As an apartment dweller I have to contend with cigarette smoke drifting in from neighboring apartments. I am looking at buying an air purifer or two for my place, but I don't know much about them. Should I get HEPA or ionic? Anyone have recommendations?
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Air purifiers
- Thread starter GanChan
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I have Sharper Image Ionic Breeze units in every room of my house... no odors or anything in my air, but I don't have to cope with cigarette smoke wafting in from anywhere, either.
I think with cigarette smoke drifting in you might want to go with HEPA, since it's actively filtering the air instead of pulling things out of it with electrical charges. The only downside to HEPA is that you have to change the filter (a MUST), and new filters will cost money.
I worked at The Sharper Image and I honestly feel like the Ionic Breezes have very minimal benefit if at all.
I would definitely recommend something w/ a HEPA filter... as well as a purifier w/ multiple stages. I also worked direct sales marketing different health and wellness products one of which was a line of air purifiers so I am a little familiar w/ both kinds; TSI's and other fan-based, HEPA purifiers.
I would definitely recommend something w/ a HEPA filter... as well as a purifier w/ multiple stages. I also worked direct sales marketing different health and wellness products one of which was a line of air purifiers so I am a little familiar w/ both kinds; TSI's and other fan-based, HEPA purifiers.
Hepa ?
Well I've had an Hepa air filter for years and it's great. The filter changes aren't needed too often and are no trouble. So I'd say go the HEPA way.
Grey Beard
Well I've had an Hepa air filter for years and it's great. The filter changes aren't needed too often and are no trouble. So I'd say go the HEPA way.
Grey Beard
No. Ecoquest purifiers or any ionic purifier that does not need to have a filter change. I got a knock off of the Eco Quest that only does one room in the house -- but it is in my loft, so the whole place benefits. I got the eco quest personal filter for around my neck that I use at the gym and on airplanes. Very necessary for germs!
Bin 'em now. While they make the air odorless, it comes at a cost - it creates vast amounts of ozone, which makes the air harmful to breathclayj said:
California said:
Necessary maybe if you have a supressed immune system or some other health issues, but not "very" necessary for those that are in pretty good health.
I fly a lot and go to a crowded gym 4 times a week and haven't been sick in over 3 years and I don't wear a purifier around my neck. First time I ever heard of anyone doing this.
Much has been said recently about our compulsive issues regarding germs. It is now suggested by*many health professionals NOT to use items, such as anti-bacterial soaps and such, for it doesn't allow our immune systems to get stronger, but actually makes our immune systems weaker.
Knew I'd find it! Build your own - http://homepage.ntlworld.com/henry01/rotating_air_ioniser/rotating_air_ioniser.htm
And the Ionic Breeze is horse excrement - http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7391185/
And the Ionic Breeze is horse excrement - http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7391185/
Isn't there a USB one from Japan?
Japan, yous crazy!
I'd get the USB purifier, so I have to charge my PB every 2 hours instead of 5.
Also, I saw on the TV that ionic breeze = ozone. not good
Japan, yous crazy!
I'd get the USB purifier, so I have to charge my PB every 2 hours instead of 5.
Also, I saw on the TV that ionic breeze = ozone. not good
Consumer reports consistently rate the TSI's ionic breeze as not worth it.greatdevourer said:
Also, ozone is okay in a certain ratio of particles-- take heart, at least the Ionic Breeze's ozone content fits w/ legal amounts. And ozone really does block/obliterate odors.
This is a hot topic with me now, the school my wife works in has a BIG mold problem, and worse, they refuse to admit it. Lots of problems with it and the health of my wife and one kid. Wife has had 2 bad sinus infections this year and so has my first grader. I will be researching a HEPA product this week.
Any suggestions about how to test for mold, secretly?
Any suggestions about how to test for mold, secretly?
I don't know enough.. but WalMart has some sort of a free Tilex mold detecting sample. Might wanna at least give that a try.stubeeef said:
HEPA is highly recommended as well as a multi-stage filtration/purifier; meaning it consists of more than just a HEPA filter.
Since moving to Arizona, I've found that for a period of the year, people seal off their houses and rely on their AC units to make life comfortable.
This makes for a lot of dust accumulating, especially since it is such a dry climate, and there is nothing to keep dry particles down.
I got a Honeywell 18155 from Costco for $129. It has a charcoal filter for odors and a cleanable HEPA airfilter (no replacement needed).
It works really well. It didn't top CRs list of Air Purifiers, but for the price, it is awesome.
It is louder than the Ionic from SI, but not as noisy as the Oreck. It works better than both of those though. I am pretty happy with it.
Despite all of that, there is nothing like fresh air though. At night, when things have cooled down and there is not as much movement, nothing beats an open window for sleeping.
This makes for a lot of dust accumulating, especially since it is such a dry climate, and there is nothing to keep dry particles down.
I got a Honeywell 18155 from Costco for $129. It has a charcoal filter for odors and a cleanable HEPA airfilter (no replacement needed).
It works really well. It didn't top CRs list of Air Purifiers, but for the price, it is awesome.
It is louder than the Ionic from SI, but not as noisy as the Oreck. It works better than both of those though. I am pretty happy with it.
Despite all of that, there is nothing like fresh air though. At night, when things have cooled down and there is not as much movement, nothing beats an open window for sleeping.
i have the ionic breeze i just have because my brother got the one with germ light thingy so he gave me his....so i use it....
i'd recommend the new ionic breeze with the ozone filter because the older ones change air to Ozone. it has a slightly bad smell. the only reason i say that is because in a small apartment that ozone smell gathers.
I had a similar problem with smokers living under my apartment and I got the HEPA air filters and a knock off ionic breeze. Couldnt afford that thing.
Ionic filters are constantly rated by Consumers Reports as "not acceptable" due to the fact that emit unacceptable amounts of ozone and allow unacceptable amounts of particles though.
See below:
Buying an air cleaner that doesn't clean the air is bad enough. Some of the least effective ionizer models also can expose you to potentially harmful ozone levels, especially if you're among the roughly 80 percent of buyers with asthma or allergy concerns.
Also known as electrostatic precipitators, the five ionizing air cleaners we focused on for this report are supposed to trap charged particles on oppositely charged plates. But as we reported in our October 2003 report on air cleaners, models like Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze, the market leader, did a poor job removing dust and smoke from the air. Our latest tests also show that some ionizing models can expose you to significant amounts of ozone.
Unlike ozone in the upper atmosphere, which helps shield us from harmful ultraviolet rays, ozone near ground level is an irritant that can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function. Air cleaners need not meet ozone limits--not for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates only outdoor air, nor for the Food and Drug Administration, since it doesn't consider them medical devices, despite the health benefits that some ads imply. (See Air cleaners: The truth behind the accolades.) Manufacturers often submit air cleaners to a voluntary standard that includes a test to see whether they produce more than 50 parts per billion (ppb) of ozone, the same limit the FDA uses for medical devices.
We replicated that test using the sealed polyethylene room specified by Underwriters Laboratories Standard 867 to help ensure consistent results. Ozone levels were measured 2 inches from each machine's air discharge in accordance with the standard. All five ionizers failed the test by producing more than the 50-ppb limit--in some cases, much more.
People don't live in sealed plastic rooms, however. So we also tested these ionizing air cleaners in an open, well-ventilated lab. For comparison, we also tested a top-performing Friedrich electrostatic-precipitator and a Whirlpool HEPA model from previous reports.
We measured ozone levels 2 inches from the machines, as in the sealed-room test, and 3 feet away, since ozone becomes diluted and dissipates rapidly indoors as it reacts with carpet, upholstery, and other surfaces. In our lab tests, two ionizing models--the IonizAir P4620 and the Surround Air XJ-2000--emitted more than 150 and 300 ppb, respectively, 2 inches from the machine.
The bottom line: Consumers Union believes that the CPSC should set indoor ozone limits for all air cleaners and mandate performance tests and labels disclosing the results. CU also believes that the Federal Trade Commission should take a close look at air-cleaner ads to determine whether they include unsubstantiated and deceptive claims.
In the meantime, we recommend avoiding ionizers that performed poorly or emitted significant ozone in our tests. We can't guarantee safety at any ozone level, so it makes sense not to contaminate your living space, says Jonathan Samet, M.D., chairman of the epidemiology department of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Buy any good HEPA filter and you will much better off.
Good Luck
See below:
Buying an air cleaner that doesn't clean the air is bad enough. Some of the least effective ionizer models also can expose you to potentially harmful ozone levels, especially if you're among the roughly 80 percent of buyers with asthma or allergy concerns.
Also known as electrostatic precipitators, the five ionizing air cleaners we focused on for this report are supposed to trap charged particles on oppositely charged plates. But as we reported in our October 2003 report on air cleaners, models like Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze, the market leader, did a poor job removing dust and smoke from the air. Our latest tests also show that some ionizing models can expose you to significant amounts of ozone.
Unlike ozone in the upper atmosphere, which helps shield us from harmful ultraviolet rays, ozone near ground level is an irritant that can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function. Air cleaners need not meet ozone limits--not for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates only outdoor air, nor for the Food and Drug Administration, since it doesn't consider them medical devices, despite the health benefits that some ads imply. (See Air cleaners: The truth behind the accolades.) Manufacturers often submit air cleaners to a voluntary standard that includes a test to see whether they produce more than 50 parts per billion (ppb) of ozone, the same limit the FDA uses for medical devices.
We replicated that test using the sealed polyethylene room specified by Underwriters Laboratories Standard 867 to help ensure consistent results. Ozone levels were measured 2 inches from each machine's air discharge in accordance with the standard. All five ionizers failed the test by producing more than the 50-ppb limit--in some cases, much more.
People don't live in sealed plastic rooms, however. So we also tested these ionizing air cleaners in an open, well-ventilated lab. For comparison, we also tested a top-performing Friedrich electrostatic-precipitator and a Whirlpool HEPA model from previous reports.
We measured ozone levels 2 inches from the machines, as in the sealed-room test, and 3 feet away, since ozone becomes diluted and dissipates rapidly indoors as it reacts with carpet, upholstery, and other surfaces. In our lab tests, two ionizing models--the IonizAir P4620 and the Surround Air XJ-2000--emitted more than 150 and 300 ppb, respectively, 2 inches from the machine.
The bottom line: Consumers Union believes that the CPSC should set indoor ozone limits for all air cleaners and mandate performance tests and labels disclosing the results. CU also believes that the Federal Trade Commission should take a close look at air-cleaner ads to determine whether they include unsubstantiated and deceptive claims.
In the meantime, we recommend avoiding ionizers that performed poorly or emitted significant ozone in our tests. We can't guarantee safety at any ozone level, so it makes sense not to contaminate your living space, says Jonathan Samet, M.D., chairman of the epidemiology department of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Buy any good HEPA filter and you will much better off.
Good Luck
Decent thread revival there. What do you mean by in your views ionic is much better than hepa? I've had the Sharper Images one at work and I'm not impressed. As others have stated above, they don't fare so well.