Air Purifier GO!

Alive Air Purifier

I’m not an asthma sufferer but 3 out 5 people close to me suffer from the condition.  It is hard to be around them because their asthma triggers are usually invisible to the naked eye and once they’re hit, they’re hit bad.  They either end up taking tabs, puffs or get nebulized in worst-case scenarios.  There have been known side effects of these medicines, thankfully I haven’t witnessed any of my friends of family getting to that end and I would prefer not to ever have to witness that.

I’ve read online that air purifiers can help asthma sufferers and so I looked it up.  There are actually different kinds of air purifiers for asthma and allergy and it is overwhelming to have to pick among the many choices you are afforded of.  You have to know what the triggers are because each allergen can’t be addressed by a single form of filtration.  Carbon filter, for example, are only good for adsorption of fumes or smoke but it can’t do anything to molds or bacteria and pet dander or pollen; you will need a UV light irradiation system or an ionizer and pre-filter or electrostatic dust plate for the last two, respectively.

There plenty of factors to consider too before you purchase and one of which that I am particularly concerned of is the noise level of the machines.  It seems that the more sophisticated the filtration system of an air purifier, the louder it gets and the pricier!  Having said, you have to be the wise shopper and do your research.

Intelli-Pro Air Purifier

So far I’ve seen very sophisticated air purifiers that incorporate six of the leading technologies used in today’s air purifiers including the pre filter, HEPA filter, activated carbon filter, germicidal UV lamp, ionizer and electronic dust collection plates or grids.  Air purifiers with these six stages are often times referred to as the 9-stage system because they also have air pollution sensors that automatically switches your air purifier’s performance , diagnostic sensor alerts that will warn you when it’s time to wash the filters and Anion Continuous Negative Ion Generation that creates healthy properties of negative ions.

The Alive Air Purifier, Advance Pure Air Newport 9000 Air Purifier and the Surround Air XJ-3800 Intelli-Pro Air Purifier have all these features and they come highly recommended.  They are my top picks for this category.  These latest models of 9-stage systems are quiet, compact and they are very easy on the eyes, if not eye candies, with their modern designs.  Lastly, these air purifiers are reasonably priced; great options for home use.

• Consistent 5 star Amazon ratings

• Dual sensors for both hepa and carbon pre-filters

• 30 day trial period

If you're wondering why every time you go to look online for a Whirlpool air purifier, you continually run into the Whispure line? It's because in essence they are a Whirlpool air purifier. Whispure is a company that markets them through a licensing agreement with Whirlpool. It's a common business practice today.

The Whispure line consists of three models and all of them come with a unique option that you simply won't find anywhere else. That is a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee that you will be completely satisfied with their Quiet Partner system. It's marketed as the quietest high efficiency air purifier technology available today.

I checked on Amazon and found that all three units that they have in their lineup register consistent five star user review ratings, across the board. Now you do see consistent high ratings on air purifiers as you research them but very rarely a consistent five star rating. What this means, is that people who have already bought them like them a lot. All three models are Energy Star certified.

Model AP25030K

Lets start out with their most affordable unit, the AP25030K, which is priced on the companies main site at $250. Right away I see something that jumps out at me that I like. That is that it comes with two filter replacement warning lights. One for the carbon pre-filter and one for the main hepa filter. Now this makes just so much sense and I'll tell you why.

That is that it's the outer carbon pre-filters that gunk up the fastest. That's the one filter that you're going to need a warning system to stay on top of. I have always wondered about air cleaner manufacturers that tout how their hepa filters only need to be changed or cleaned very six months and that they have a warning light to tell you when the six months is up. That's what a calendar is for!

Now it's rated at 320 square feet, yet in the next sentence it says that it filters the air in that 320 square foot room 4.8 times per hour. Myself I like to see an air purifier process a room 6 times per hour in order to register its square footage, so I do believe that Whirlpool air purifier specs are a bit over rated in this area. Even so, they do put up some very respectable CADR numbers.

Those are 205 for dust, smoke and pollen. It also clears the air of 99.97% of all particulate matter down to .03 microns that passes through it, just as the other two models do. So even if this machine processes the air in a large room 4.8 times per hour, which is basically 1.2 times less than 6, it does an above average job of cleaning it. So then what about convenience features?

As a matter of fact it has none, beyond its three speed fan switch. Of course this is why even tough its the base model in the line, it also comes with a 5 year manufacturers warranty on all parts and labor. You see I've noticed one correlation over the past couple of years on affordable air purifiers. That is the more snazzy convenience features LED lighting, timers, etc, the shorter the warranty, if the unit even has one.

Model AP45030K

Now I really do find it odd how Whirlpool air purifiers moves from the AP25030K up to this next model, the AP45030K. In essence you get about twice the air purifier for just $50 more. You see it's priced at $300 on the companies site, yet its numbers come pretty close to doubling. That's 490 square feet, processing the room 4.8 times per hour this time and bigger CADR numbers too. 328-dust, 317-smoke, 350-pollen.

So then is there anything different about this model, other than its $50 price boost and larger numbers? At 26 pounds it is a bit heavier, so this model and the next one shown below it do come with rolling casters. Other then that however, it's pretty much the same as the model above in that area. It does have two filters sensors by the way and the same five year warranty and 30 day trial period.

Model AP51030K

Just as with the previous model, you're going to have to pay $50 more for this ($350) one according to the companies main site pricing structure. However; unlike the last step up, you get a heck of a lot more in the way of high tech gadgetry for your added $50. This model, just like the previous two Whirlpool air purifiers also comes with a free 30 day trial period and a complete 5 year warranty as well.

Now I was a little bit disappointed to see that the square foot rating on this AP51030K is just a measly ten feet more than the above listed previous model. You have to wonder if it really does process ten more square feet of air or if they simply fudged the numbers. Personally I just can't see one model have such a limited capacity over another one in the same lineup.

This model also comes with a fourth fan speed setting that's labeled “turbo”. I think a simple # 4 would have sufficed just fine but if they want to call it “turbo” it's their right to do so. Its CADR number is listed as 330, so I suppose that's an average of all three, dust, smoke and pollen. Also you just can't miss that this unit comes with a nice lighted digital readout screen. Of course it also has two filter replacement sensors.

See larger image Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen) List Price: $210.99 USD New From: $164.89 In Stock Used from: $89.99 In Stock Release date September 15, 2005.

• What is a hepa filter?

• What is the very best hepa air purifier available?

• What about filter costs?

Hepa air purifiers have been around since the mid 1940s. They were in fact developed by the U.S. Government for the atomic bomb program during WW2. They needed a very exacting filter to protect the workers for airborne atomic particles. So then what does the word hepa even mean anyway?

No Official Standards for Hepa Air Purifiers

Would you believe that hepa is an anitialism for the words (high efficiency particulate air)? Also would you believe that there are no real official standards that govern how exacting a hepa filter has to be? There are however, accepted norms in the industry that dictate a filter of this type must stop 99.97% of particles .03 microns and above in size.

What About 99.97% Down to .01 Microns?

This is why you may have already noticed that most common hepa air purifiers, for the most part stick to these specifications. So then can you buy an air purifier that uses this type of filtration system that can do better than that? You bet you can but bear in mind that filters in general are balancing act.

The Better the Filter the Higher the Cost

That is the tighter their specifications and the smaller the particles they remove, the more expensive they tend to be. So how expensive can they get? Very expensive as a matter of fact, with some of the better filters costing several hundred dollars.

Filters that Cost More than the Machine??

A $250 30 pound air filter for an Austin Air Healthmate.

In fact if you have to make sure to check the actual cost of the filters and how often they need replacing on any air cleaning system you are considering. This is because it's not at all uncommon today for the cost of filter changes in some machines to exceed the actual cost of the machine, over a couple of years time.

To Change or to Vacuum - That is the Question

Another thing to consider, if your have severe allergies is what the actual changing of filters on any hepa air purifiers entails. You see some models will advertize that that their filters only require a vacuuming, rather than a complete change-out. For someone with severe allergies though this dusty job may be out of the question.

99.995% is Pretty Much Everything in the Air!

So then just what is the efficiency rating of the all time best hepa air purifiers that are available? Those would be medical grade commercial air purifiers. The type you would find filtering the air in an operating room. They go all the way down to an amazing 99.995%.

See larger image Ionic Pro 90IP1RCMB1 Compact Air Purifier with Bonus Car Ionizer (Kitchen) List Price: $129.95 USD Used from: $69.00 In Stock Release date June 30, 2006.

• Easy push button operation

• Extra collector plates $30

In any war as the saying goes, “the truth is the first casualty”. So you may have found out by now that an unbiased review of the Ionic Pro air purifier is just hard to come by. The reason is simple and that is that tower ionic air purifiers in it's $115 to $150 price range make up a hotly contested market.

What's the Real Truth About the Ionic Pro Air Purifier?

So the shots go back and forth, with each reviewer comparing it to one or another machine in its size and price class, each one with his or her set of questionable figures and statistics. Depending on whether or not they're selling this particular machine their numbers can go either way.

A Small Electrical Appliance that's Made in China??!!

I even read one recent review that criticized the Ionic Pro air purifier because it's made in China. Now imagine that?! A small household electrical appliance that's made in China? Holy cow! I thought everything was made in China now! Give me a break!

A Three Star Amazon Review Average

So then whats the real low down on this particular machine? To start off with, it gets an average Amazon user review rating of three stars. Now three stars is definitely nothing to crow about but you do have to remember one important fact. That is that this is a relatively inexpensive machine.

Bear in Mind that It Has No Fan in it.

My personal opinion is that a lot of the user criticisms can be traced back to the fact that this machine has no fan in it. It relies solely on the momentum of the ionic reaction taking place in it to move the actual air though the system. So does it move the air? Sort of.

How Come So Little Air is Coming Out of it??

Manufacturers for years have been hyping up the fact that these machines and similar machines like it are totally silent and they are. Hey! No fan means no fan noise. Then people bring them home, turn them on, stick their hand in front of them and notice only minimal air flow. Well what the hell did they think when they bought an air purifier with no fan in it!

What About the Ozone Question?

Then there is the confusion about ozone production in ionic air purifiers. Now there is new ozone free technology that's being employed but it's not in this Ionic Pro air purifier. So then what about ozone? Is is as bad as some people make it out to be?

Not Nearly as Bad as Some People Make it Out to Be

The fact is that ozone is simply three oxygen molecules that have combined together to form one atom. No it doesn't cause cancer or major medical problems. It can however cause irritation of the respiratory passages particularly in small animals.

Ozone Does Kill Odors Dead

On the other side of the coin, ozone is a stellar odor eater. It basically destroys the atoms in the air that are causing odors and this is why so many of these types of machines are touted as being such efficient odor eradicators. So for a smaller laundry room where you keep a cat box, the Ionic Pro air purifier would be an excellent choice.

See larger image Austin Air HealthMate - Sandstone (Kitchen) List Price: $449.99 USD New From: $479.95 In Stock

• What are the best options for allergy sufferers?

• Is your home sealed up properly?

• Find out about whole house allergy air purifiers!

If you suffer from a dust or pollen allergy, air purifiers are definitely an option that you should be taking a close look at. Even so, before you get started comparison shopping, there are a few things that you need to know. Things that can make all the difference in how you feel.

Dirty air duct - Before/After

Here's Something to Consider!

For instance, have you ever considered having your central air conditioning duct-work cleaned? If your home and its system is more than a few years old, the air lines in the attic may be caked with dust and fibers. It's also a relatively inexpensive job to have done.

One More Place to Block Out the Air Pollution

Another thing that you will want to look into is having your exterior doors sealed up. All it involves, is screwing or nailing a door brush on the bottom of each door to close up the open air passageway that may exist there. These two items are very crucial!

Allergy Air Purifiers and Their Numbers

You see as you compare allergy air purifiers, your going to be faced with several numbers. All of these numbers square footage ratings, etc. have to do with how well any unit processes air. The manufacturers basically speak in terms of how large and how many rooms any given unit can handle.

Any Sized Unit May Not Be Enough

What virtually all of them fail to mention though, is that if your home is unsealed or has a dirty AC duct-work, any unit of any size may not be enough. After all, it takes couple of hours at least for the air in a room to be thoroughly processed even in the best of conditions.

What About a Whole House Unit?

So now on to actual allergy air purifiers and what may work best for your particular condition. To begin with, have you considered a whole house unit? One that connects up directly to your AC duct-work and handles the air in your entire home? Honeywell has several to select from and their cheapest model only costs a little over $100.

The Honeywell F500 whole house model

The Honeywell F500 Whole House Model

Their most expensive model the F500 costs upwards of $800 to $900, depending on options but if you do the math, it's still most likely a cheaper option than buying more than one unit for handling more than one room in your home. Also one large allergy air purifier means that you don't have several dirty filter to mess with.

A Big Heavy Duty Workhorse

So then, what if your allergies are extreme and you don't want to go through the hassle of having a whole house unit installed? In this case one model worth looking into is the Austin Air Healthmate. It's not a cheap unit but it is rated to process up to a full 1300 square feet of floor space.

One of the Biggest and Best Portable Allergy Air Purifiers

That's not all because this particular allergy air purifier is a veritable air pollution gathering beast. It features a four stage filter system that weighs some thirty pounds. This monster filter actually contains some 15 pounds of activated charcoal and get this. It only has to be changed once every five years.