I love our #corsirosenthalbox (all 4 of them) but Filtrete MERV 12-13 prices increased so much that it doesn't seem like a cost-effective option anymore. It was cheaper for us to buy new HEPA air purifiers (recs via guide from @cleanairstars) than to buy replacement filters for the CR boxes--even with differences in clean air delivery rate (CADR) and HEPA filter cost considerations included.
3m Filtrete have always been unusually expensive for Merv 13. Lot of decent brands that can be had cheaper. Still, I somewhat view Corsi boxes as a temporary crutch earlier in the pandemic. I've replaced all but one of mine with Levoit HEPA units since. So much easier to clean/replace a cylindrical filter than rebuild a box.
Easy maintenance and space saving designs became more important to me over the course of the pandemic.
@Infoseepage @ywlebo @cleanairstars how does cost of filter replacements *compare*
@mackayim2022 @Infoseepage @cleanairstars Currently (U.S.), a HEPA filter for a TaoTronics device ($50-$70 for the machine) is $26, so ~$52 per year assuming I replace it every 6 months. The 3M Filtrete 2200 (MERV 13) filters, on the other hand, are ~$85-$92 for a pack of 4 (to make a 20"X20" CR box; 12"x12" size still ~$90 for x4). It took a whole year for the Filtrete filters to look gross on the CR boxes, but it would still cost more to redo a CR box than replace HEPA filters more frequently. While the large CR box (20") has greater CADR than the TaoTronics, I think it is comparable to my smaller 12" CR boxes.
@mackayim2022 @ywlebo @Infoseepage @cleanairstars In Australia we can’t get the Taotronics device mentioned-no one is selling it despite it being small, affordable, & v effective. CR boxes (at least ‘North American’ 20 inch style) also carry significant cost (with sourcing MERV-13 filters being expensive/non-trivial). Overseas the Taotronics seems a clear winner, here in 🇦🇺 the trade-offs are tricky (cleanairstars.com the best reference to compare options)
@thoughtsofawho @mackayim2022 @ywlebo @Infoseepage There may be better box fan style options in Australia using fans that move more air with less noise, but haven’t come across one yet that has been adequately assessed with either a flow capture hood or chamber test. Will have to add some computer fan options since we know they have been assessed by people like @robwiss
@mackayim2022 @cleanairstars @thoughtsofawho @ywlebo @Infoseepage @robwiss I can probably do a better job of making it clearer that @cleanairstars is me 🥸. The Twitter profile never had enough space, but thankfully Mastodon profiles do.
@mackayim2022 @cleanairstars @thoughtsofawho @ywlebo @Infoseepage @robwiss Don’t want to barrage people following me on my main account with endless air cleaning content.
@ywlebo @Infoseepage @cleanairstars thanks.