Air filter in forest fire areas

[NitroM3]

Honestly it is better to change or clean the cabin filter more often then buy a expensive one. If you understand fully about filters then it is largely market to get consumers to buy cabin filters like those with a n95 rating. Even masks N95 can only be properly cleaned and worn about 3-5 times safely?
Flow regarding cabin filters can directly effect how well the AC works during summer months when you are not recycling the cabin air.
The first thing we do in the shop or I check before writing an estimate if the cabin filter is easily accessed is pull it down in front of the customer, especially when I ask when did you service the cabin filter last and they say the "air Filter" was changed recently, they were referring to the engine air filter. LOL

 

[Snagglefoot]

Here are two shots showing the views with and without forest fire smoke. Also shown are two Fram Extra Guard filters, the top one coated by forest fire ash particulate. I like to use the Fram Tough Guard, with the lightly oiled yellow coloured filter material when the forest fires get bad. Not sure if it’s better but I’m thinking it’s stopping the particulate with a bit more efficiency. Check your filter after a season of forest fires.

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Here is the same Fram Tough Guard engine air filter after the bad 2023 fire season in SE BC. I think I may buy another one if the smoke shows up again. They’re quite a bit more than the Extra Guard version

 

[Snagglefoot]

Just ordered another Fram Tough Guard air filter on Amazon.

 

[doitmyself]

Here is the same Fram Tough Guard engine air filter after the bad 2023 fire season in SE BC. I think I may buy another one if the smoke shows up again. They’re quite a bit more than the Extra Guard version

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Thanks for sharing. In spite of how bad it looks, the inside pleats seem to show plenty of "clean" filter material.

With much of this group having OCD over-maintenance tendencies (me included), I imagine a lot of us change our engine air filters too often. Mine get changed mostly on a time basis, not dirt accumulation, because I don't know at what point the filter media might deteriorate due to age - 3 years, 5 years?

I'm surprised more of us do not use filter restriction gauges.

Cabin filters? I agree with many opinions above - in fire country change them often. FYI, last summer(s) we had ash floating around lower Michigan from Canadian fires 1,000's of miles away. Our tiny marble of life is not that big.

 

[D60]

I built a tie rod for a guy with his own private firefighting outfit. Not sure how that works but he gets contracts all over.

Anyway, he showed up in a sweet new SuperDuty outfitted for firefighting and a 6.7.

He said he was getting rid of it because .....something..... kept clogging when driving around in sooty areas. I can't remember exactly now -- did he say DPF filter? Would this make sense?? Man I suffer from CRS

Either way he felt the 6.7 wasn't up for this specific job solely because something clogged too easily.