Blog

Oct 26, 2024

Learn to build a DIY box fan air filter to improve air quality in your home during wildfire season! | Fires | montanarightnow.com

With the wildfires burning across Montana, there's a lot of smoke and haze floating around the Treasure State, which can make going outdoors unpleasant or uncomfortable. - So, what can you do at home

With the wildfires burning across Montana, there's a lot of smoke and haze floating around the Treasure State, which can make going outdoors unpleasant or uncomfortable. - So, what can you do at home to make this season a little more bearable?

MONTANA - With the wildfires burning across Montana, there's a lot of smoke and haze floating around the Treasure State, which can make going outdoors unpleasant or uncomfortable. - So, what can you do at home to make this season a little more bearable?

NonStop Local News Director Diane Casanova and NSL Engineer Patrick Castro explain how to make your own air filtration system for your house.

You may wonder why making your own filter might be necessary. Probably the most obvious reason is that with wildfire season comes a lot of haze, a lot of smoke, and a lot of stuff floating around in the air that can make it really difficult for people to breathe.

Breathing in the smoky air can be especially strenuous on people who are more sensitive like the elderly, young people, and people who have medical conditions - but breathing in a large amount of smoke can damage even the strongest lungs.

What's great about this DIY air filter is you don't need much to build it:

You want to start with a box fan. A regular box fan that you can get from any hardware store will work.

KEEP the cardboard box that the fan comes in because you are going to need it later on.

You also need Four standard industrial pleated air filters.

Make sure they are at least 20in x 20 in x 1 inch in dimensions (Or whatever dimensions will match the dimensions of your box fan)

If you can get them a little bit thicker up to 2 in., that's even better.

Lastly, you'll need some duct tape to hold it all together.

(Optional) Scissors or some other tool that can cut out a large circle from one side of your cardboard box will help make your filter more efficient.

First, you want to put your air filters together to form the sides of a cube. - Try to make it so that the directional arrows indicating the proper air flow are all pointing into the inside of your cube.

Once you have that set up and everything is pointing in the right direction, you'll take some duct tape and seal those edges.

After that, you're going to build the base of the air filter. - That's where the cardboard box comes in handy. You want to take one large side of the cardboard and tape it to what will be the bottom of your cube-shaped air filter.

It's VERY important to make sure that the edges are sealed on every single side as tightly as possible to ensure that the air filter is going to be as efficient as we need it to be.

Finally, you'll get the box fan in position on top of the air filter cube - opposite the box side. You want to make sure that the, the logo is pointed outwards.

(Optional) To really increase the efficiency of your air filter, you'll want to create a "shroud" for the outside of the fan. This can be made from the other big piece of cardboard.

Out of the other side of the box, you'll want to cut a circle in that piece of cardboard that's going to go on top of the filter on the outside of the fan. The diameter of the circle should roughly match the width of the blades of the fan.

Secure the cardboard on the outside of the fan with duct tape to seal all those edges. This will make the air flow stronger and generate a stronger pull through the filters and out through the fan.

The idea is that smoky air will be drawn into the cube, pulled through the filters (where smoke and airborne particles are filtered out), and then the fan will blow out clean air to distribute it through the room.

This DIY box fan filter is a fairly cost-effective way to clean the air in your home. We purchased a box fan from a hardware store for about $20 and each one of the four air filters separately was about $5 and some change. -- So roughly $45 was required to get this entire project done.

This DIY box fan filter also can be a lot larger and a lot stronger than some of the more expensive electronic air filters. And with its size and strength, you can filter a lot larger area for a lot less!

According to the CDC, these DIY air filtration units - also called a Corsi- Rosenthal Box - can reduce aerosol exposure up to 73% depending on the structure of the unit, filter thickness, and fan airflow.

We're also in allergy season and this box fan filter is able to filter pollen out of the air in your home, as well as any other airborne particles and allergens.

Additionally, if you're doing some particularly heavy-duty cleaning in your house that leaves aerosols, sprays or chemicals floating around everywhere, this DIY air filter is really good for that.

As wildfire season continues, please take every necessary precaution to protect the health of yourself and your loved one. Stay tuned to NonStop Local for all the information you need to keep yourselves safe!

MONTANA - As many wildfires are burning across the Treasure State, you may be wondering what you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones p…

NonStop Local News Director

NonStop Local Digital Journalist

Currently in Missoula

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Tap into Non-Stop News from Montana Right Now! From the Big Story to the 3 Things to Know - we have the moment's essential headlines.

Local news headlines from NonStop Local in Great Falls and Helena - delivered to your email inbox every weekday.

Local news headlines from NonStop Local Bozeman and Butte - delivered to your email inbox every weekday.

Local news headlines from NonStop Local in Missoula and Kalispell - delivered to your email inbox every weekday.

Get the latest headlines on local sports! News from UM, MSU, High School sports and more.