-
I am seeking to make a DIY fan forced face mask & backpack unit to filter air when leaving the house.
something like an astronaut helmet with a backpack fan forced filter unit.
so is a standard office paper airtight? can you use it to make an DIY bellows type air high-efficiency particulate air. HEPA is a type of filter? as I do not have a HEPA type filter. so can I make do?
by folded paper and hot glueing the ends into a frame . like the paper engine air filters used by cars.
I have everything else, PC fans, Li-ion batterys , enclosures ,flexible air hoses & gardeners face mask, but the filter cans are too small for easy breathing.
so I was looking at adding a large backpack
is this a bad idea. do not have the time and money to get a professional face mask respirator.
full face mask. but I do have lots of time at home and a box of old PC fans, enclosures ,flexible air hoses & other miscellaneous electronics
I have not started the project. just getting a second opinion.
-
so is a standard office paper airtight? can you use it to make an DIY bellows type air high-efficiency particulate air. HEPA is a type of filter? as I do not have a HEPA type filter. so can I make do?
1) I don't think so, especially when it gets wet due to the moisture in the air you breathe out
2) Probably not
3) It's an efficiency standard for air filters
4) Just go to a store, most vacuum cleaners have HEPA filters. They are sold as seperate replacement parts, if you don't find one just buy the biggest filter you can find online. -
One small comment from me on making your own positive pressure respirator.
A respirator effectively becomes part of your lungs biology when sealed to your face. It filters the air that enters your lungs but it also provides no dilution or filtering of any pathogens that it contains in its own structure ! The filtration modules protection capabilities are very important in this respect. It separates the user from the fans and electrical elements of the respirator. Only sanitised safe hoses and a mask should sit on the filtered side of the system.
If the fans, hoses, mask and any other associated components in the air path contain chemical emissions, bacteria or mould you will be directly introducing such into your lungs under pressure. If the Lithium battery failed you could be subjected to concentrated fumes from the outgassing.......not a great scenario for your lungs.
Please think very carefully before using a diy respirator that does not use known safe components.
Also consider how a respirator filter works..... it traps the biohazards, particles and chemicals in its complex structure. It therefore becomes a bio hazard in itself over time with large concentrations of potentially harmful mould, bacteria, viruses and other nasties in its structure. Continued use of such a filter can lead to such nasties multiplying and getting through the filters physical defences. You end up breathing through a less than healthy festering accumulation of sh*t that can harm your lungs and health
On a practical note, to create a positive pressure respirator you would normally use a snail shell blower and not an open impeller fan as found in a PC. It takes quite a lot of pressure to push the air through the air filter canister as it contains many layers of filtration.
Fraser -
Another source to consider for filters that are already designed for human use: Cabin air filters. Modern cars tend to have them as factory equipment, and they're owner-replaceable. Behind the glove compartment is a common spot, but your owners manual will know for sure. If you haven't replaced yours in years, you may want to do that as well.
Auto parts stores will have replacement filters for many cars. You'll have to build a container for it, but that's a detail any DIY project has to deal with. -
My thought of a funny way to make one would be to put a filter on the fan intake of one of those inflatable T-Rex costumes.
-
Kitchen extractor fan filters might make a suitable barrier layer, a new cut down vacuum cleaner bag, or even coffee filters which are aledged to work. Or use a chopped cotton teeshirt as the filter layer.
As @fraser says, consider what you are trapping and how to dispose of the filter. I like @nusa s idea, although those filters are priced for the automotive market. Or go on Amazon and buy public safe disposable face masks. You'll not look out of place wearing one.