Basement Air Filter Box

A box of air filters that Came With The House™ (and fit nothing therein) surfaced during a recent heap probe and prompted a quick-n-dirty project:

It replaces a tired box fan (barely visible at the top) that’s been shoving air around the basement to equalize the humidity.

The quintet of 140 mm fans seems quieter, although they don’t move quite as much air. Given that I have no way to know how much air circulation is enough, it’s likely sufficient.

The strip of black tape covers a hole for the knob on the fan power / speed control, although I cranked it up to full throttle and expect to leave it there:

The controller sits on a platform cut from 1.5 mm cardboard:

The 3D printed holder came with the controller. I cannot imagine how they have enough time to print a holder for each controller; maybe it’s a QC check for a 3D printer manufacturer.

I intended the controller to sit on the other side of the middle fan, but realized I had to cut the opening after mounting the fans and got the chirality wrong; the wiring in there layout leaves something to be desired.

The fans mount on a sheet of cardboard cut from one side of a Home Depot Extra Large Box and the bottom of the filter box comes from the other side. Because I don’t have a deep emotional attachment to the filters, they’re attached to each other (and the bottom sheet) with hot melt glue. I do have a slight attachment to the fans, but four dabs of glue hold each one in place. More gaffer tape holds the fan sheet to the front of the assembled box, in the unlikely event I must get in there again.

Hey, it’s Christmas: good things come in boxes, right?