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Comment by nox101 | Hacker News Reader

I hope it's okay to ask this question. For you that have these sensors, what actions do you take based on what they tell you? Open more windows when you're cooking? Put on a mask when you vacuum?

Just curious.

I've dreamed of some future perfect portable sensor like a star trek tricorder or something that would tell me if the air in my office, or shopping center has bad stuff in the air (chemicals, viruses, mildew, etc...) to some point that I can print out a reading and tell my office the building is legally unsafe. I haven't seen anything like that.

I have sensor at home but all it tells me is PPM and I rarely pay attention.

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I live in Canada, where radon is an issue. The item I got from Airwave gave me a half year of data that was close enough to the safety limit that I decided to add radon mitigation to my home. I then lent it to a friend who decided to do the same.

I have multiple CO2 meters in the house that helped me determine that there were no major issues with airflow, and led me to consider other ways to improve our sleep quality. This was also kinda helpful for me during parties; I'm usually not thinking about opening the window during winter, but when the CO2 level passes 1200 or so, I'll usually open it a crack.

What measurements from the Airgradient devices specifically indicate radon? I have both the outdoor and indoor one but struggle to get actionable evidence.

Ah, I have an Airthings Wave Plus (I thought it the parent was asking about air quality meters in general.). The information is in the app; I've never used an airgradient device.

> I hope it's okay to ask this question. For you that have these sensors, what actions do you take based on what they tell you? Open more windows when you're cooking? Put on a mask when you vacuum?

I don’t get it either, there’s not much you can do with a residential AQI sensor without adding a bunch of other automation controls.

Commercially, these are used in building automation to do things like turn on the exhaust fans and make up air units in a parking structure when the CO levels go up, or to open an outside air damper in an AHU to let more fresh air in if elevated CO2 levels are detected.

I just don’t see the application for residential use. It’s just a PPM number, does anyone actually take action if the number gets too high? Anyone automate their actions?

Super fast reply from someone else - Yes, I have a standing air filter unit. If PPM went up I’d kick it into max gear.

(Now I have it running on very low continuously and it keeps PPM down)

The unit is rated for spaces 2x my square footage so on max it makes a quick improvement.

For CO2, minimize cooking / burning and kick on the air to attempt circulation. Worst case leave for a bit. (Used to be very sensitive to CO2 levels, it’s getting better).

> there’s not much you can do with a residential AQI sensor without adding a bunch of other automation controls.

You don't need automation. I have a portable CO2 monitor (aranet4) and it gives me an indication of how effectively the air is being exchanged. I've learned that my desk location at home is ok during summer and winter, but when temperatures are moderate the furnace isn't running as much, and the CO2 will get quite high. I keep a window cracked when I work there and it's enough to bring it down to reasonable levels. I didnt know this information before getting it. Similar when I was visiting relatives over easter - the CO2 in the bedroom got up to 2500ppm wile I slept (old house, sealed tight but no forced air circulation). I opened the window for the rest of my stay.

I had a similar experience. I got a cheap CO2 sensor from AliExpress, I basically would open a window or the door to my office if it got over 1000 during the day. I don't consciously notice a difference, but it also measures pm2.5 levels and I was surprised at how high they get while cooking.

Then for shits and giggles I brought it with me to the inlaws and after turning it on there was shocked the CO2 levels were 4300ppm!

Suddenly the headaches they would get at home made sense, and they've started opening windows in the mornings to help circulate some air.

It taught me that most bedrooms dont have enough air flow, it helped me figure out just how much i need the window open or not closing the door which improved my sleep. Also helped me see the importance and notice the effect of having a air filter, and fine tune location and fan speed. I find that air quality is something you get used to and dont realize the effect it has on you unless you pay attention and experiment. its not something i pay attention to every day i could probably use it 1 week 2 times a year and have 90% of the benefit. That being said a lot of people probably live in better more well designed places with less issues than i have.

I have outdoor and indoor. For outdoor it was helpful for wildfires and knowing when to go outside. For indoors I sometimes pay attention to it. It gave me some surprising insights into cooking and the pollution it causes - so now I try to remember to turn on the hood vent all the time - even things like making waffles generate a surprising amount of pollution.

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