Air quality index?

C

curious george

Member
what website are you all using to check on the Air quality index?
Every website (5-6 sites) is showing different numbers for the same zip code.
 
IQ Air Map

https://www.iqair.com/us/air-quality-map?lat=33.682405&lng=-117.79624&zoomLevel=10&placeId=5bc822f341fdcdf1939e82aa
 
zovall said:
https://www.purpleair.com/map?mylocation
Click to expand...

That's a great map, but still somewhat puzzling.  I see a couple readings close to each other of <20, at spots just a few blocks away from other points with a readings of >150.  If that's the case, then certainly it's not related to the fires.

Typically the wind blows in from over the ocean, so I would expect any coastal #s to be a good deal lower than inland #s.
 
Do those low readings have a bold line around them? I think those might be 'Inside Sensors' - sensors inside a building. You can toggle those off in the Legend.
 
Why yes, yes they do! 

I've been having a sore throat for a few days and I'm wondering if it's due to the smoke.  But I've been staying indoors.  It really feels like I'm coming down with a cold, but this time a year it's very atypical, plus I work from home, so any outside exposure is minimal.  AND, because I'm visiting my elderly/frail parents later in the week, I'm getting a COVID test today to make sure I can get on a plane and see them.
 
daedalus said:
Why yes, yes they do! 

I've been having a sore throat for a few days and I'm wondering if it's due to the smoke.  But I've been staying indoors.  It really feels like I'm coming down with a cold, but this time a year it's very atypical, plus I work from home, so any outside exposure is minimal.  AND, because I'm visiting my elderly/frail parents later in the week, I'm getting a COVID test today to make sure I can get on a plane and see them.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the 'smoke'.  Actually the PM2.5.  Even the 1900 filtrete only moderately removes it.  Your AC also pulls outside air as a percentage of air flow.  Not to mention the side effects of three weeks of heat wave, bad air,.closed up heavy AC use.
 
nosuchreality said:
daedalus said:
Why yes, yes they do! 

I've been having a sore throat for a few days and I'm wondering if it's due to the smoke.  But I've been staying indoors.  It really feels like I'm coming down with a cold, but this time a year it's very atypical, plus I work from home, so any outside exposure is minimal.  AND, because I'm visiting my elderly/frail parents later in the week, I'm getting a COVID test today to make sure I can get on a plane and see them.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the 'smoke'.  Actually the PM2.5.  Even the 1900 filtrete only moderately removes it.  Your AC also pulls outside air as a percentage of air flow.  Not to mention the side effects of three weeks of heat wave, bad air,.closed up heavy AC use.
Click to expand...

I don?t think AC units bring in outside air.
 
qwerty said:
nosuchreality said:
daedalus said:
Why yes, yes they do! 

I've been having a sore throat for a few days and I'm wondering if it's due to the smoke.  But I've been staying indoors.  It really feels like I'm coming down with a cold, but this time a year it's very atypical, plus I work from home, so any outside exposure is minimal.  AND, because I'm visiting my elderly/frail parents later in the week, I'm getting a COVID test today to make sure I can get on a plane and see them.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the 'smoke'.  Actually the PM2.5.  Even the 1900 filtrete only moderately removes it.  Your AC also pulls outside air as a percentage of air flow.  Not to mention the side effects of three weeks of heat wave, bad air,.closed up heavy AC use.
Click to expand...

I don?t think AC units bring in outside air.
Click to expand...

The AC unit does not cool by using outside air, but as homes became more energy efficient and  effectively more sealed, modern HVAC design includes freshening by bringing in small amounts of outside air to replace the some of the stale polluted inside air.

if your system is lower efficiency or house less sealed, you may not have or need it because your house is breathing plenty of outside air through the attic and seals anyway.

Or even more simply, every cubic foot of air you suck out through the bathroom vent of range hood has to be replaced, it gets sucked in through all the little gaps.
 
nosuchreality said:
qwerty said:
nosuchreality said:
daedalus said:
Why yes, yes they do! 

I've been having a sore throat for a few days and I'm wondering if it's due to the smoke.  But I've been staying indoors.  It really feels like I'm coming down with a cold, but this time a year it's very atypical, plus I work from home, so any outside exposure is minimal.  AND, because I'm visiting my elderly/frail parents later in the week, I'm getting a COVID test today to make sure I can get on a plane and see them.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the 'smoke'.  Actually the PM2.5.  Even the 1900 filtrete only moderately removes it.  Your AC also pulls outside air as a percentage of air flow.  Not to mention the side effects of three weeks of heat wave, bad air,.closed up heavy AC use.
Click to expand...

I don?t think AC units bring in outside air.
Click to expand...

The AC unit does not cool by using outside air, but as homes became more energy efficient and  effectively more sealed, modern HVAC design includes freshening by bringing in small amounts of outside air to replace the some of the stale polluted inside air.

if your system is lower efficiency or house less sealed, you may not have or need it because your house is breathing plenty of outside air through the attic and seals anyway.

Or even more simply, every cubic foot of air you suck out through the bathroom vent of range hood has to be replaced, it gets sucked in through all the little gaps.
Click to expand...

I was doing some google research on this a couple about a month ago as one of my kids bedrooms Seemed to be getting a little less air than usual and got sidetracked on the topic of how AC systems work. Every article I call across said they don?t pull in air from the outside.

For example:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.da...conditioners-bring-in-fresh-air-from-outside/

 
qwerty said:
nosuchreality said:
qwerty said:
nosuchreality said:
daedalus said:
Why yes, yes they do! 

I've been having a sore throat for a few days and I'm wondering if it's due to the smoke.  But I've been staying indoors.  It really feels like I'm coming down with a cold, but this time a year it's very atypical, plus I work from home, so any outside exposure is minimal.  AND, because I'm visiting my elderly/frail parents later in the week, I'm getting a COVID test today to make sure I can get on a plane and see them.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the 'smoke'.  Actually the PM2.5.  Even the 1900 filtrete only moderately removes it.  Your AC also pulls outside air as a percentage of air flow.  Not to mention the side effects of three weeks of heat wave, bad air,.closed up heavy AC use.
Click to expand...

I don?t think AC units bring in outside air.
Click to expand...

The AC unit does not cool by using outside air, but as homes became more energy efficient and  effectively more sealed, modern HVAC design includes freshening by bringing in small amounts of outside air to replace the some of the stale polluted inside air.

if your system is lower efficiency or house less sealed, you may not have or need it because your house is breathing plenty of outside air through the attic and seals anyway.

Or even more simply, every cubic foot of air you suck out through the bathroom vent of range hood has to be replaced, it gets sucked in through all the little gaps.
Click to expand...

I was doing some google research on this a couple about a month ago as one of my kids bedrooms Seemed to be getting a little less air than usual and got sidetracked on the topic of how AC systems work. Every article I call across said they don?t pull in air from the outside.

For example:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.da...conditioners-bring-in-fresh-air-from-outside/
Click to expand...

When we installed our HE system we discussed the fresh air ratio. (Like it matters as the bathroom vent will be left on for hours)

https://modernize.com/home-ideas/34486/use-hvac-system-during-fire-advisory


I?ve seen the sites you?re talking about too and get the feeling it?s a very simplified answer to a different question.  They?re answering the question of does AC cool by bringing in outside air.  They?re not going to complicate the cooling question with a fresh intake/air quality discussion. Also, virtually identical verbiage across many sites which to me indicates repackaged product promotional material.

Either way, many older system won?t have it, and don?t need it, many of houses turn over plenty of outside air into the houses through regular living.

 
I can say with certainty that my system used to pull in outside air.  The large duct from the return vent to the air handler in the attic had a small insulated branch duct running to a dormer vent on the roof.  The velocity of the air in the return creates a small vacuum that pulls in the air from outside, which eventually has to leak out at all the little seams everywhere...doors, windows, floor/wall joints, under cabinets, etc.  But I believe the guys who fixed the AC this year said they got rid of it.  Like me, they did not see the need.  A window or portable AC needs to vent hot air outside to cool the unit (efficiency < 1.0 is a thermodynamic law), and therefore needs to draw in air from somewhere to replace it.  In a central AC system, the system heat is rejected at the outside compressor unit.  Inside, the air can be recirculated continuously without any venting or intake.  Yes, recirculated air can get stale, but at least it's not full of ash.
 
It's pretty simple... find your intake vent... it's usually next to your interior air handler (and where you change your filter)... is that inside or outside? It may differ from system to system but I've never had to change a filter "outside" of any of the homes I've lived in.

Obviously your home is not sealed so there will be air from the outside seeping in (which is how whole house fans move air) but most ACs are recirculating indoor air (which is why it's hard to get rid of certain smells unless you use kitchen/bathroom vents).
 
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