Whole House Filtration

Why not a do-it-yourself air purifier?

It may seem a little Rube Goldberg-ish but a University of Michigan professor has devised a do-it-yourself air purifier that he claims cuts indoor allergens by 90 percent. Made of a cheap box fan and a furnace filter, the contraption costs far less than some of the pricey air purifiers on the market. “This is a filtration system that you can put together with items from your local hardware store for $25 to $30 and use in your home to cut indoor allergens by about 90 percent,” says Jeffrey E. Terrell, M.D. , director of the university’s Sinus Center .

As you can see in his video demonstration, Terrell tapes a 20- by 20-inch whole-house air filter (MERV 13 or higher), which sells for $15, over a 20-inch-square box fan, which you can find for about $12. Using a particle counter, he found that his homemade purifier rid the air of particles nearly as well as an $800 machine .

We haven’t tested Dr. Terrell’s contraption. But by the sheer science of it, the filter-and-fan combination does fulfill the basic definition of an air purifier—pulling air through one or more filters. And the typical fan uses no brushes that could wear away should the fan need to work a bit harder.

What is the best type of home water filtration system out there ...

I put in a ( General Electric)GE Smart Water, whole house, filter at the place where the water from my pump enters the house. I have some iron sediment in my water and I wanted to reduce the amount that would go into my new water heater. It works good for sediment, smell, and it lightens up the taste. My problem isn’t severe and I had my water tested to monitor the quality. I also have a charcoal filter on my refrigerator door dispenser for drinking water. I bought the whole house filter at Home Depot for approx. and they have filter elements of varying types costing approx. which I replace about every 3 months. Culigan makes a similar unit and they can be purchased at the local True Value Hardware Store. If I ever replace the one I have it will be with Culigan. I needed an o-ring replacement where the canister seals to the base and Home Depot had no clue what I was talking about. I had to call GE and order a couple on the phone and have them FedEX’d for over-night and it took about 4 days because I ordered on Friday. True Value has the o-rings hanging on a hook next to the filter units for a couple bucks. There are better filters like Reverse Osmosis Approx. 0 and Heavy Duty Whole House and the elements are more like to .

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