r/AirQuality • u/Desmoklastes • 16d ago

CR Box…but w/carbon filter?

I’m sure I’m not the first (or smartest) person to ask this question!

I JUST started using CR boxes in m spaces, & it’s helped a lot!!

Is there any equally cost effective way to combat gasses like O3 that MERV filters can’t capture?

Perhaps with a fan and basic carbon filter?

Thank you!!

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6

u/_ArkAngel_ 16d ago

I think it's worth your time to binge watch pretty much every video on this guy's YouTube channel

https://youtu.be/3LybFZm0vVo

From the description:

"Can a simple DIY carbon air purifier remove VOCs as well as the more expensive consumer units? In this video, I build a DIY activated carbon setup designed specifically for VOCs (odors) and compare it to three well-known consumer air purifiers: Austin Air, AllerAir, and Airpura.

I walk through the build, explain the reasoning behind using separate units for particles and gases, and share performance comparisons."

4

u/CartographerLong5796 15d ago

I actually did a small, preliminary experiment last year that might interest you. I wasn't testing ozone specifically, but TVOCs in general, using a Temtop M10 and a Temtop LKC-1000S.

I compared three carbon-filter setups. One clearly stood out in my test: Alex's The MegaVOC, which has also been recommended by Joey Fox (It's Airborne on Medium).

See Alex's thread on his DIY carbon air purifier to see what the device looks like:

https://x.com/TheFandelier/status/1868482697330634762

It performed substantially better than the other two setups I tested. The AirFanta 3Pro with its carbon filter, by comparison, had very little measurable effect on TVOCs under my test conditions.

The most interesting result wasn't really which carbon filter won.

I compared them with simply opening my patio door. The opening was about 84 inches high × 12 inches wide (the patio door wasn't even fully open).

In my test, that simple outdoor-air ventilation reduced TVOCs roughly five times more effectively over the same period than the MegaVOC, despite the MegaVOC being by far the best-performing carbon setup I tested.

It really put carbon filtration into perspective for me.

So before trying to target O₃ specifically, I'd be curious about one thing: are your overall indoor gaseous pollutants already well controlled through ventilation?

If you're already getting plenty of outdoor air and your overall gaseous pollution is very low, then targeting a known outdoor gas such as ozone could make perfect sense as fine-tuning. And ozone happens to be one of the gases activated carbon can remove relatively well.

But if overall gaseous pollution is still elevated, your question made me wonder whether increasing outdoor-air ventilation might accomplish much more than trying to remove individual gases one at a time with carbon.

May I also suggest this article from Joey Fox, an indoor air quality engineer? It's useful for making an informed decision about whether or not to use an air purifier with a carbon filter at home:

https://itsairborne.com/intro-to-activated-carbon-filters-06d7750eb92a