Make a smoke filter.

[I Think]

Daughter just emailed me this idea

pick up a furnace filter, duct tape it to a box fan so the air blows or sucks through it.

I realize this is Off Topic but it may help some of the seniors a bit, so it is important for them.

[TreeGuy]

And where will the air be ventilated to/from? I'm an arborist not an HVAC guy but I don't see that doing much.

[I Think]

Just put it in the room where you are, each time the air passes through some of the smoke particulates will be trapped.
You could put it in a window, but my guess is that it is a low efficiency thing, and works better as passes through the filter multiple times.
After my daughter told me about it, I took 5 mins and made one, it has been running for about an hour now and seems to have made it easier to breathe.
If you have a forced air furnace, you could turn on the fan without the heat.
Every little helps.

[voice of reason]

it sounds like a good way to burn out your fan motor by restricting airflow

[Caponata]

Or you could turn on your furnace fan and cycle the air that way.

[cfriedemann]

It is an odour. No different than lighting up the wood fireplace or wood stove or a campfire. Am pretty sure one cannot filter that out.

However I do not seem to remember this odour or smokiness during the "FIRESTORM"which was grazed the outskirts of the city?
I guess the smoke was blowing up the ravines toward Big White and the city lucked out in that regard.

Think of the smoke smell as a bad day in the kitchen "what do you mean you burnt it again?"

Febreze will be flying off the shelves in sales. Hiding one smell with another.

What we need is a good rain to clear the skies...or the wind to change direction.

[I Think]

it sounds like a good way to burn out your fan motor by restricting airflow

remember, fans are cheap lungs are priceless.

But most box fans are completely able to handle the extra minor load.

[I Think]

To the nay sayers,
Smoke is particulate, and can be filtered, HEPA filters remove the smoke from air, your furnace filter will remove some of it.
This idea is cheap, can be made in minutes, seems to help, why do you have a problem with that?

[V-Rated]

I can see why people wear masks, not only for colds and other virus' but the smoke as well.
~V~

[southernfrau]

I have a $30 furnace filter on my furnace and it doesn't take out the smell etc. Even though it says it works on dust, dander and smoke etc. I do use a small hepa/charcoal filter purifier that works well instead. I have lung issues. And the AC sucks in the smoke still when used. Circulating the air with a furnace fan works quite well or using a fan, and keeping the windows shut with the purifier. This will cause problems with even healthy people with the amount of smoke coming in. I too don't remember the smoke from 2003 either as one poster said. This 10 advisory is the highest I can remember for air quality.
I have COPD from second hand smoke. I never smoked my whole life not one cigarette. Tells you what smoke can do when you are around it too much.

[Woodenhead]

You need an activated charcoal filter to deal with actual odour efficiently. But smoke can definitely be filtered, if the filter pores are small enough. Smoke = particles. Same with "odour".

I've actually got a Honeywell air purifier. Just a fan with a HEPA + charcoal filter. Works a charm.

[I Think]

The set up we built this morning is definitely helping, I have lung problems dust and smoke are a problem.

Am a seat of the pants engineer,
if you have an idea try it,
if it works do more of it,
If it doesn't work try anything else.

[southernfrau]

That's what I have a Honeywell Air Purifier. Works great. Filter with a charcoal band around it.

[TreeGuy]

We are in OP Mall today and there is even a smokey haze inside the mall. Not even their commercial HVAC can keep up.

[voice of reason]

remember, fans are cheap lungs are priceless.

But most box fans are completely able to handle the extra minor load.

if a fan was meant to have a filter on it it would come with one