Slashdot Mirror
An Affordable Air Purifier For Dusty Computer Labs?
Alcimedes writes "Our lab has a serious issue with dust. I've had a number of power supplies stop working because of dust clogging up the fans, and it's getting annoying. So I'm looking into some kind of small (under $500) air filtration system, and was wondering if anyone else out there has already gone down this road. If so, what did you buy and would you buy it again? I'd prefer something where I don't have to keep buying filters, but that may just be a pipe dream." Anyone with cats knows the feeling. Can you suggest a reasonably priced answer to dust-borne failure?
http://www.radioshack.com/Content/Environizer.asp
Suprisingly, for a radioshack product, they really work, and are a lot cheaper and easier to clean than "The sharper image's" ionic breeze thing...
The $199 one should do a medium sized computer room.
My opinion may be nullified by the fact that I work for RS, but I speak now of my own free will.
Sponge!
I use dryer sheets in my case fans. They work great and make the case smell good for a few days.
One or more 20x20 furnace filters, and a box window fan. Some duct tape, or bungee cords.
Should be about $25 at your local mart, in the spring and summer. Hard to find the fans in the winter.
I've had to deal with dust accumulating inside my athlon box, occasionally cloging up the GPU fan.
Here's what you do: "filter" all the intake holes in the side/back of your computer cases with paper towel sheets cut to size (Bounty works great for me, but dust can sometimes be a Brawny mess), both inside and outside wherever feasible. Air still flows through, but less dust comes inside. Haven't noticed an increase in operating temperature.
$cat
Your HVAC system will continue to supply plenty of fresh dust, so without a large filtering system, it's hard to have much of an effect on it.
I had a similar problem with a dusty store basement, and the solution was (please don't laugh) a chrome air cleaner (sized for a Holley 750 double pumper) attached to the blower fan. The automotive air filter was really cheap, replaceable, and quite effective. They have a big enough surface area that you have very little flow restriction. We did end up using a larger-diameter fan, which had a side benefit of making the server quieter.
But back to the topic, how about building a plywood or MDF box for your computer, with weatherstriping on the door. Size it to take a standard furnace air filter (intake), and put a bathroom ceiling fan in it to blow the hot air out. Shouldn't be too hard to make, shouldn't cost too much, and you'll know when the filter needs changing just by looking at it.
Tip (and this applies to your furnace, too): Spray the filter with Endust. It'll pick up way more dust that way.
If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
Speaking of paper dust...
I used to work in a university computer lab. A few years ago, the university required that we switch to recycled paper for the laser printers. When that happened, we found that our air conditioner's filters plugged up much more frequently with the dust, and had to be replaced every 4 months instead of once a year. My understanding is that the fibers in recycled paper are smaller than fibers of "virgin" paper. So, the paper sheds more of them while being processed.
I don't even like to think about breathing it!
We *do* work in a coal mine and we *are* aware of "miners lung", thanks very much :-)
:-)
Yes, we wear dust masks when outside collecting / grinding samples, and also have a 6 monthly respirable dust check, where we get to wear a minature version of what I've described above (battery air pump , cyclone, filter) around for a day to check on the amount of respirable dust we breathe in. Every 5 years you're required by law to have a chest x-ray to check for silicosis if you still work in the industry.
It's generally only particles below 10 microns that you have to worry about breathing in, as they're the ones that *never* come out again. Particles bigger than 10 micron get removed via mucus and cilia in your nose/airway/lungs without much hassle. Luckily, 10 micron particles and below generally don't stay suspended in the air too long, they drop out pretty quick.
And anyway, we try not to go outside the lab too much. (Ahhhh! the light! It burns, it burns!!)
You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
There is a lot of hype here.
The original poster claimed to have one installed, and claimed that it was pulling dust out of the air. You state that he's wrong because some magazine said so? I'm not quite sure what you're thinking. Perhaps you'd like to provide some evidence that the original poster's computer room is not actually cleaner?
I've got one of these things. My wife can't breathe through her nose for 24 hours if I leave it turned off or if it's dirty. I have to clean it every week or two because it collects so much stuff it starts to make noise otherwise. Your post, and that of another here, actually dropped my opinion of Consumer Reports. Perhaps it's not that good for cleaning whatever lab setup they had, but perhaps it is good at my real world (read as "5 cats", in a room adjacent to the litter box, vacuum monthly, ceiling fan on during summer) scenario.
Calling someone's personal observations "wrong" because they have a claim that disagrees with what you've read about is an interesting tactic.
I've seen, first hand, how dirty a HEPA filter can get, how quickly. I've seen, first hand, how dirty an Ionic Breeze can get, how quickly. I'm not equipped to measure anything, but those Ionic Breeze blades sure do pick up lots within 24 hours (especially if you burn a scented candle). I'm not going to claim that the Ionic Breeze got all the particle sizes a HEPA does, but I will claim that, for my bedroom of moderate size where the door is never closed, the Ionic Breeze cleans the room well enough for my wife who's allergic to dust mites to breathe, and quiet enough for my picky ears to let me sleep.
You can't tell us we're wrong, because Consumer Reports said so, and expect to be believed by any reasonable human being.
Actually, most of the dust on workplaces and in the home comes from textile fabrics. The first thing to do if you want to get rid of dust is to get rid of fabric; curtains, carpets, clothes.
And everyone knows that a room full of naked computer geeks is just plain yummy. *cough*
SIG: TAKE OFF EVERY 'CAPTAIN'!!
As others have mentioned, you don't state the size or "enclosedness" of your lab, but some thoughts anyway:
1. Most (90%+) dust inside a home or office is generated by the shedding of human skin and hair or our clothing. Hence, most dust is generated within 5 feet of the fans sucking it in to the computer. In these environments you should have at least low density foam filters (think about the one on your hair dryer) on each intake fan. The case fans of your systems should be positively pressurizing the case so that all incoming air passes through a filter, not through any small openings.
2. Try to keep the intake fans on the computer cases as high off the ground and as open/exposed as possible. Ex: don't stick the fan in a corner under a desk, this is where air currents will deposit the most dust. In that same vein, your HVAC intakes should be on the ceiling, not near the floor. Moving them can be quite inexpensive.
3. Don't use ionizers. Ionizers are different than electrostatic filters. Ionizers are designed to change the balance of electrical charge in the ambient air (they spit out electrons). To me that's just a bad thing when highly sensitive electronic parts are about. The more out of balance the charges are, the more likely you are to experience static discharges, and we all know that kills computers.
4. For larger labs/offices I recommend an electrostatic filter that gets built in to the HVAC system. These things are highly effective at removing the lightest/smallest of dust particles. They are a bit expensive to install, and aren't the easiest things to clean, but they do a great job and you probably have a cleaning/maintenance crew. These devices do put out a small amount of ozone but this is usually not a problem with the normal air exchange that takes place in an average building. If you have a VERY high efficiency(tight) building, consider having an indoor/outdoor air/heat exchanger installed, or have the power in the filter unit reduced so ozone production is minimized(this is usually a jumper setting in the power supply). Most U.S. buildings will not require such measures.
5. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a simple furnace filter at the air intake and/or exhaust points from your HVAC system. Paper is the best filter, but reduces flow the most. Foam filters are pretty good, especially the "charged" ones. The cheap "spider web" filters are useless, don't use them. They'll catch large debris, but not the stuff clogging up you case fans.
6. If this is a very small room, one or more portable HEPA filters will help immensely. I install these in all the smaller server rooms that I work in. Run them continuously(24x7).
7. If at all possible, have your cleaning crew use HEPA filters on all vacuum cleaners used in your lab. Otherwise, a significant amount of light dust will simply be blown out of the vacuum unit and in to the air where it can be sucked in to the computers. Even better than the HEPA filters is to use a built-in type vacuum system where exhaust air is routed outdoors.
In my home, I use central electrostatic filters, a central vacuum, and keep my computers on the desk, not the floor. I have VERY little dust accumulation in my systems (or anywhere else).
Article X: The powers not delegated... by the Constitution...are reserved...to the people
Keep a can of compressed air handy. Once a quarter, shutdown and remove the cover from all of your machines. Use the compressed air to remove the dust from the innards, and from the power supply.
About once a month, go thru and use the compressed air to clean the vents of your machines. Shoot the compressed air directly into the power supply exhaust vents -- this will help keep too much dust from collecting on the fan.
Finally, buy Sun equipment. I've seen a five-year old SparcSTATION 20 that had never been cleaned (or even moved!) in the entire time the user owned the machine. The amount of dust in that machine was incredible -- and the machine ran just fine.
Buy quality products, and they'll last longer.
How about cleaning your equipment on a regular basis? Or does that sound too much like work? Just because you have got or are getting a degree, does not excuse you from having to do menial tasks every once in a while.
The Living air classic is great. We've tried many different heppa filters over the years and haven't been completely satisfied either because of the total cost of ownership or because of the noise.
A friend of mine had been raving about the Living Air Classic for a while so I decided to finally order one to see what the fuss was about. They range in price depending on the size of home you have but the one we have cost us around $400.00 and it can clear a 3,000 sq ft house in a few days. It's quite and doesn't need any maintence.
The site is www.livingairclassic.com
Consumer Reports tested only what the Ask Slashdot question wanted to know (ie: Dust removal).
A large byproduct of these ionizers is ozone. Which brings me to my next point: Does your wife find it easier to breathe outside just after a lightning storm?
If so, it isn't the dust removal that's helping, it's probably the ozone. You might want to ask your doctor, though, if there's a danger of overexposure to ozone from these things. I doubt there is, but it is something to consider. You also may want to consider just using an ozone generator instead, which could be more effective.
But let me repeat: You really need to talk to your doctor about this. Some scientists say ozone is dangerous, and some say ozone is not a problem. It's up to you and your doctor to decide if ozone is the best way to go.
If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
ULPA (Ultra-Low Penetrating Air) filters are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude more effecient than HEPA (High-Efficency Particulate Arresting) air filters; ULPA is rated to trap 99.999% of particles at 0.12 micron while HEPA filters only catch 99.99% at .3 microns. OF course, for most airborne dust and bacteria, the difference is negligible, since they're in the single-to-tens-of micron size ranges - but ULPA is clearly the superior choice, and not much more costly than HEPA at all. Incidentally, you might want to consider ULPA filters if you make IV infusions - a lot of viruses are small enough to only be trapped in ULPA filters IIRC.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. - Aldous Huxley
I had no luck finding a web page that had details on the Gerry Air Purifier, can you give more details, model #, where did you buy it, etc.
Thanks.
I once read somewhere about an insanely simple and cheap solution: cover the inlets and outlets with pieces of your (wife's / sister's/ grandmother's) tights stretched over the in/outlet between the fan and the perforation in the casing. I've experimented with this myself, and although it is quite cumbersome to actually get it done, and more cumbersome having to remove the cloth periodically to clean it (with water and soap), it does actually keep a lot of dust out.
JeR