this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
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Mildly Interesting

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I recently stayed in an apartment that didnt have central air so I created a corsi-rosenthal box since the smoke from the Canadian wildfires were so bad.

After 30 days of continuous use, with very minimal periods of it being turned off, this is what the filters look like!

It's disgusting yet also so satisfying to see the filters get darker from debris, dust, and dirt.

Edit: typos

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Now it matches the rug & walls, though

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Funny enough I cleaned that rug after first moving in (apartment was pre-furnished) and it looked clean for a whole day.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

I feel ya. My house was miles away from the evacuation zone of the PacNW fires a little ways back, and the filters didn't last the month. We wore masks with filters rated for smoke whenever we had to go outside, and sealed every external seam, hoping the firefighters could get it under control in time. Thankfully, they're the public servants that actually know what that phrase means, and to the enth degree. I trust every one of them right alongside our Nat'l Park service members (rangers, et al), sight unseen.

When this nation's collapse comes to your town, remember this simple rule, fellow US peeps:

Firefighters & National Park Service? Heroes of the people, through & through.

Cops, etc.? Shoot on sight (if that's your chosen theme for the apoc, ofc.) 😅

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

I really need to make one of these.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Good job, Captain Lovell. That’s some Apollo 13-level engineering right there.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Just doing my part ground control 🫡

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (7 children)

Can you talk about how you made this

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago
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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ok. I've been looking into this a lil and there are better options than a cr box.

Housefresh has been looking into this and they recommend the nukit tempest or luggable XL or another one - think it was a Canadian brand - as the cheapest total costs over time and lowest sound and most efficient purification. All of those use regular HVAC filters which cuts down on operating cost and are quite big which cuts down electricity and sound.

So recommend getting one of those for long term use, if you have the space for it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

There's also an open source tempest that you can use a CNC for and customize to your liking with a script. https://github.com/opennukit/Nukit-Open-Air-Purifier/tree/main/Nukit%20Open%20Air%20Purifier-W(all)%20v1.0

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I'm viewing this post with the Thunder app and I only see one photo: a box with a fan on top. I see no filter. Is there supposed to be a second photo?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Can you put a bag of ice in this for simple ac?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Oh, that's an interesting idea, not too much different from a swamp cooler actually so ya I think it would work.

My question is, where would be the optimal spot for the ice/icepacks:

  • Inside, at the bottom
  • Inside, suspended in the middle
  • Inside, at the top near the fan
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Wow that’s really quick for saturating those filters! Wildfire season is the worst.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

We did one with just one filter on the intake side. Kinda like this one better. But it takes up more room than mine. I'll have to do some experimenting.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

Corsi-rosenthal box is stupid efficient.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I built one back when I lived in California during fire season, and then again during the pandemic. They do such a nice job making the air less gross.

I think that's about what mine looked like after 3 or 4 weeks too...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I've put an air filter in the bedroom next to the bed. Makes nice white noise too. I also have one next to the cat's litter box. I'm thinking of putting one in the bathroom because the toilet paper makes an insane amount of lint that builds up everywhere.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

These are great, but if you’re looking for something slightly less bulky, there’s a dude selling kits online using pc fans. I’ve got two and they’re pretty much a CR box in its final form. Kits come with laser cut panels, fans, grates, etc. only need to supply two filters. Way quieter than a box fan. They’re a bit pricey but worth since they can pretty much be placed anywhere.

google clean air kits.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

For that money, you can buy actual air filtration units. The box fan may be noisy, but something that big is going to have massive surface area and provide a lot of filtration.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

OP likes it dirty!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (3 children)

My loft is so freaking hot I’m sweltering. Could something like this keep my loft cooler, the window unit is struggling to cool it off until late at night

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