Yes, stay inside but better get an AQI monitor and non-ozone producing air filters. I have a hound’s nose and I don’t smell smoke inside, but my AQI monitor showed different parts of the house this morning around 7 am at anywhere from 250 to 500 AQI. The 500 was one of the bathrooms. So the particles do get inside and get lodged in your lungs. This is esp. dangerous for infants, small children and anyone with lung compromised afflictions. So, just because you don’t smell smoke doesn’t mean your inside air is not compromised.
Take care of yourselves and each other!!
miguelSeptember 11, 2020 - 10:55 AM - 10:55 AM
Friendly suggestion from a restaurant industry worker: we appreciate your support, please consider ordering takeout rather than patio dining.
The numbers at Airnow.gov are 24 hour averages. Purpleair.com/map offers updates every 10 minutes. Purple Air has Concord and most of the Bay Area in the mid to high 200’s.
There’s a low pressure system expected Wednesday, which will bring rain to Oregon, and perhaps some of California. Even if we don’t get rain here in the Bay Area, the winds should be in our favor to flush out a lot of this smoke, improving the air quality. It’s good news, but Wednesday is a long time to wait for relief.
If people need to go out and get groceries today, buy enough food to shelter in place until the air quality improves.
LL Cool JSeptember 11, 2020 - 12:27 PM - 12:27 PM
Yes Natalie! Did you know you can toggle that to show Realtime numbers as well?
RTCSeptember 11, 2020 - 12:33 PM - 12:33 PM
Thank you Natalie for the information on Purpleair. I will try it. The Air.gov site is only updated every one and a half hours.
That’s cool! I use the app AirVisual it updates live and uses sensors that people buy and stick on their home for accuracy and real time number, and they also pull from Purpleair as well.
KirkwoodSeptember 11, 2020 - 4:51 PM - 4:51 PM
LL- During the bad times I have frequently watched Purpleair and over time I have seen how numbers change with both sensor elevations, wind direction, and nearby topography. Near where I live, there is a row of sensors along Myrtle Drive and 4 more South of Kirker Pass, each at higher elevations. The one at the top of Camino Estrada is about a hundred feet higher than my address and often has higher readings., and another near Keller Ridge. I also follow Windy.com and find that wind directions can vary up to 90 degrees between sea level and 3000’ altitude.
Mary FoutsSeptember 11, 2020 - 12:49 PM - 12:49 PM
The Purple Air Air Quality Sensor I recently ordered is out for delivery today. We’re installing it in the backyard on an exterior garage wall. I’ll let you know how the set up and readings go.
We have portable Honeywell HPA300 HEPA Air Filters around the house. We have them running 24/7; they do a fabulous job with interior air quality. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for a HEPA air filtration system.
LL Cool JSeptember 11, 2020 - 2:41 PM - 2:41 PM
Mary that reminds me. I have been wondering in general about the difference between the purple air sensors and the Airnow etc. I figured most residential external purple air sensors are somewhat near the ground where people breathe. I also am assuming the some business’ sensors might be higher up (if they are in a taller building) and am also wondering if AirNow, BAQMMD, and others…where are their sensors located. I am curious to know if all are at ground level. Would having them higher up change the air quality #s. I don’t know the answer. Wondering if anyone does?
The purple reading should be taken with a grain of salt. They only give the quality of a small area and if there is something nearby that is adding to the pollution (barbecue, etc) it will be off. The sensor is only as good as it is maintained too.
There are only a few “official” sensors in the area. You can see them at airnow.gov as well as the purple data too
Source: my company is researching buying some sensors
Purple Air Air Quality Sensor – Received it today. Got it setup and registered. It is reading my South Pleasant Hill home office wi fi from the location I wanted it at (backyard, exterior garage wall east elevation); strong signal. Reading 178 right now. Other 2 nearest sensors are reading 181 and 184.
This should be fun to track, in addition to my backyard weather station information I track.
WC ResidentSeptember 11, 2020 - 5:39 PM - 5:39 PM
@Mary Fouts – Did you run the sensor indoors for a while to see how well your air filtration system is working?
I noticed that some purple air users leave their sensors indoors and register them that way. You can see these as there is a black circle around the colored dot and their AQI values are much better than neighbors with outdoor sensors. In the lower-left corner are checkboxes to enable/disable viewing of the indoor and/or outdoor sensors. Some people with indoor sensors have unusually high readings.
KirkwoodSeptember 11, 2020 - 8:05 PM - 8:05 PM
I suspect that the Purpleair sensors might not be laboratory quality but are good enough for the general public. I have seen an increase in the number of sensors in the past month. The company seems to be using a similar business model as Weather Underground with home weather station sensors scattered around a map by subscribers.
In summary, lab quality sensors pull the air through a filter and then weigh the filter to see how much material has accumulated since the last sensor reading. The instrument typically cycles about once an hour and reports on the average for the last 24 hours.
Purple Air uses an optical system that shines a laser into the collection chamber and analyzes the light reflected from dust particles. They accumulate observations for 120 seconds and convert the data into AQI numbers. The current generation Purple Air units contain two identical lasers with collection chambers with the readings expected to be within some unspecified amount of each other. I get the sense they also compare the readings with those of other units in the same region to detect and discard unusual data.
I suspect the dual laser system is to encourage the owner of a unit to clean them as it’ll report that the readings are not consistent and likely can indicate if the A or B side is dirty. Cleaning should get the units back up to spec.
Bud ESeptember 11, 2020 - 5:42 PM - 5:42 PM
How dare some agency try and tell me what’s good for me? Where is all the anti-maskers, you are with me, correct?
I bet if Newsome would have told people to stay home for their own health you would all be up in arms.
Hey Bud E – if the air quality bothers you, knock yourself out – wear a mask. Hell, wear three or four if it blows your skirt up. I’ll decide for myself, thank you very much.
There’s a big difference between “encouraged” and “required”.
StumpedSeptember 11, 2020 - 7:28 PM - 7:28 PM
Nah, I’ll wait until Nancy tells me to stay home. She knows best.
HonestGuySeptember 12, 2020 - 10:44 AM - 10:44 AM
Telling people to stay inside is like trying to pick fly turds out of pepper, while wearing boxing gloves.
People as a whole are extremely dumb. It doesn’t matter if it is a global pandemic, a large thunderstorm, horrible air quality etc. Idiot non essential people are going to go outside.
25 comments
Yes, stay inside but better get an AQI monitor and non-ozone producing air filters. I have a hound’s nose and I don’t smell smoke inside, but my AQI monitor showed different parts of the house this morning around 7 am at anywhere from 250 to 500 AQI. The 500 was one of the bathrooms. So the particles do get inside and get lodged in your lungs. This is esp. dangerous for infants, small children and anyone with lung compromised afflictions. So, just because you don’t smell smoke doesn’t mean your inside air is not compromised.
Take care of yourselves and each other!!
Friendly suggestion from a restaurant industry worker: we appreciate your support, please consider ordering takeout rather than patio dining.
@miguel
Thanks to all workers like you. Take care.
I wonder if the Anti-Makers are still refusing to wear a mask to stand up for their rights against mother-nature.
Rob, please tell me what “Anti-Makers” are. Thanks.
I’ve a solution, but “some” people may not like it…
,Is it your nasty home made wine?
Nope…
The numbers at Airnow.gov are 24 hour averages. Purpleair.com/map offers updates every 10 minutes. Purple Air has Concord and most of the Bay Area in the mid to high 200’s.
There’s a low pressure system expected Wednesday, which will bring rain to Oregon, and perhaps some of California. Even if we don’t get rain here in the Bay Area, the winds should be in our favor to flush out a lot of this smoke, improving the air quality. It’s good news, but Wednesday is a long time to wait for relief.
If people need to go out and get groceries today, buy enough food to shelter in place until the air quality improves.
Yes Natalie! Did you know you can toggle that to show Realtime numbers as well?
Thank you Natalie for the information on Purpleair. I will try it. The Air.gov site is only updated every one and a half hours.
That’s cool! I use the app AirVisual it updates live and uses sensors that people buy and stick on their home for accuracy and real time number, and they also pull from Purpleair as well.
LL- During the bad times I have frequently watched Purpleair and over time I have seen how numbers change with both sensor elevations, wind direction, and nearby topography. Near where I live, there is a row of sensors along Myrtle Drive and 4 more South of Kirker Pass, each at higher elevations. The one at the top of Camino Estrada is about a hundred feet higher than my address and often has higher readings., and another near Keller Ridge. I also follow Windy.com and find that wind directions can vary up to 90 degrees between sea level and 3000’ altitude.
The Purple Air Air Quality Sensor I recently ordered is out for delivery today. We’re installing it in the backyard on an exterior garage wall. I’ll let you know how the set up and readings go.
We have portable Honeywell HPA300 HEPA Air Filters around the house. We have them running 24/7; they do a fabulous job with interior air quality. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for a HEPA air filtration system.
Mary that reminds me. I have been wondering in general about the difference between the purple air sensors and the Airnow etc. I figured most residential external purple air sensors are somewhat near the ground where people breathe. I also am assuming the some business’ sensors might be higher up (if they are in a taller building) and am also wondering if AirNow, BAQMMD, and others…where are their sensors located. I am curious to know if all are at ground level. Would having them higher up change the air quality #s. I don’t know the answer. Wondering if anyone does?
The purple reading should be taken with a grain of salt. They only give the quality of a small area and if there is something nearby that is adding to the pollution (barbecue, etc) it will be off. The sensor is only as good as it is maintained too.
There are only a few “official” sensors in the area. You can see them at airnow.gov as well as the purple data too
Source: my company is researching buying some sensors
Purple Air Air Quality Sensor – Received it today. Got it setup and registered. It is reading my South Pleasant Hill home office wi fi from the location I wanted it at (backyard, exterior garage wall east elevation); strong signal. Reading 178 right now. Other 2 nearest sensors are reading 181 and 184.
This should be fun to track, in addition to my backyard weather station information I track.
@Mary Fouts – Did you run the sensor indoors for a while to see how well your air filtration system is working?
I noticed that some purple air users leave their sensors indoors and register them that way. You can see these as there is a black circle around the colored dot and their AQI values are much better than neighbors with outdoor sensors. In the lower-left corner are checkboxes to enable/disable viewing of the indoor and/or outdoor sensors. Some people with indoor sensors have unusually high readings.
I suspect that the Purpleair sensors might not be laboratory quality but are good enough for the general public. I have seen an increase in the number of sensors in the past month. The company seems to be using a similar business model as Weather Underground with home weather station sensors scattered around a map by subscribers.
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCACLAYT13
@Kirkwood – Purple Air has a good explanation of their sensors vs. lab quality ones at https://www2.purpleair.com/community/faq#!hc-how-do-purpleair-sensors-compare-to-regulatory-particulate-matter-sensors
In summary, lab quality sensors pull the air through a filter and then weigh the filter to see how much material has accumulated since the last sensor reading. The instrument typically cycles about once an hour and reports on the average for the last 24 hours.
Purple Air uses an optical system that shines a laser into the collection chamber and analyzes the light reflected from dust particles. They accumulate observations for 120 seconds and convert the data into AQI numbers. The current generation Purple Air units contain two identical lasers with collection chambers with the readings expected to be within some unspecified amount of each other. I get the sense they also compare the readings with those of other units in the same region to detect and discard unusual data.
I suspect the dual laser system is to encourage the owner of a unit to clean them as it’ll report that the readings are not consistent and likely can indicate if the A or B side is dirty. Cleaning should get the units back up to spec.
How dare some agency try and tell me what’s good for me? Where is all the anti-maskers, you are with me, correct?
I bet if Newsome would have told people to stay home for their own health you would all be up in arms.
Hey Bud E – if the air quality bothers you, knock yourself out – wear a mask. Hell, wear three or four if it blows your skirt up. I’ll decide for myself, thank you very much.
There’s a big difference between “encouraged” and “required”.
Nah, I’ll wait until Nancy tells me to stay home. She knows best.
Telling people to stay inside is like trying to pick fly turds out of pepper, while wearing boxing gloves.
People as a whole are extremely dumb. It doesn’t matter if it is a global pandemic, a large thunderstorm, horrible air quality etc. Idiot non essential people are going to go outside.
Comments are closed.