I'm working on a design for a DIY air cleaner, and would love some additional feedback or suggestions, if you have them.
I have a used furnace blower that I want to use. A nice, big 3/4HP blower. And I'm debating between two different designs, both of which would double as a rolling cart/table for my shop. The first design would be a square-ish cart with filters on the sides of the blower, since that's where the blower pulls in air into the squirrel cage. (Maybe a third filter on the back, for filtration all around the cart.) The second design would be linear (and longer), putting a single filter stack directly behind the squirrel cage, moving air more in a line.
Pros for the double filter: larger filtration area, less air resistance, slower movement of air into the filter for better efficiency.
Cons for the double filter: more filters, would need to use disposable furnace filters
Pros for the linear, single filter: won't simply pull air from the front back in the sides again for better circulation, fewer filters to change/clean/replace, could make the cart longer to utilize washable pocket filters for better filtration of very small particles. (I'm considering the Grizzly washable pocket filters, which filter down to 1 micron for their air cleaner. I'd also use a pre-filter for larger particles.)
Cons for the linear, single filter: smaller filtration opening (may be less effective?), washable pocket filters for cost-savings (which also create more filtration surface area to counter the smaller opening..?)
Maybe it doesn't matter that much, but the engineer in me just can't decide between the two... Any thoughts on one design vs the other? Perhaps even a third design option?