Off topic - air purifiers?

[Ellen]

I'm looking for feedback about air purifiers w/hepa filter to reduce allergens, dust, cat fur etc. Anyone have one they highly recommend? Thanks.

[BrendaK]

We have the Dynamic Air Cleaning system installed in our house. http://www.dynamicaqs.com/residential/content/view/68/203/

It's hooked up to the furnace and filters all the air in the house. We got it for Henry when he developed very severe allergies a couple of years ago. It's been WONDERFUL and we're very happy with it. It's not HEPA, but works just as well. Our house is 120 years old and we've remodeled the entire thing, and it has really helped w/everything.

[Ellen]

Thanks. My FIL's allergist recommended www.aprilaire.com (http://www.aprilaire.com) but he never had it installed in his house. I'll look into the one you recommended too.

In the meantime I bought a room unit based on the opinions at epinions and it's so loud on high. I'll lower the speed at night.

[Heather(CA)]

I'm looking for feedback about air purifiers w/hepa filter to reduce allergens, dust, cat fur etc. Anyone have one they highly recommend? Thanks.

Ellen, Rainbow cleaning systems are legally air purifiers, They purify the air to 99.99991%. They also vacumn, sweep, dust, mop, and shampoo carpets. Anytime their running they are purifing the air. They are $$$ But, they last 30 to 40 years. It changes peoples lives, including mine. I used to take Drixoral or Seldane-D 365 days a year until I had my Rainbow for three months..I have saved 24 dollers a month for 16 1/2 years now. I no longer take meds for my allergies:D

[Momof4gr8kids]

I went to a meeting to sale "medical equiptment" when I was fresh out of high school. It turned out that it was a vacuum/air filtration system. What I learned is that this type will only work so well for so long. In order for ANY of these to work at all the key is to keep the filter clean.
The thing that bothered me about filter queen is that dust went everywhere when you opened the vac. It also wasn't as self contained as they claimed, there were no seals, or anything to make it air tight.
I am not impressed with the rainbow either. My in laws had one. I am allergic to what seems like anything with hair. We stayed with them for about a month when we relocated, and they have two dogs. I love the dogs, but that whole month, despite the rainbow I felt like I had a cold, and still get that way when we visit.
We do however buy special filters for our a/c and heater. They help quite a bit. We pay about $20 a month to keep up with good filters, and since we can have them just cycle air it works for even when it isn't to hot, or cold.
Another thing that really helps is to have hard surface flooring. Carpet is so bad at traping all of that yucky stuff. But I would strongly suggest that at least in the bathroom having hard flooring, with washable bath mats.

I hope that you can find something that will help your FIL.

[Ellen]

Thank you. I have no carpet in my house at all - it's all tile floor. I wash the bathroom and kitchen and front door rugs in hot water at least weekly. I don't think I need an expensive vacuum...thinking a Eureka Hepa would be sufficient...someone else suggested I just use a swiffer regularly on the floor with washable cloths (I hate to buy things that are disposable although I'd probably save energy rather than washing...:rolleyes:). I'm looking into the filtration system Brenda recommended and the Aprilaire. I'd like to try a different room unit - even on lowest setting the Honeywell is extremely loud. I started on allergy injections this past week. I thought I'd get ONE shot per week. Turns out I'm getting 4 per week each time I go. I'll tough it out..thinking how many times I injected my son over the years...no room to complain...hope it works.

[Heather(CA)]

I went to a meeting to sale "medical equiptment" when I was fresh out of high school. It turned out that it was a vacuum/air filtration system. What I learned is that this type will only work so well for so long. In order for ANY of these to work at all the key is to keep the filter clean.
The thing that bothered me about filter queen is that dust went everywhere when you opened the vac. It also wasn't as self contained as they claimed, there were no seals, or anything to make it air tight.
I am not impressed with the rainbow either. My in laws had one. I am allergic to what seems like anything with hair. We stayed with them for about a month when we relocated, and they have two dogs. I love the dogs, but that whole month, despite the rainbow I felt like I had a cold, and still get that way when we visit.
We do however buy special filters for our a/c and heater. They help quite a bit. We pay about $20 a month to keep up with good filters, and since we can have them just cycle air it works for even when it isn't to hot, or cold.
Another thing that really helps is to have hard surface flooring. Carpet is so bad at traping all of that yucky stuff. But I would strongly suggest that at least in the bathroom having hard flooring, with washable bath mats.

I hope that you can find something that will help your FIL.

Rainbows use water as a filter, it's changed every time you use it. It only works if you push it. I know a family personally that moved into a house that had had cats in it. Their daughter was allergic to cats and was sick for months before getting a Rainbow . After a week she could finally breathe in their new house. If she was living with 2 cats I'm not sure ANYTHING would completely get rid of her allergies then...Seth is staying in a hotel with his dad right now...His allergies are so bad, he woke up at over 300. I think you should see a demonstration before you comment. It's completely different from filter queen, those don't work.

[Momof4gr8kids]

Rainbows use water as a filter, it's changed every time you use it. It only works if you push it. I know a family personally that moved into a house that had had cats in it. Their daughter was allergic to cats and was sick for months before getting a Rainbow . After a week she could finally breathe in their new house. If she was living with 2 cats I'm not sure ANYTHING would completely get rid of her allergies then...Seth is staying in a hotel with his dad right now...His allergies are so bad, he woke up at over 300. I think you should see a demonstration before you comment. It's completely different from filter queen, those don't work.

Maybe you did not read my post before you posted. I did try one. I used one for a month. I did not find that it met the claims made. Since it is only a vac, and cannot run alone in a standing postion it does not meet the true definition of air filtration unit. I am glad it helped your family, but mine will pass on that thank you. Please read my post all of the way before you jump down my throat. I gave my opinion, which was what Ellen asked for, just because it differed from yours does not entitle you to act in a rude way towards me.
I am sure Ellen is old enough to choose for herself what she wants to try without us arguing over a stupid vacume system.

[Momof4gr8kids]

Thank you. I have no carpet in my house at all - it's all tile floor. I wash the bathroom and kitchen and front door rugs in hot water at least weekly. I don't think I need an expensive vacuum...thinking a Eureka Hepa would be sufficient...someone else suggested I just use a swiffer regularly on the floor with washable cloths (I hate to buy things that are disposable although I'd probably save energy rather than washing...:rolleyes:). I'm looking into the filtration system Brenda recommended and the Aprilaire. I'd like to try a different room unit - even on lowest setting the Honeywell is extremely loud. I started on allergy injections this past week. I thought I'd get ONE shot per week. Turns out I'm getting 4 per week each time I go. I'll tough it out..thinking how many times I injected my son over the years...no room to complain...hope it works.

I hope whatever you go with helps you. Allergies are a pain, with or without injections..........

[Heather(CA)]

Maybe you did not read my post before you posted. I did try one. I used one for a month. I did not find that it met the claims made. Since it is only a vac, and cannot run alone in a standing postion it does not meet the true definition of air filtration unit. I am glad it helped your family, but mine will pass on that thank you. Please read my post all of the way before you jump down my throat. I gave my opinion, which was what Ellen asked for, just because it differed from yours does not entitle you to act in a rude way towards me.
I am sure Ellen is old enough to choose for herself what she wants to try without us arguing over a stupid vacume system.

You have a PM

[rickst29]

"whole-house" is furnace-A/C mounted (on the intake side) and uses your furnace blower. Big furnace blowers are a lot more efficient than the small, noisy fans which they put into the room-sized machines, but if you're looking at a high-quality, carbon-based VOC "whole-house" filter, it'll cost $thousands.

And #0, before you even begin looking at a "whole-house" air-cleaner: Is your house really tight already? Our house, for example, has such leaky HVAC flex-tubing that the "whole-house system" can't really keep up until I re-seal the exterior windows/doors, and probably replace (rather than seal) all of the flex tubing with galvanized pipe. Once the house is tight enough, you'll also need a well-designed air exchange system to get the right amount of "fresh air" in and "stale air" out. If your HVAC system is really tight, losing less than 10% of the intake volume, you'll need to have a separate gadget to handle this job. Unlike air leaking in windows and doors and leaky conduit, this air can be filtered before floating all over the house, and the device should also "heat recovery" (i.e., A/C recovery in FL) between the exhaust and intake.

We have a home-built non-carbon "4 stage" filtering process on the furnace intake, total cost of only about $900, but it doesn't do a good job on VOC:

#1: A pretty nice washable 1" electrostatic at the return, size 20" x 30". (Very BIG means the air goes through very SLOW, allowing more stuff to be caught). Washed every 3 weeks. The main idea hear is: don't clog up the expensive, high quality filters with tons of junk which could have been caught by a cheapo washable.

#2: The largest home-equipment Honeywell EAC, 20 x 25". This catches tiny stuff which no media filter can catch, the sub-3 micron stuff which goes deep into your lungs and is probably very bad for you. Although it hurts the effectiveness a bit, we have the voltage turned down (about 5000 volts, IIRC) to create less ozone. Basically, this is a sharper-image-like cleaner with 80 big plates instead of 4 little ones, and with the furnace fan driving the air through (rather than just sitting there).

The efficiency of this device falls off very quickly when it becomes loaded up with dirt, so I haul it into the shower and spray the plates clean once per week.

#3: A Honeywell media filter, which catches larger particles (lie the washable) which come in from the fresh air intake-- remember, the electrostatic filter at the in-house return only cleans air from in the house.

#4: On the outlet side, AFTER heating but above the A/C coil, a set of UV-C "killer" lamps. This actually does destroy quite a bit of small VOC molecules. Although genuine carbon would be a nice addition, it would add $thousands to the total cost.

These units cost only about $100 for the washable electrostatic, $550 for the Honeywell Electronic, $100 for the media filter housing + $50 for the actual filter (which has not yet needed replacement), and about $300 for the UV-C. Phillips replacement lamps for UV-C do need replacement every year or so, at $30 each for two bulbs, and they're full of mercury, so trashing them is a special hassle.
- - - -

But right now, because the house and flex-duct is leaky, and our floor is leaky, and our windows are leaky, we ALSO have an older Austin in the bedroom. (When I re-do the flooring and seal up everything, we'll take it back to the office.) For a few $hundred more, if you want to do just the BR, I thin that IQAire makes the very best ones. But they cost a lot.

I think that Aprilaire ONLY seems "better" than Honeywell if you aren't willing to hit the collection plates with the shower spray every 2-3 weeks (weekly for really troubled people like DW). It takes 5 minutes to pull the plates out, 5 minutes to wash and put them outside, 5 minutes to retrieve and re-mount them. (During the drying time, the Furnace-A/C is turned back on with "cover" in place, and everything except the Electronic Air Cleaner is in place and working). But depending on your furnace location, it might be quicker or slower for you to get at the Honeywell plates.

For Electronic Cleaners, it's really much, MUCH better to have frequently- cleaned collection media than to ignore it for a whole year. But the other way works too-- I'd just be sure to make it at least a two stage process, get a cheapo washable electrostatic "pre-filter" to catch most of the gunk before it even gets to your expensive Aprilaire.

[rickst29]

BTW, our UV-C unit is a "Calutech" (original model). Should cost about $300-$350.

[OSUMom]

Ellen, we have a Trane electronic (electrostatic) air cleaner attached to the house A/C -Heater unit (was here when we bought it 8 years ago). I don't know how much it helps. I also bought this in February for our family room after my younger son was diagnosed with asthma. http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HFD-120-Purifier-Permanent-Filter/dp/B000ANEPYO/ref=sr_1_1/103-9968823-4148623?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186095517&sr=8-1
It's a nice room cleaner - seems to always say the filter needs cleaned almost right after I cleaned it. :rolleyes: The fan makes it cold in the winter blowing on you - cools you in the summer.

I take 2 allergy shots every week. I feel almost like an expert when it comes to allergy and asthma though I'm not. ha! My son and I suffer from allergies and asthma both. If you have any questions about certain meds I may have some thoughts.

Hope you find some relief soon! :cwds:

[rickst29]

you DEFINITELY don't want it. If they say "smells like fresh mountain air", RUN AWAY. It burns your thoat and lungs just as well as it burns pet dander and spores.

Our EAC does make some ozone, even though we've "tuned down" the voltage. In contrast small in-room electronic cleaners use very HIGH voltages in order to accomplish any cleaning at all-- because they've only got a twentieth, or even a fiftieth, as much collection plate area. Don't go there.