Any recommendations?

In the market for one and cant decide on one.

300 dollar bucks limit

7/7/2008 7:41:12 PM

I got an ionic breeze quatro (used) off of craigslist. It works great every place I've moved too, and it's real easy to clean.

I recommend that, but they can be pricey. The lady I bought it from had just installed a $5000 air filter unit in her house and sweared by these before the upgrade.

7/7/2008 7:47:37 PM

^lol

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7391185/

7/7/2008 7:49:15 PM

What?
You start off with purifying air and before you know it your purifying your dick in somebody else's anus.

7/7/2008 7:50:24 PM

^^
well that sucks

7/7/2008 7:53:22 PM

i spent like 5 minutes trying to think of what to say...i wish i had good egame

7/7/2008 7:59:59 PM

I have a really basic air purifier. It's basically a giant filter that the machine sucks air into and pumps it back out. As far as I can tell it does a really good job because I vacuum off the filter about once a month and it will have lots of cat hair and junk on it.

It looks like this:



and takes a filter like this:



I don't remember exactly but it cost me about $150. And this was in Japan so I imagine they're a crapload cheaper in America. They upmark everything electronic here

7/8/2008 7:52:29 AM

Spend a couple of dollars on those 3m hepa house air filters you put on your normal ac and heating system. Consuemr reports i think rated that one of the best t hings you can do to improve your house.

7/8/2008 9:09:42 AM

^ yeah, that's essentially what the thing I posted it, a glorified HEPA filter. I don't have a central heating/air system though so I need the machine to go with it. It's good though for those times you still want your air filtered but you're not using your system.

7/8/2008 9:11:28 AM

^^

it'll also jack your power bill. it significantly reduces airflow through your returns, making your HVAC work harder.

Unless it makes a marked difference with allergies/asthma/etc. it's probably not worth it.

7/8/2008 9:13:07 AM

The pleated ones have enough surface area that if you change them regularly, the airflow is good. I have allergies and have to buy the fancy furnace filters but don't run the AC much so I might get an additional air filter.

7/8/2008 10:09:36 AM

Quote :

"Spend a couple of dollars on those 3m hepa house air filters you put on your normal ac and heating system. "

are you referring to the trane almost hepa filtering system that you add to your hvac system?

or

the cheap particulate filters you can buy at wal-mart?

the drop in filters are not HEPA, just restrictive pleated filters with fancy names. like bobby said, the higher the MERV value, the harder your hvac system has to work=$$$ will stress out an already suffering blower motor. their seal is not air tight. while it may move more filtered air, dirty air is also getting past, esp. in an apartment unit with the cheap slide in units built into the wall. those are worthless and disgustingly dirty all the time.

the best thing to do would be to get the most moderately priced pleated filters (the lower end model - which for dupont would be silver) and use those in combination with the largest HEPA filter you can afford in the problem areas of the house (bedroom/living room). best balance of filtering and energy use. also run the ceiling fan if you have one.

Quote :

"^ yeah, that's essentially what the thing I posted it, a glorified HEPA filter."

actually, your filter looks like a fancy charcoal filter. the fabric layer traps the large particles and the activated charcoal absorbs odors and chemicals. no hepa at all. hepa is paper with crazy small holes. most filters in asian countries are nothing but a gimmick, an expensive gimmick that doesn't filter nearly as well as a hepa unit.

http://tinyurl.com/6f6reu is what i would reccomend.

[Edited on July 8, 2008 at 10:49 AM. Reason : eh ]

7/8/2008 10:38:50 AM

can you really have a filter that is a "glorified hepa filter"? I mean usually I hear that term in the context of something like "the term 'sales engineer' is nothing more than a glorified title for a salesmen' " where the item being glorified is lower and being made to sound better. I mean HEPA is THE industry standard for air filtration..

7/8/2008 12:41:47 PM

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-17000N-Permanent-Quietcaire-Purifier/dp/B000050AQ5/ref=pd_sim_k_2

This thing works great. Two stage filter. One is an activated charcoal wrap then the HEPA.

7/8/2008 1:28:07 PM

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HFD-135-Permanent-Antibacterial-Purifier/dp/B000F2JG3U/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1215540873&sr=1-14

I have one of those. Works great.

7/8/2008 2:16:58 PM

just stay away from ozone, its not good for you

7/8/2008 5:11:58 PM

i love breathing in ozone from my air purifier...regular oxygen is just O2...O3 must be better for your lungs

7/8/2008 5:17:53 PM

They're dozens of "ionizing" air purifiers out there. That MSNBC article is wrong. Consumer reports simply said the sharper image ionizer didn't compare to HEPA filters, but the unit still met all EPA guidelines including putting out less than 50ppb of ozone. The only reason sharper image got criticized was because there wasn't enough airflow going past the ionizer to make it as efficient as a HEPA filter. Other ionizing filters utilizing more air flow work fine.

7/8/2008 5:55:59 PM

3M Filterete at big Lots.. fucking rocks!

7/8/2008 6:21:17 PM

i'd scour big lots for a deal. i picked up a few $300 purifiers there for $39 each.

that means i won't have to buy filters and i'll have extra units if mine breaks down.

yes, i bought a pallet.

also mine is ULPA not hepa.

7/8/2008 7:43:56 PM

^that's where I got my 3M from.

7/8/2008 9:01:00 PM

Quote :

"actually, your filter looks like a fancy charcoal filter. the fabric layer traps the large particles and the activated charcoal absorbs odors and chemicals. no hepa at all."

Well the filter says HEPA on it so it better be one The picture I posted is the fancier filter with a charcoal thing on one side and the paper thing on the other. I have the one sans-charcoal.

7/9/2008 6:46:27 AM

Oreck
245 Crossroads Blvd
Cary, NC 27518-6893
Phone: (919) 233-0804

I heard them advertising reconditioned air purifiers for about $150 a few weeks ago.

7/9/2008 7:31:23 PM

those air purifiers that oreck sells are crap. ionic breeze with a fan.

7/9/2008 9:01:53 PM

^ I don't own one, so I can't personally vouch for them. I posted this. . .

Quote :

"I heard them advertising reconditioned air purifiers for about $150 a few weeks ago."

. . .in relation to this from the OP. . .

Quote :

"300 dollar bucks limit"

7/10/2008 12:57:58 AM

http://www.amazon.com/3M-FAP03-RS-Filtrete-Ultra-Purifier/dp/B000I4P4MW

That one works pretty well.

7/10/2008 8:04:17 AM

The one Brookstone sells will shock the hell out of you if you put your hands near the air intake on the back while it's on. Sucks the intake doubles as a handle.

7/10/2008 9:03:41 AM

Quote :

"those air purifiers that oreck sells are crap. ionic breeze with a fan."

The ionizers WITH a fan are shown to work fine by Consumer Reports. To utilize the ionizing effect there has to be a bunch of air blowing by it. That's why the sharper image ones sucked because they didn't have enough air going by them.

Quote :

"Consumer Reports, a non-profit U.S.-based product-testing magazine, reported in October 2003 that air ionizers do not perform to high enough standards compared to conventional HEPA air filters. The exception was a combination unit which used a fan to move air while ionizing it."

The ones with moving air have been proven to work up there with HEPA filters.

7/10/2008 9:57:02 AM

i have one of those sharper image ionic breezes and it works great for me. the room has a clean smell to it. my parents have several b/c of my dad's allergies to everything and he's much more comfortable with them running.

7/10/2008 10:59:04 AM

You can blow smoke in mine and nothing comes out the other end. With my old HEPA filter the smoke was just thinner coming back out.

7/10/2008 11:01:48 AM

and the ones that ionize air produce ozone, which you dont want to brethe.

And as a side note, running a freaking hepa filter will cost money too, jsut liek running them on your ac system. And your ac system even if it leaks a little air around the filters will still move more air through the filter than your whole room hepa filter.

Ionic Breeze class action

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/news/2007/02/settlement-in-sharper-image-ionic-breeze-class-action-2-07/overview/0702_sharper-image.htm

Quote :

"How to choose Don't assume that any air purifier will improve your health. "There's no definitive proof that air purifiers improve air quality in any way that benefits the health of those with or without allergies or asthma," says Rebecca Bascom, M.D., professor of medicine at the Penn State medical center's division of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care medicine. The American Lung Association and medical societies such as the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology also say there's little evidence that air purifiers alone will reduce the effect of indoor pollutants for those with asthma or allergies. See Simple air-cleaning steps for low- and no-cost cleaning methods before buying an air purifier. If you buy one, check our Ratings of room models for top performers. Then keep these points in mind as you shop: Decide on whole-house or room. Whole-house models are the only sensible choice for forced-air heating or cooling. Room models are the only option for other homes; the best performed at least as well on Low as most others did on High, minimizing noise and energy use. Choose a type. In past and current tests. electronic-precipitator, or EP, air purifiers have worked best overall and restricted airflow least among whole-house models. They process by which EPs work creates some ozone as a byproduct. We now believe that air purifiers that emit even small amounts of ozone (less than 50 parts per billion) are not your best choice. Research is increasingly warning against adding ozone to indoor air. But more studies need to be conducted to determine the effects of low-level ozone exposure. Whole-house filters tend to cost the least up front. But they can cost more than electrostatic precipitators over time, since you usually must replace such filters every one to three months. Check efficiency. Most room air purifiers are certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers as part of a voluntary program that includes appropriate room size and clean-air delivery rate (CADR), a measure of cleaning speed on High. We judge CADR above 350 excellent and below 100 poor. Choose a model certified for a larger area than you require for better cleaning at a quieter speed. Many whole-house filters have a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV). The top-performing models we tested have a MERV of 11 to 13. "

Quote :

"CR Quick Recommendations Whole-house air purifiers No air purifier alone will clean the air. Nor should it be the first thing you try. Based on increasing concern about exposure to even small amounts of ozone, we strongly suggest using whole-house and portable air purifiers that rely on filters and produce no ozone. At their lowest and quietest settings, the top-rated portable air purifiers outperformed or matched most of the other portables in the Ratings. There's no reason to choose any others. Stick with whole-house systems if you have forced-air heating. The top-rated furnace filters are a simple, inexpensive upgrade from the standard furnace filter. For performance comparable to that of the best portables, opt for a professionally installed system. Ventilation is still the best way to remove odors from your home. Although our latest tests show that the IQAir HealthPro Plus and Austin Air HealthMate HM-400 removed cooking odors, that capability will be reduced with use. And those models aren't very effective at removing dust or smoke. The Ratings rank air purifiers by overall performance. Quick Picks lists models that combine performance and value. Quick Picks Best whole-house air purifiers: Lennox Healthy Climate HC16 $350, CR Best Buy 3M Filtrete 1700 $20 3M Filtrete Ultra Allergen Reduction 1250 $16 The Lennox is the only professionally installed system that does not produce ozone, and it's also the least expensive. But it will cost an extra $200 or more for installation and has high annual costs for filter replacements. Do-it-yourself furnace filters like the 3M Filtrete 1700 and 3M Filtrete Ultra Allergen Reduction 1250 aren't the best if you live with a smoker, but these two were very good at removing dust without significantly limiting the heating/cooling system's airflow. "

7/10/2008 1:37:27 PM

Quote :

"and the ones that ionize air produce ozone, which you dont want to brethe."

I have read mixed reviews on this. Some people say it's bad. Some people say it's good. I don't know what to think.

7/10/2008 1:52:36 PM

Depends on the context and your definition. Take humans out of the equation and Ozone can be VERY useful for neutralizing smells in a building (after a flood or something), but you would NOT want to be in the building during that time. So yes Ozone can be "good" and very useful, however BREATHING Ozone does not have any health benefits, only negative consequences. It depends on the concentration as to how bad though. But there is no question it affects you negatively on the long term.

Since we are talking about equipment that is run when you are around you have to look at the levels of the ozone. Manufacturers dont want to reduce the amount of ozone created by TOO much because it is one of the active components used to do what their product says it will do (reduce odors, attack mold etc). However there are limits that health organizations recommend. Most of these ionic air purifiers sit just on the edge of this limit, so you need to be careful. I forget what the number is but if they have said that anything over 50ppb (just for a number) can be hazardous over time, then most manufacturers produce units producing just barely under 50ppb. This isnt terrible however your air purifier needs to be in a place that gets a lot of air circulation and you also shouldnt be sitting right next to it for long periods of time. Otherwise, while your house may SMELL clean and you feel like you are breathing more "pure" air, you are actually damaging your lungs more than you would without it.

Technically they are not breaking any health laws and can pass inspection doing this, so you just need to be aware and be careful.

[Edited on July 10, 2008 at 2:07 PM. Reason : ]

7/10/2008 2:00:28 PM

^yeah i didn't really know they produced ozone when i bought it, and i think it's under 50ppm, but i've been considering getting a new HEPA regular one anyway.

This is what i have:

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HFD-135-Permanent-Antibacterial-Purifier/dp/B000F2JG3U/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1215540873&sr=1-14

7/10/2008 2:07:27 PM

bttt

1/25/2009 11:40:21 PM

thanks, omar

1/26/2009 12:11:55 AM

Quote :

"I have read mixed reviews on this. Some people say it's bad. Some people say it's good. I don't know what to think."

ozone will burn your lungs if you breathe in a high concentration of it. also the people who say it's good are idiots that would mix bleach and ammonia together b/c they think it would clean better.

1/26/2009 1:23:55 AM

for the record, omar deleted the majority of my post above because he didn't like the content. censorship ftl.



and yeah, ozone can be some pretty nasty stuff.
i'm guessing it's just a good idea to stay away from ionizing cleaners all together?

1/26/2009 1:29:35 AM

^ yes stay away from any ozone source. no good can come of it.

[Edited on January 26, 2009 at 1:44 AM. Reason : some hepa filters have a selectable ozone generator, don't use it and you'll be fine.]

1/26/2009 1:44:10 AM