Safety device to block smoke?

Hi everyone,
I live in a small country named Singapore. This country that I live in has high rise buildings and usually tons of smoking from human activities, such as burning for ancestors etc.
Now, I have 3 parrots and all of them live nearby an open window that is meshed. This allows ventilation for them.

However, this isn't the first time where I had to try and close windows etc. to prevent smoke from entering the house and having the parrots breathe it in.
However, I really have nowhere to put the birds where they will be safe from the smoke while also getting some fresh air (well the storeroom is safe from smoke, but never am I going to put them in there, there's no windows at all.)

That's why I'm here, I want to ask if anyone knows of anything that could keep them safe from the smoke, I'll try my best to keep my parrots away from the item, but if it's parrot safe, that would be appreciated too.

I don't know if it will keep them "safe" but I would strongly recommend getting a HEPA-type air-filter (or possibly several!) to use wherever the birds are located.

My airfilters, on the inside, have both a washable filter and also a replaceable filter (which needs disposed and replaced every-so-often depending on usage and air conditions). I think this is how all HEPA filters work. I'd recommend keep an eye on those filters, check them regularly until you know for certain if you need to wash / replace them More Often than the recommended amount. (Given the smoky conditions you mention.)

Make sure you do NOT get one with options to produce "ionization," or etc. (And definitely do NOT use any options to add fragrances etc!!!) You want them to work by pulling the air through a filter to remove offending substances from the air.

Truly great advice provided above.

The good news is that the type of smoke you are talking about contains heavier particles that a good HEPA filter will easily remove.

The question is: How many windows do you have open in your apartment and where are they located compared to each other. Normally, for air to flow in, a like amount needs to flow out another window. Rarely will they be on the same wall, more commonly on the opposite wall of the apartment.

The normal wind direction in your area is effected by high-rise building as the air flows around them. The side facing the normal wind direction will develop a higher pressure, where the opposite side will develop a lower pressure. Air (wind) flows from a high-pressure zone to a low-pressure zone. This effect draws air out of your apartment on the lower-pressure side and as a result draws air into your apartment on the higher-pressure side.

HEPA filters are available in various sizes to meet the many needs for their use. By measuring your window opening side to side and in the full open (up and down) will provide you a target size for finding one that will fit in your window opening. A common size maybe about 100 mm thick x 450 mm x 760 mm, which is fairly common in North America for a home forced air heating /cooling system. They are commonly found in a 'Big Box' stores, which are fairly common in North American and Europe. They are filled with supplies that home owners and home repair contractors would need to maintain and/or upgrade a home or apartment.

Find a HEPA filter that will fit with in your window. NOTE: You may need to obtain filler material (wood or plywood, 6 to 12 mm thick by size or ridge foam, 25 - 50 mm thick). Set the HEPA filter along the bottom of the opening with the shortest overall measurement so that the window can be closed along the top. Set HEPA filter either fully to the left or right and then cut the filler material to fill the remaining opening. Do the same for the other window.

At this point, you will likely need a Stand or Box Fan to draw air into your apartment from the window in which the wind is coming from that day. Note: It will be common to need to move the fan based on wind direction. Set the fan at least 150 mm from the filter so it pushes air in to the apartment.

NEVER, use a fan to force air out of your apartment!

Many of us parrot owners in Singapore have the Xiaomi Air Purifier (the 2S is still being sold and it's quite affordable, about 115sgd). You can get it from Lazada or even Carousell.

It's important you have an air purifier not just for the downstairs smoking and ghost month season, but also for haze (Indonesia is supposedly starting up again soon). When the haze was really bad in 2015, several parrots actually died, despite being high up in the HDB.

I have our Xiaomi air purifier set to auto, so whenever it goes above a certain PM 2.5 level, I can hear it working and I know to start turning on the fans/aircon and closing all doors and windows asap.

Xiaomi does sell a HEPA filter separately - it's about 30-40sgd, depending on where you buy it.



As a side note, always close your windows and doors when they're fogging. Dengue cases are spiking, and my estate is fogging like crazy. NEA actually issues warnings that fogging can kill pets. So don't forget that.

You will want a non ozone, non-ionizing hepa filter with the smallest filtration possible--- including VOCS. If you do have one with a ion/ozone/sanitation setting, these must be turned OFF, as they harm birds when turned on.

I have an Alenair Breathsmart with hepa fresh filter. It is designed to catch smoke, VOCs etc...but you may need more than 1, depending on the size of your home.

You will want your windows shut while you run the purifier, or it will waste your time...You will literally be filtering the air for your city, rather than the air in your house...which means that any square-footage on the unit would be meaningless, if your air source is continually moving in from outside.

You will be looking at a $700-1000 purchase to get the type of device you need. You will find cheaper models out there, but based on what you are saying, you need a really solid purifier....you will be wasting your money on the cheap ones.

A multi-layer charcoal+ Hepa filter with the capacity to filter VOCs and smoke is very important, given your situation.

Thank you everyone! I know what to get now.

Sailboat, can you explain more about never trying to force air out of your room? I assume that includes exhaust fans and stand fans pointed outwards. Very curious about this.

Regarding the original poster, I'm not sure what brands you have available in Singapore, but brands and models of purifiers make a big difference. I've researched the performance of many models and was surprised to find a wide range of effectiveness. I'm in the Philippines and many of the brands popular in the US are not readily available here. I've chosen Blueair which is usually rated among the top purifiers. They are a swedish company but seem to have distributors all over Asia including here in the Philippines. Might be worth looking into.