Air Filters

[DeezNuts]

Anyone know of a good air filter to buy? I currently have a refurbished Ionic Breeze, which has broken down and I need to send back. But I have also recently moved into a house with a couple girlfriends who own three cats.

Luckily, I live in the downstairs master bedroom(only attached by the bathroom), but I still go into the common rooms to hang out, make food, etc. Plus, the cats for some reason want to run into my room if the door is left open(curiosity killed what?). I need a good air filter system that will remove a lot of the animal dander as well as dust. If it is effective, price is not a big issue. Currently, I have been loading myself up with Claritin and have allergy eyedrops. I am hoping my allergy breaks, as I used to own cats when I was younger and wasn't allergic then(it developed over time somehow). Somedays it's fine w/o meds and somedays it's bad even with meds(itchy eyes, skin, etc).

Anyways, back to the original question. If anyone knows of a system that is pretty much known for it's effectiveness, that's what I want. I don't want one of those nasty cheapie ones that just blow the air around. Thanks.

DN

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

That's freaky. Just as I was reading this, a commercial came on for the ionic breeze. Well, maybe it's not that freaky, because these damned commercials are on all the freaking time, but still...

[wacki]

Everyone I know that has an ionic breeze says they suck after a few months. Even if you clean them they stop working. My roommate has a good one. His room has that smell that happens right after a thunderstorm. I'll check to see what it is when I get home.

[astroglide]

i recall consumer reports' general take on air cleaners are that they're useless, and that the ionic breeze in particular was absolutely worthless

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
i recall consumer reports' general take on air cleaners are that they're useless, and that the ionic breeze in particular was absolutely worthless

[/ QUOTE ]

Only for most allergies. They work for dander and smoke. Ozone and ionizers are much more effective. I forget the specifics, but you really do have to be carefull with those things.

[Ponks]

I'm interested in this too, but my interest is specifically for smoke, anything else is just a bonus.

Ponks

[AncientPC]

Damn where was this thread 3 weeks ago?

I bought a refurbished ionic breeze as well, but I'm still popping Claritin on a daily basis.

I should probably return it while I still can (30 day refund, I have 2 weeks left).

[Ray Zee]

okay here is the scoop. all that crap on tv does not work.
what you need is an electronic filter that attaches to the furnace . they cost about 600 bucks. i have one. it cleans the air very well. you have to run the two metel filters thru the diswasher every month or it becomes useless.
i have allergies very bad. i get one shot of kenalog every year. it is a cortazone steroid but very mild. it clears my allergies almost completely up. i went thru all the other cures. like desentization shots and the like. it worked for me and all of those i have told that have used it. doctors dont like to use it as its only ten bucks or so for a shot. not much profit. and its old time stuff and many arent familar with things the drug salesman doesnt bring.
there are side effects but none affected me. i am not a doctor so dont get it on my say so ask your doctor.

[DeezNuts]

[ QUOTE ]
okay here is the scoop. all that crap on tv does not work.
what you need is an electronic filter that attaches to the furnace . they cost about 600 bucks.

[/ QUOTE ]

i dont mind spending money for a filter that works well, but hooking up to the furnace? i dont think that is logistically possible from my room. i want a quiet(which is why i bought the ionic breeze, no noise) one that works really well.

thanks for the tips so far guys, but i dont see anything too much up my alley yet. hasn't anyone tried these other brand air filters?

DN

[guller]

I have some air filters from sears that seem to work really well, although they have a fan noise on the med and high settings.

In the winter I have a lot of condensation on my bedroom windows. Water + time = mold/mildew on the wood window frames. I would scrub the mold off and it would always come back. A few months ago I threw a small room size filter in each room. No more mold at all, I'm very happy with the units I got. I also don't wake up as stuffed up as I used to. I thought I would mind the noise at night but I don't even notice it anymore.

I think if it doesn't move any air it's not gonna clean it. The bigger the fan the better in my opinion.

[John Feeney]

For a portable filter I believe your best bet is a conventional hepa filter such as the Honeywell models sold at places like Home Depot. I think it's a proven technology unlike the Ionic Breeze stuff.

[Benjamin]

[ QUOTE ]
i recall consumer reports' general take on air cleaners are that they're useless,

[/ QUOTE ]

Not exactly. In their overview they include the following comments:

[ QUOTE ]
Without convincing proof that air cleaners improve health, the medical profession remains skeptical. In a January 2000 study of asthma and indoor air exposure, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies said that “air cleaners are probably helpful in some situations in reducing allergy or asthma symptoms.” However, the Institute qualified that statement by adding that the data suggest air cleaning “is not consistently and highly effective in reducing symptoms.”

In short, only those with respiratory problems are likely to benefit from using an air cleaner.

Do you need an air cleaner? The EPA tells consumers that “air cleaners should only be considered when the use of other methods to reduce indoor air pollutants are not successful.” We agree.

[/ QUOTE ]

Astroglide also wrote:
[ QUOTE ]
and that the ionic breeze in particular was absolutely worthless

[/ QUOTE ]

That is correct.

Their recommended room air cleaner models were the Friedrich C-90A electrostatic precipitator type ($500) or the Whirlpool AP45030HO HEPA type ($270).

B.

[DeezNuts]

[ QUOTE ]
Their recommended room air cleaner models were the Friedrich C-90A electrostatic precipitator type ($500) or the Whirlpool AP45030HO HEPA type ($270).

[/ QUOTE ]

I decided that the Whirlpool AP450 was the best value for my money($230 on ABTelectronics.com, change $80 filters once every 1+ yr), quiet. There were some that seemed better, but they either required weekly cleaning(Friedrich's) and I'm lazy, or they require more frequent changing of the filter, or they were just more expensive(BlueAir, IQ) and noisy.

I am also sending back my Ionic Breeze, and they are supposedly going to send me a new one(should never have bought, but might as well get a new one since I already paid for it).

Thanks for all the help. Hopefully I will be able to coexist with these cats soon. Will give a report about it if anyone is interested.

DN

[AncientPC]

Let us know how it turns out, I need a replacement for my ionic breeze.

[theantelope]

Get a Venta Airwasher (http://www.venta-airwasher.com/). They work wonderfully. They are combination humidifiers / air purifiers. Even if you don't like traditional humidifiers, don't worry. They are not "forced humidity" humidifiers--they will only add humidity to the air in response to low levels of humidity in the surrounding environment, and only enough to make the air efficiently cleansable. (Dry air is very difficult to clean).

They are really a marvel of German ingenuity. They require no filters and only need to be cleaned about every six months. They bring dry, dirty air down into the unit, where the dirt becomes trapped in the water. Clean, humidified air then exits the unit. When the water level gets to a certain low point, it will stop humidifying, and the dirty water stays at the bottom. Just dump out that little bit of water, add new water, and you're ready to go again.