You NEED this air quality sensor | AirThings Wave Plus
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- AirThings, a Norweigan tech company, is educating and helping homeowners monitor their indoor air quality and radon levels with their range of sensors. Their Wave Plus costs $230 on their website but you can find it for $197 on Amazon.
Amazon affiliate link: amzn.to/3lXtOz4
Link to my Patreon page: / belinda_carr
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:52 Set up & installation
1:25 Radon
3:15 VOC
4:29 Carbon dioxide
5:29 Humidity
6:15 Temperature
6:41 Pressure
7:20 IFTTT
7:55 Conclusion
Set up is very simple. Download the AirThings app, create an account and log in, turn on your device and connect it to your phone via bluetooth. When you wave your hand over the Wave Plus a colored ring illuminates in green, yellow or red to give you an indicator of air quality. The Wave Plus has 6 trackers for Radon, VOC, CO2, Humidity, Temperature, and Pressure.
Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that is the main cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Uranium 238 in the Earth naturally decays into radium 226 and then radon 222 gas which can enter our homes through the foundation. This emits a radioactive alpha particle composed of two protons and two neutrons. When an alpha particle hits our DNA it can damage a cell’s blueprint. These broken cells replicate themselves to form a cancerous tumor.
The Wave Plus uses "alpha spectrometry" to measure the level of radon. The sensor consists of a passive diffusion chamber that air flows into. A photodiode counts the amount of radon particles in the air sample. Radon is not an instant measurement, but an average value over a long period of time because the amount of alpha particles can vary dramatically.
Wave Plus also measures TVOCs or Total Volatile organic compounds. Not all VOCs are bad, many naturally occurring ones are non-toxic. However, harmful VOCs can cause short term effects like headaches, nose, throat and eye inflammation, coughing and pneumonia. In the long run, it can affect the central nervous system, blood and reproductive system. VOCs can be emitted from candles, fragrances, cooking fumes, new furniture, cleaning products, glue, children’s toys and paints. It can’t detect a natural gas leak, but it will show a spike in VOC levels. It also detects formaldehyde in its total VOC reading. Airthings uses a metal-oxide based sensor with a sensitive layer that reacts to chemicals by adsorption.
Next, the Wave Plus measures carbon dioxide or CO2 levels. In small quantities it is natural and harmless, but as levels rise, it can affect productivity and sleep. It can lead to restlessness, drowsiness, increased heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, sweating and headaches. Carbon dioxide is mainly produced by the air we exhale. Airthings uses NDIR or non dispersive infrared sensors to measure CO2 levels. It collects a sample of air in a chamber, shines a light, and measures how much light has passed through excluding the CO2 molecules.
The Wave Plus also measures Humidity levels which is the amount of water vapor present in the air. Relative humidity of 100% means that the air is saturated and can’t hold any more water vapor. High humidity creates excess moisture and condensation and leads to mold and rot, asthma, allergies and dust mites. Low humidity can cause dry skin and eczema, lower educational performance, and the spread of viruses.
Temperature levels are also measured. 68-74 degrees fahrenheit or 18-24 degrees Celsius is considered to be safe. Higher temperatures can affect cognitive abilities, while low temperatures can lead to respiratory disease.
Finally, the device measures air pressure, which should ideally be around the same as the outdoor atmospheric pressure, 1013.25 mbar. Positive air pressure means that air gets pushed into walls and insulation. It can lead to doors slamming shut, whistling, and random drafts of air. Negative air pressure causes outdoor air to rush in. In winter, the air in your home becomes dry and can cause nose bleeds, chapped lips and static. In summer, it can lead to condensation, mold and mildew.
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SOURCES
• Radon: Long term measu...
• Understanding and test...
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#airquality #radon #waveplus #airthings #sensor #homeremodel #renovation - Věda a technologie
I'm a little disappointed you didn't highlight many negatives, maybe I just missed it. A few things stood out to me: you must avoid extended direct sunlight exposure, high humidity (such as near or in your bathroom) can permanently damage the detector sensitivity (manual doesn't specify which detectors) . I am also uncertain if ceiling mounting would be effective for radon measurement, most test kits should be in the lowest place in the home away from walls. I'd love to hear more about these potential downsides.
Hey Camden! There is information about optimal conditions for Wave Plus in the regulatory booklet and on our help center (help.airthings.com/en/articles/3708036-wave-plus-where-should-i-place-it) 🙂 Measuring radon in spaces you spend the majority of your time in your home can help you understand more about the air you breathe the most!
Drawbacks: Doesn't detect Particulate Matter, Ozone, and NO2.A better air quality monitor is uHoo, but pricier.
Thank you for explaining the radon concept and other things. I was planning on buying a Wave plus unit to check the Radon levels in my basement. Very informative.
We’ve had ours for a year now and love it! We’ve been traveling with it in our RV and saw a large spike in Radon when we stayed in Arco Idaho.
Thank you for doing this review. This is an important topic.
It would be useful full evaluate 3 of them at the same time under the same condition just to compare their tolerances
During a partial remodel, when we had no drywall in a few rooms are Radon levels spiked to red very often. Jerry rigged a box fan with a MERV 13 rated filter and put it in a window to draw in fresh air when the temperatures were not too hot. Worked great! Couple of hours radon levels dropped back to green
Great idea!
Thank you for the recommendation on this item as it has the potential to save lives. Because of your work I've decided to get one!
thanks Belinda, gonna order mine
One of the best product reviews I've ever watched, great video
I learn so much from your channel. Thank you.
I love the level and quantity of detail you provided on all the functions of the device. I have Airthings' View Plus and Corentium devices and will be adding a Wave Plus to increase the number of rooms I can monitor simultaneously. Thanks for this excellent video!
I have the older model. It covers radon, humidity and temperature. It works very well. Highly recommend it
Good job explaining the device and app , thanks for the tip on the price 😊
Best review on CZcams!
I bought this based on a previous video you did on radon and have had it about one week. One thing it found was extremely high CO2 levels. We have been having sleep problems for the last year and a half. My home was built in 1908, and it has no pushed air system at all. We’ve taken to opening up all the windows every day we can, just to air the house out. That totally helps, but tonight’s my first big test to see if it helps me sleep better. Wish me luck! Oh, and thank you very much!
Keep us updated! We also happen to have a good blogpost about the sleep and indoor air quality 😉 www.airthings.com/resources/indoor-air-quality-sleep-bedrooms
Did it help?
@@jflsdknf Yes.
Been wanting something like this for years
We have one of these and yes, not cheap and seems to work well. We notice a seasonal variation as well, as during winter we have our basement shut up for months and occasionally need to vent, even on a cold day.
Great vid
Thanks
Great job!
I think it would have been informative to mention that radon levels can vary significantly based upon geographically (or maybe more accurately, based upon geomorphology).
Great video! I wish it had particulate too.
We bought a 20 yr old house about 3 months ago. During the inspection there was found to be very high levels of radon. We asked the sellers to install a radon pump which they did. I certainly hope the seller and her kids weren't damaged by the high levels of radon that they had been living with for years.
Thank you for the video! I have the Wave Mini which is a lot cheaper but it can only read VOC, humidity and temperature, and doesn't have Wifi capabilities, only Bluetooth. You should also have a look at Mill Sense Air which is a similar product but cheaper.
I already have been contacted to have my neighbor trim his tree off my garage, by the insurance company (from them looking at satellite photos).
I can imagine the field day the would have when they get a hold of the data that thing produces.
Did you do any sort of testing to see how accurate the item is? Your video did say readings changed when you expected them to, but it seems like you didn't have another product or sensor to compare this one against.
Its a good start but it's missing a CO monitor. How could they leave that out?
I wish these things didn't stream your data through the internet
I wish our buildings weren't lethal to begin with.
In our area, home HVAC systems typically have undersized returns and oversized outside coils. They work poorly and use a lot of energy. HVAC calculations and proper equipment sizing is critical.
YES! We have the same issue. One small return feeds half the house. I'm hoping to make a video explaining it soon.
@@BelindaCarr i used to work with the ground source heat pump industry quite intensively and very often one of the great challenges was inadequate ventilation systems for the purpose. I'd love to hear you're thoughts on this larger topic, including in relation to the Health Canada, and ASHRAE or other best guidance documents on ventilation changes and improvements under COVID.
The newest fresh air handlers enable small adjustments that directly affect total positive and negative pressures throughout the home. And, as we tighten the specs, "AIR QUALITY" becomes a paramount concern.
@@BelindaCarr Big box stores sell filter based on CFM "when clean" I'm putting another oversized return in my house to combat this. Also if I put a MERV 13 in the current return the HVAC system wants to suck it into the ducting. Just wish that built all of this this right instead of cheap and quick as possible. My current ducting just sagging like a slinky with straps like every 10 feet with 6 inches of slack. SMH
I need this. Queen you always hit the spot when im high and vegetating lol.
it is not a coincidence that this is a Norwegian company. There is lot of high radon areas in Norway because of all the rock formations in the ground. Especially some forms of slate rocks. And because Norway is also cold in a large part of the year people stay inside with the windows closed a large part of the year concentrating the radon level. I have this sensor and live in Norway, and the only thing i am missing on it is a PM2.5 and PM10 sensor to monitor the fine particle level in the air.
Hey Wankel! We have added PM 2.5 sensor to our latest View Plus, check it out 🤩 www.airthings.com/no/view-plus
I bought and tried one of these...it was okay, but I found it not nearly as accurate as I would like a 200+ device to be. I also found the app connectivity not to be on par with other devices I had. I reached out to their support and I admit they tried several times to resolve the issue, but I asked if I could just return it and I would avoid a bad review...which I did...and I believe a device like this especially if they have improved it since 2 years ago could be very helpful for air quality sampling.
I have started working on my own device...still in it's infancy, but hopefully I will have a device that can accept a series of probes and sensors that can accurately measure the things I need from water to air...for cheaper than some of the various devices on the market. Then instead of making it a consumer product I would sell kits maybe? Who knows.
This looks like the app on my Awair system, will look at picking one of these up since Awair doesn't track radon
Sounds like your place will provide a bunch of projects that will become business expenses as props/training videos 😅.
(said in good fun as we don't even live in a house we own yet, we're probably not going back to the original place beyond for landlord stuff)
Hmmmm. Feels like a commercial.
does the device detect VOCs coming off the material it's made of? or the packaging it came in?
How long does it take to get results when you turn it on?
Could you tell me more about it's connectivity? More specifically it's autonomy?
Apart from me having a dislike of devices sending any information about me to third parties I also am often far away from any form of internet (we full-time in an RV). Can it function without the internet? Do I have to set up an account? Would my health insurance also be interested in radon, CO2 and voc levels in my house? Can I expect targeted marketing from real estate agents that urge me to sell?
I already have a thermostat that wants to send information about my heating behaviour to third parties. The device has become unreliable and handicapped in it functioning when I had to block its link to the internet.
You can find all the information about Wave Plus connectivity in our help center 🙃 help.airthings.com/en/articles/3119712-wave-plus-understanding-the-connectivity-and-compatibility-of-your-wave-plus We do not send information to third parties.
I have a fireplace that smells of smoke on certain days even though I never use it. I think it's related to air pressure. I'll try this. I wonder if I need one upstairs and one downstairs or if one will do.
We always suggest you monitor the rooms where you spend most of your time. If you want to measure several rooms at once, it is advisable to have one device per room, depending on the layout. But our devices are portable, so you can change the room once you finished measuring 😉
Purple air sensors are great for knowing particulate pollution (woodsmoke, diesel and dust) levels outdoors and indoors. We have one that has worked well for two years.
Check out the purple air map of sensors data all I’ve the world.
Nice device! TY!!! How many can you use at a time? I would like to see one in the attic and crawl space as well.
As many as you want! You can link them all to one phone or an Airthings Hub. It shouldn't be used in an unconditioned attic and crawl space since the heat and humidity can destroy the sensors.
Too bad it doesn't work in non-conditioned spaces like Attic and crawlspace. I would have purchased 2 more. Perhaps I can put a conformal coating on most of the electronics to protect it, but not directly on the sensors. Idk. Wish they would make it weather proof.
Hey @@l0I0I0I0, the device will track the influences from the attic and crawl spaces on your indoor air quality, even if you place it in the rooms close to those spaces or ones you spend most of your time in 😊
@@Airthings TY. Somes it's necessary to know what's going on in the attic and crawlspace, like excess humidity and moisture control and temperature on a historical chart for a month or annually especially when diagnosing forensic issues and hvac work especially remote monitoring. The device is awesome but would be even better if it could handle weather and extreme environments. Hope they read this.
@@l0I0I0I0 Get your point! Thank you for your feedback, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our customer's experience 😊
It's does not have the same features, but you have a rough idea about your air quality with IKEA VINDRIKTNING Air quality sensor, and just for 11.99 USD
You have to be careful with airthings. I started with a kit that included a hub, a mini and a wave (not the wave plus). Problem was that I knew something was wrong but yet every room was green or supposedly good air quality. Well, I added a few wave pluses and then the problem became appearant. My CO2 levels in the house were ridiculously high but the mini and wave don't measure for that, you have to step up to the plus.
For reference we have closed cell in our walls, 4 inches of closed cell on attic roof plus 7 inches of open cell (about r50). We have a HRV but it was not enough to exchange the air in the home.
Hey John, the House Kit indeed includes Wave Mini, Wave Radon and the Hub. Wave Mini and Wave Radon do not include CO2 sensors. You can see the sensor information under each of our products at www.airthings.com/. Glad that you managed to take control of the indoor air quality 🙂 Happy measuring!
Just re-tried sincing today. Nothing
You said your ac was under preforming. This may not be true. Our ac unit is suppose to be sized correct with our house yet its way to small. When they size a central air unit they never do it correct. They forget about major heat loads, people living in the home, how many fridges/freezers you have, cooking, extreme heat. Cubic feet and not square footage is a major thing. My house is 9.5 foot ceilings so that is far more air space than someone with 8 foot ceilings. I run my ac at 73F, it will maintain the that temp provided you do not cook and its under 90F outside. Once it exceeds that number the heat load goes up. When we cook it takes a long time to remove the heat.
They say if you Central air is too big it wont work right and if to small it wont work right either. The really only choice is to get inverter type ac units. These can be over sized because they scale up and down based on heat loads. Which means they can run all day on very low power consumption and when a heat load comes it can scale up and cool that heat load.
Ductless AC units can also be extremely efficient . Except for "wet bulb" tests and such, most contractors ( at least in AZ) use one ton(12k BTU) per 500 sq ft as a measure of how large your HVAC unit should be. That estimation works most of the time, however ductless AC units are as a rule much more efficient when compared to a central AC unit ( ducted).
@@eldergeektromeo9868 Ductless ac units are inverter based. They make window units that are exactly the same. in AZ that would be standard for size. For my house which is a 2 story and is limited to central air to the main level is a 2.5 ton with 1600 square feet ish does not have enough power to keep it cool when canning or cooking meals. Plus the summer loads are pretty heavy. I want to install about 5 or 6 tons to cool the entire house. We have a pretty old house so the insulation is not the best. I will be adding in new insulation in the attic, two porch areas, two closet areas and in the sun room which has no insulation as there was a leak that I had to fix last summer and going to finish that room up this year. I intend to put in enough insulation to get r40 or so. Pretty much about 50 bags of cellulose. This should help some what. I am also going to caulk and repair a lot of eves that has air leakage and caulk every place I can to hold back the drafts. My house is 120 years old and its nice yet I would rather spend that money building a newer smaller 900 square foot house with full basement. I just want a functional house and this house just does not lay out the right way and being all single pane windows hurts the heating and cooling. The price of lumber really kills building a new house right now. I have looked in to a number of other options and they are all way out of the price range I want to spend and the value to ROI is poor for about the next 40 ish years I have to live.
Acha hai...
How much personal information do you have to permit to use the app?
Does the device need a cloud/Internet connection or can I use it with a local home assistant server?
Good question! You can find all the information about Wave Plus connectivity in our help center 🙃 help.airthings.com/en/articles/3119712-wave-plus-understanding-the-connectivity-and-compatibility-of-your-wave-plus
Can you monitor it from a different country?
The problem with all these smart devices is they share data to more than just the home owner/s...
Who do they share the info with?
I'm curious whether this would detect any asbestos that could be in the air from prior remodels in the old home my family just purchased. Maybe someone could chime in if they know whether the Wave Plus could detect this? :-)
i'm no expert but from what i've gathered you can only detect asbestos with microscopes that have polarized light or something else called phase contrast. Even the air sample methods that are quite costly get extracted from the pump and analyzed by a microscope. that being said i did read about a potential breakthrough of laser detection in real time that's not complete yet to my knowledge.
@@allthegrassisgreen Interesting, cool to hear there's new methods for out of lab detection being researched!
Asbestos is very common here in Southern California. Many people are not so privy to the now-known hazardous materials used in old construction before doing large, or even simple renovations like updating flooring.
I can see the immense value in having a rent-able, real time, on site test device for professional or even advanced-diy usage. Hopefully this tech comes to full fruition!
Can tvoc detect mold ?. I heard mold can cause high tvoc levels. Is that true ?
The Wave Mini has a dedicated mold risk indicator:
www.airthings.com/mold-risk-indicator
Whether mold itself generate TVOC that can be read, is something I don't know. But I know that it can calculate "mold risk" based on the humidity levels over time.
CO levels are not monitored
If anyone needs one of this you can have mine at half the price. It will not work for me as it requires an internet connection and I'm unwilling to share so much sensitive data.
I'm in Canada so I will ship here or in US.
Shouldn't it monitor for Carbon Monoxide as well? I thought that was a danger in homes with furnaces.
If you are using some type of fossil fuel as a source, then YES ( nat Gas, Propane, oil, etc).
Mine stopped working after 3 months and the app support is terrible. Tried removing and re-installing the app - didn't help. Tried changing out the battery, hasn't been sincing since Aug. 14, of 2023. Buyer beware. Expensive and not very good IMO.
I have this
Thank you, great product but I question devices like this.... a product sold so " they" can monitor.... like Siri.
What value would someone get by collecting data on your home’s radon levels?
@@Mega4ort I imagine radon mitigation companies, health and homeowner insurance companies, real estate companies, etc would all be very interested in that data, as would the health department.
How about a push towards mandating responsible construction materials and building design that won't kill its occupants? 😬
Bissel also as PM2.5 sensor display. So, AirThing is NOT the only choice you have. Simply do your homework.
Nice device except Bluetooth makes it a no from me. Should have been ZigBee or preferably Z-Wave. WiFi would be nice but it's too much of an energy drain for a battery powered device.
Looks like the 'VIEW Plus' model is basically the same but WiFi based and with the addition of a PM2.5 sensor.
Not something I can use and I wouldn't want my phone connected to it anyway. I grew up with houses having open windows and doors. That way it was always cooler inside and easier to sleep at night. My apartment has one door and with the poor air quality and high temps, i can't have it open for now. If I had a screen door i could have it open at night..oh well. Besides, i couldn't afford this type of device...just too expensive.
These things suck! I got two View Plus and two Wave Plus. Oh boy. For $300+ devices, these feel like prototypes, hardware and software wise.
Stop breaking eye contact with the camera. It's really annoying.