Initial DIY cleanroom experimentation
Jeff TK tests whether a portable AirFanta air purifier can maintain positive pressure in a room to act as a DIY cleanroom, achieving a modest 12 Pa delta.
summary is enough The post provides a quick look at DIY cleanroom pressurization attempts, but the details fit comfortably in a summary.
summary
Jeff TK evaluates whether an AirFanta 3Pro air purifier can positively pressurize a single room to build a budget cleanroom. Initial bench tests inside a sealed plastic bag reached 83 Pa, but mounting the unit through the wall of a leaky old house yielded a much lower 12 Pa pressure delta. To track down leaks more effectively, plans are underway to wire an Arduino with a sensitive SDP810-500PA pressure sensor. Commenters suggest alternative filtration setups like industrial air scrubbers and debate the energy efficiency of using ERVs for pressurization.
key points
- An AirFanta 3Pro achieved 83 Pa inside a sealed trash bag, but only 12 Pa when mounted through the wall of an old, leaky house.
- Axial-fan purifiers can stall against high backpressure and require structural reinforcement when mounted sideways.
- Future testing will incorporate an Arduino and an SDP810-500PA differential pressure sensor to systematically measure air leaks.
who should read it
Makers and technical readers interested in indoor air quality and DIY containment systems.
discussion positive
consensus
Participants share alternative approaches for improving indoor air quality, such as placing industrial air scrubbers on balconies, while lamenting the lack of systemic public health focus on air filtration post-COVID.
pushback
Some debate whether unbalanced ERVs are efficient for pressurization, arguing that they waste energy identically to simple one-way fans if air escapes.
AirFanta creator Adam Wong has a version using a 3D-printed adapter to 8" circular duct.[0]
In newer builds he places the purifier box indoors and simply reverses the orientation of the fans and filters. This keeps the box protected from weather, and the duct can be run in such a way as to keep out rain or dripping.
The AirFanta is actually rated as EPA E11 (95%) not HEPA H13 (99.97%), so if you're trying to keep out everything in one single pass like a clean room then AirFanta might not be best. It may be a good idea to check the real-world interception performance with a particle …
It points out that the AirFanta uses EPA E11 filters rather than true HEPA H13, which impacts strict cleanroom performance.
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