Readit NewsNice to wake up and see a hacker news post benefiting from our open source air monitor designs, especially with the original design that we started with so many years ago! Makes me realize how much AirGradient developed since these early days.
Did you consider linking the fan with the CO2 data and making this a demand controlled system? Like you control the speed (or just switch on / off the fan) based on CO2 levels?
I think this could have a few advantages in terms of energy savings, noise level etc.
That's a great suggestion about making it a demand-controlled system! It's definitely on the long-term roadmap. Right now, though, my system is still a bit underpowered for that. I'm in an "all fans on" mode just to get the numbers down to a barely reasonable level. If I could easily get the CO2 to a steady 500-600 ppm, then absolutely, dialing it back automatically would be the next logical step.
So, my immediate focus would be on improving the raw efficiency. Following a great suggestion in this thread (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44369469), I plan to design a new mount to put a fan directly on the trickle vent itself to actively pull fresh air in. It feels like a more direct approach, and I'm curious to see what that does to the numbers.
- With positive pressure, the intake air doesn't pick up contaminants from the wall cavities and other nooks and crannies within the building envelope.
- A fresh air supply fan can be fitted with a high-quality filter (HEPA or near-HEPA) to supply air with approximately zero PM2.5. (This is a very, very effecive way to get indoor air that is cleaner than the outdoor air without substantial power consumption.)
- You can open the door without moving the fan! You can leave it on with the door open! And it may improve the air quality in the rest of the living space more than the under-the-door scheme.
In a very cold climate, it might make more sense to put something like this in a different room so that the unconditioned supply air could be mixed with conditioned indoor air farther from where anyone is trying to sleep.
For what it's worth, there are a couple vendors of paired decentralized ERVs that alternate which one is supply and which one is exhaust and blow all the air through energy recovery cores that buffer both temperature and humidity. They're intended to be installed in holes in the walls, but it ought to be possible to fit them to windows or trickle vents with some creativity to operate them without any permanent modifications to the structure. In a climate with serious weather, energy recovery can substantially improve comfort and efficiency compared to using unconditioned supply air.
I did briefly look at ERVs, but for a single room in an apartment building with central heating, that level of energy recovery is probably overkill. I'd be simulating the result of keeping the window slightly open, I don't mind the cold it's even better for sleep (and the heat is not a problem here).
But your core points about the system's location are a real lightbulb moment for me. Having the fan up by the window instead of as a trip-hazard on the floor would be a huge improvement.
I can remove the housing for the trickle vent. It's screwed on, so I can put it back later without violating my rental agreement. Then, I could 3D print a custom adapter to fit that opening perfectly, designed to hold one of the Noctua fans and a small HEPA filter like you suggest.
That feels like a much more elegant solution. Thanks for the inspiration! You've got the gears turning again.
Anyway, I think there are plenty of people who do not want to open windows and still have fresh air. But the amount of people who can't modify their room or for whatever reasons don't want to open their bedroom door is bound to be much less.
Now I'm curious, why don't you open your bedroom door? Me, I'm a light sleeper and other apartment dwellers will wake me up if I open the door.
Might be simpler to augment your fresh air intake with a fan.
900 is still quite high though - upper end of normal for indoor