air filtering questions

[meehow]

Hi
I have an air filtering questions.
Due to a heavy pollution caused by neighbors burning plastics, polystyrene and rubber the air inside the house is not breathable.
Long story short: this problem is ongoing and will not stop.
I purchased the WINIX ZERO Air Purifier with 4 Stage Filtration
It consists of 1. fine mesh 2.hepa filter 3.carbon fibre filter 4.Plasma Wave technology, which creates Hydroxyls.
The device helps but is not efficient / not quick enough at removing the harmful smoke.
I can't afford an industrial filtration system of higher efficiency.

DIY is an option.

I plan on 3 stages: hepa, activated carbon granules chamber, water.
For this, I will use a system of air ducts, fans, air pumps, large water tank.
No more opening windows.
Air will be collected from outside and entirely filtered before releasing into the house.
Requirement is ~20 liters of filtered air per minute to provide enough breathable air for 2 personas and 4 cats :-).

The question is:
In what order should I install the stages?
I am thinking: water first to trap most solid particles (so it prolongs hepa life), then hepa to trap remains, finally carbon to trap VOCS.
Please advice.
Any other ideas?

 

[Endy0816]

2 hours ago, meehow said:

Hi
I have an air filtering questions.
Due to a heavy pollution caused by neighbors burning plastics, polystyrene and rubber the air inside the house is not breathable.
Long story short: this problem is ongoing and will not stop.
I purchased the WINIX ZERO Air Purifier with 4 Stage Filtration
It consists of 1. fine mesh 2.hepa filter 3.carbon fibre filter 4.Plasma Wave technology, which creates Hydroxyls.
The device helps but is not efficient / not quick enough at removing the harmful smoke.
I can't afford an industrial filtration system of higher efficiency.

DIY is an option.

I plan on 3 stages: hepa, activated carbon granules chamber, water.
For this, I will use a system of air ducts, fans, air pumps, large water tank.
No more opening windows.
Air will be collected from outside and entirely filtered before releasing into the house.
Requirement is ~20 liters of filtered air per minute to provide enough breathable air for 2 personas and 4 cats :-).

The question is:
In what order should I install the stages?
I am thinking: water first to trap most solid particles (so it prolongs hepa life), then hepa to trap remains, finally carbon to trap VOCS.
Please advice.
Any other ideas?

Yeah that sounds like it should work , noting you'd want to  make sure the smoke from regenerating the activated carbon goes outside.

Are there any laws  that could be enforced regarding the burning of trash?

[MigL]

34 minutes ago, Endy0816 said:

Are there any laws  that could be enforced regarding the burning of trash?

That was my first thought also.
?Don't know the location of the OP, but in most jurisdictions, the burning of plastics, polystyrene and rubber, is forbidden and illegal.
After talking to the 'burners' and getting no results, you may want to contact the authorities/fire department.

 

37 minutes ago, Endy0816 said:

No more opening windows.

Do you think windows are the only source of outside air ?
No house is 'air tight', and the large majority are far from it.
It is expensive to build air tight homes, and even more expensive to retrofit.
( problems associated with air tight homes include mold, bacteria and the need for heat recovery ventilators )
It would be a shame to go to all this trouble, and then find out your house is only 70% sealed.

[meehow]

2 hours ago, MigL said:

That was my first thought also.
?Don't know the location of the OP, but in most jurisdictions, the burning of plastics, polystyrene and rubber, is forbidden and illegal.
After talking to the 'burners' and getting no results, you may want to contact the authorities/fire department.

 

Do you think windows are the only source of outside air ?
No house is 'air tight', and the large majority are far from it.
It is expensive to build air tight homes, and even more expensive to retrofit.
( problems associated with air tight homes include mold, bacteria and the need for heat recovery ventilators )
It would be a shame to go to all this trouble, and then find out your house is only 70% sealed.

The location is UK South Wales. Emitting harmful, toxic substances into the air is regulated and heavily punishable. Problem is the identification of the culprits. They dump piles of waste, pour petrol over it a lit it. That smolders until morning. When I can, I actually shift buckets of water to extinguish the fires. That happens in a public park at night. I contacted all possible authorities over last 6 months. No result. I suspect that someone is running illegal waste disposal business. 

To the other matter. When I keep all windows and doors shut, there is no noticeable smoke ingress. Obviously the air becomes stale inside the house. During day, when there is no smoke, I tested a powerful extractor fan in reverse (actually a massive 15 inches fan from a PC server) - pumping air into the house  This created a positive pressure venting the air out through gaps in doors and windows. If I can only get the air from that fan filtered, I am golden.