this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
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Mildly Interesting

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I recently stayed in an apartment that didnt have central air so I created a corsi-rosenthal box since the smoke from the Canadian wildfires were so bad.

After 30 days of continuous use, with very minimal periods of it being turned off, this is what the filters look like!

It's disgusting yet also so satisfying to see the filters get darker from debris, dust, and dirt.

Edit: typos

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[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 84 points 1 day ago (2 children)

"Corsi-Rosenthal Box" sounds like it's some theoretical physics thought experiment, but no it's some filters and a box fan.

Be tempted to build one of those for my shop.

[–] EnsignWashout@startrek.website 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I'm going to start talking in vague terms about my own designs for a "Corsi-Rosenthal Box" when I want to sound smart.

It'll be great if anyone bothers to look it up.

I mean, it sounds like an Einstein-Rosen bridge.

[–] threeganzi@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

“My Corsi-Rosenthal Box is designed to efficiently accelerate particles inwards. The particles are then ‘captured’ using a special filtering technique, and separated from the air molecules which are allowed through.”

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 5 points 23 hours ago

It’s removing particulates though.

So you could call it and “anti-particulate vertical fluid acceleration device” maybe.

[–] MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I thought it was for filtering weed smoke, designed by the famous grower and strain creator Ed Rosenthal.

[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Think it was a covid thing.

No word on ed being the rosenthal in question.

[–] huppakee@feddit.nl 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Someone posted a link to Wikipedia in the comments, came across their names:

Richard Corsi, an environmental engineer and the incoming Dean of Engineering at the University of California, Davis

Jim Rosenthal, the CEO of filter manufacturer Tex-Air Filters

[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Not the weed guy though.

[–] HiddenLychee@lemmy.world 0 points 18 hours ago

Oh. A CEO of a filter company. I sort of wondered why I couldn't just tape a single filter to a fan, why it required four of them. Maybe it has something to do with air flow limitations, or maybe it has something to do with the guy making a profit on every filter sold lol

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 9 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

These have been around for a long time as DIY filters for folks, I remember seeing one of these on Reddit before comments were a thing.

Once upon a time Reddit drove you to interact with other websites instead of shitposting your best hot take about the title of the post someone else didn’t even visit.

Comments truly ruined Reddit

[–] MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 4 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Long time ago I made my own activated carbon filter from plans I found online out of chicken wire, some duct parts, of course activated carbon, and pantyhose. got some funny looks when buying that last one, but it worked like a freaking charm.

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 3 points 20 hours ago

custom filters are common in the aquarium hobby, lots of fun pipe fittings to play with

[–] Diurnambule@jlai.lu 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

That a good idea ! Didn't think about it.

[–] MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 6 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

well..

A 2022 study found the clean air delivery rate on the five-filter design was between 600 and 850 cubic feet (17–24 m3) per minute (depending on fan speed), costing roughly a tenth of commercial air filters.

hope you can keep up!

[–] Diurnambule@jlai.lu 1 points 20 hours ago

Yeah may be a little overkill