Which may be of some use in public areas where there are many people and so a greater chance that unknown somebody may be contributing the virus to the common air. But the idea that having a CO2 detector around the house may save you from the dreaded bug makes no sense to me. Surely knowing who is in your house and if they are infected is more reliable than a method that relies on a correlation that may not exist. There are so many ways of getting false positives and false negatives from such monitoring.
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Only if woodsmoke from wood heaters and burn offs and other toxic outdoor pollution isnāt a problem. In most of Sydney and Melbourne and many rural towns it is for much of the year.
Is not the urban pollution from road use - vehicle exhausts and road grind, industrial emissions and general decay of the city the greatest air borne hazard?
Having lived in the city on main roads, small country towns and even a large farm, there is no escaping stuff in the air. Itās mostly pollens and dust where we live now.
They are always present.
Of interest to some, one of those who promote related products had this to say.
I wonder if there is also a significant daily air pollution risk from what is inside our homes, no matter where we live, that matters more at times, hence the advice to āopen upā?
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I have had IQAir on my phone since the bushfires of 2019/2020. Did not have many around here, but those between here and Sydney certainly compromised my health. For a while (a day or three), I was even wearing my mask indoors, because my breathing was really difficult. I considered buying their hardware as well, but decided that was overkill for my needs. Or maybe notā¦
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Donāt we all have different levels of need?
I purchased a great digital floor scale for the bathroom. It keeps disappearing because our needs are different. 
Objectivity is often hard to come by.
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There is no objective reality only opinions.
I canāt be objective about the IQAir pro gadget, its $295USD.
Portable CO2 Detectors
Hi
I am looking to check out air freshness levels in my office, for when we go back to work. Has Choice got any plans to test out models for domestic or small business use. I did ask for an extra 5% of fresh air for the air con when I first took over the office, and it doesnāt get stuffy in the main offices but I am concerned about some of the smaller spaces. Should I just ask the air conditioning company to check for me and then be happy that the results would be stable over time, or should I get a monitor?
Edwina
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I merged your post into this existing topic that already has a few comments related to CO2 detectors, Choice tests, air quality, etc.
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It depends on the problem. If the environment is uncomfortable the aircon company should be able to check the temperature, humidity and airflow to see if any of those is the cause. Why do you think your air needs monitoring?
About the stability question; if you cannot detect that the air is poor what undetectable problem are you anticipating that needs a monitor?
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When air-conditioning is layout is designed, assumptions are made about the layout, the number of people in the area hence the loadings, the entry of fresh air through doors, windows etc, heating and cooling through the structure, etc etc. If any of those elements change, the air-conditioning may not provide the temperatures and airflow it was designed for. Therefore any significant change to layout, or loadings, etc means a review of the air-con is also required.
Hence, if there are air flow/supply problems the air-con needs a review.
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A counterpoint to the query is that HVAC is not always well designed from the beginning, but how would the consumer/tenant know? Perceived comfort level only goes so far in understanding whether ventilation is good, bad, or indifferent.
Sometimes the assumptions are wrong, and sometimes the design engineer just gets it wrong for one or another reason (budget constraints, misunderstandings, improper documentation provided, etc).
Sometimes ādiscoveringā there is no problem is necessary for peace of mind even when there is no problem or only suspicion, or to assure no related liability (eg performing due diligence to check air quality).
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Thank you for your advice. I have asked for a complete air con assessment and my generous landlord is happy to pay for any changes we need to make to make every room as well ventilated as it can be without windows that open. We have had to make some room size changes due to Covid, so they may well have an effect on quality.
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Is there an effective portable monitor for co2 concentration to take round shops, cafes etc? I would like to carry me one to check and educate the business owners. If only the government would set and monitor air quaility in these public venues!
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Hi @VivienneP and welcome to the Community.
I have moved your post into this existing one where similar questions have been asked.
Hopefully you will get some great help/advice here. Iām sure there are products that will offer you good readings for your needs, there are also likely to be quite shonky ones that are taking advantage of current concerns. So a great question to ask in regards to workplaces.
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Why, what is the problem?
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Hi @VivienneP, welcome to the community.
How? Unless a device is calibrated, used appropriately by a suitably experienced person, and the results can be assessed by a suitability qualified person based on the monitor location and ambient conditions, any result on a digital handheld CO2 monitor will mean nothing and could be misleading/misunderstood as a minimum.
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Further to @phbās comments, how do you expect a shop owner would react to a random individual (ie not a government rep or inspector of any certification or standing) attending and claiming the shop had an unhealthy environment based on a portable device?
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OZSAGE and others make the point that measuring carbon dioxide is a basic way to test how well or otherwise an indoor space is ventilated and thus indicate if there is āSafe Indoor Airā because with viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID hang around longer on aerosol particles for longer in poorly ventilated spaces.
Carbon dioxide levels in under-ventilated buildings could be as high as 3200 parts per million (ppm) compared to 600 ppm in a well-ventilated space.
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What is āsafe indoor airā?
Even in Covid isolation wards with designed critical ventilation hospital staff and visitors are required to gown, glove, mask and face shield. Iāve been in one.
This suggests that there is no such thing as āsafe indoor airā if there is any risk of one of the persons in that space having Covid.
Are there indoor air spaces where the risk of transmission is less or increased due to how the ventilation is functioning? That seems to be the thrust of the general discussion. The latest controls in some states for selected indoor spaces restrict access to the double vaccinated. Managing those most likely to be able to carry the Covid-19 virus is also a control.
Observation and comment.
How a room is ventilated and where one chooses to stand or sit may be as significant as the air change rate. Whatās the assurance a ventilated space with good ventilation flow rates and indicated low CO2 levels is not circulating a Covid rich stream past your seated position. IE sitting near an open door way of a pressure ventilated space or under a ceiling fan. Itās how the local F&C is ventilated. I doubt the CO2 levels would be a reliable indicator.
CO2 levels may indicate a possible issue with ventilation. There is no measure that good ventilation provides an absolute assurance of being āsafeā from Covid. Adhering to the basics of vaccination, mask wearing, separation and hand hygiene remain universally accepted.
The following offers a broad view of the priorities, including where ventilation is useful as an additional control, (risk reduction strategy).
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