

xx

[bgd]

For about 2 weeks it was just like the London pea soupers of old, but warm.

[Sergei82]

Buy one that has at least this functionality:
- a true HEPA* filter (the haze is largly made of particles, HEPA removes them)
- a carbon filter (it removes toxic gases that may come along with the haze).
- optional but good to have: something that burns organic components: plasma, UV assisted (if for some reason the carbon filter can not get some contaminants, this will turn them to water and CO2)

The rest is IMHO secondary.

If you do not use it every-day, I don't really think the cost of the filters is that important. We have a Fellowes Plasmatrue purifier, paid for it ~SGD400, and to replace all the filters is ~SGD$50 and under normal use it should be done once every 1-2years or so.
If used as an emergency (during the haze like the recent one) I would replace all the filters after anyway.

*) Removes at least 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 micrometers (µm) in diameter.

Did you use it in June last year and did it really help?

[x9200]

I used it for a few last days (I bought it from UK after the panic already wiped the local supplies clean). If you are not very allergic or sensitive the effect may not be immediately visible. What should probably be more feared are some longer term effects (accumulative) rather then any immediate ones - in this ++400 psi soup at that time I was commuting daily without any mask by my motorbike with no clear impact on myself so I am pretty resistant. But I have a small kid so I don't want to take any chance as surely it is nothing healthy or neutral. HEPA and activated carbon filters are known to do the job so even if I don't see any effects I would still like to use them.

[ScoobyDoes]

back home in london, i get bad hay fever attack during the summer months but i do not use any air purifier. just loratadine to keep it at bay.

I get hay fever anytime I head back to the UK in a summer, cut grass and yellow blooming Oil Seed Rape usually sets me off.

The haze, though, is not pollen based so in that regards it has not effect specifically on hay fever. It's the rest you have to worry about.

[taxico]

i have nasal allergies... and i'm prone to hay fever. i realized that when i was in my previous work place that was stuffed full of sharp air purifiers, it didn't affect me much if at all.

so i got one for my den and liked it. as my home in singapore is air-conditioned almost 24/7 i decided to put a few more around the house. they are left running continuously whenever i'm in singapore.

according to my body, it works. the areas where the air purifier doesn't "reach" (eg, staircase) smells a little off during haze season.

recently i had the filters changed in one unit and while i wasn't pleased with the mess that had been trapped, i was glad it wasn't floating around in the air.

if they are all like the ones i have, sharp units feature a pre-filter, carbon and HEPA. i know the high end models have a 10-year filter change interval. mine are 5 on paper but sharp singapore advocates 1-2 years.

i paid about $170 for two filters (carbon + HEPA) which was why i thought paying more for a 10 year unit seems to make sense.

unfortunately there is a downside to running these plasmaclusters... the floor gets dustier.

[x9200]

It charges the airborn particles so I guess they get attracted to the floor and other objects. I run the cheapest Sharp Plasmacluster ($199@Courts) at the kid's room to improve air quality at night (poor ventilation, can't open the window because of noise) and did not observe this extra floor dusting. I added to it a carbon filter (cut by hand to size). Still fitted inside. Nb. be aware that all the cheaper Sharp plasmacluster purifies do not use true HEPA.

[uscate]

I researched this topic last year, especially when I was confined to my apartment because the air outside was thick and GREEN….the PSI (Pollution Standards Index) is only one piece of this air quality puzzle. The WHO has designated atmospheric particulates (Particulate Matter or PM) as a Class 1 carcinogen. This is bad. This site: http://aqicn.org/city/singapore/south/ gives both PM10 and PM2.5 readings for all of the island by region. I follow the 2.5, as those particulates are the most dangerous in terms of long term effects (they're small particles and can most easily lodge themselves inside your lungs).

Please also be sure to wear an N95 mask (they were mailed out by the gahmen a few weeks ago). This is the only type of mask that will provide any sort of protection during hazy conditions. Please don't think the run-of-the-mill surgical masks will do you any good. They'll only make your face hot and sweaty.

I'm in New England right now, breathing in cool, crisp, clean air….can't wait to return to the thick green "haze…." Thank you Indonesia!

[x9200]

True. Lungs can clean themselves from larger particles but not from the small ones.

I just ordered this one:
http://www.whirlpool.com.sg/wp-content/ ... let_FA.pdf

more info here:
https://www.whirlpool.com.hk/sc_upload/ ... AP1311.pdf

It looks it has all the whistles on board. S$299 from Courts. The set of filters judging from HK online shops should be less than S$100.

[Beeroclock]

I was skeptical of these purifiers, but I could be wrong.. I've bought some of the 3M filtrete to stick over the aircon mesh, which I thought might help a bit, and if not, has not cost much at all.

[chris_pilgrim]

thanks so much for the great info

at least now i've some inklings what to expect, how to fight haze indoor and which kind of air purifier to look for at Courts / Best Denki (these are the only two electrical stores i know)

@beeroclock. love the idea of sticking 3M filtrete over the aircon mesh. shall do just as that for my bedroom aircon. (my landlord is terribly suckish in repairs and aircon maintenance )

xx

[x9200]

3M filtrete is pretty good but it has to be changed very frequently and will not catch any toxic gases that may be present with the haze. It will also not remove the odor. It is for particles only.