Air purifiers and ionization

[ravvlet]

Ugh! Shopping again for an air purifier (this is the second in three years). It seems like all of them have some kind of ionization feature! Fortunately, it also seems that for most of them, it can be turned off.

Do you guys just buy the ones that have the ionizing feature anyway and leave it off? Our first one was like that and that’s basically what we did - it was a germ guardian. The second one we got was a little basic Holmes HEPA filter without any ionization but considering Kirby’s sinus issues I don’t think it’s doing the job - I changed the filter on it recently, and it mostly seems to just slowly transform into a dust magnet…

I’m looking at either a Coway Mighty (has an ionizer that can be turned off) or a Winix 5500-2 (has “plasma wave “ which as far as I can tell is just an ionizer that emits slightly less ozone, which can also be toggled off). I found these on the 2021 Wirecutter list for best air filters, but I’m open to suggestions before I put an order in today.

 

[Deleted member 42416]

Ugh! Shopping again for an air purifier (this is the second in three years). It seems like all of them have some kind of ionization feature! Fortunately, it also seems that for most of them, it can be turned off.

Do you guys just buy the ones that have the ionizing feature anyway and leave it off? Our first one was like that and that’s basically what we did - it was a germ guardian. The second one we got was a little basic Holmes HEPA filter without any ionization but considering Kirby’s sinus issues I don’t think it’s doing the job - I changed the filter on it recently, and it mostly seems to just slowly transform into a dust magnet…

I’m looking at either a Coway Mighty (has an ionizer that can be turned off) or a Winix 5500-2 (has “plasma wave “ which as far as I can tell is just an ionizer that emits slightly less ozone, which can also be toggled off). I found these on the 2021 Wirecutter list for best air filters, but I’m open to suggestions before I put an order in today.

Hey, so we use an Aprilaire air purifier for our whole house (practically, we have an indoor petting zoo). We have had no issues and have used this for many years (previous house and current house).

I’m attaching their link. Don’t buy anything impulsively, do the research first!

AprilAire Home

Improve wellness, protect your home, and even reduce stress with a complete collection of whole-house Healthy Air solutions.

www.aprilaire.com

 

[ravvlet]

Hey, so we use an Aprilaire air purifier for our whole house (practically, we have an indoor petting zoo). We have had no issues and have used this for many years (previous house and current house).

I’m attaching their link. Don’t buy anything impulsively, do the research first!

AprilAire Home

Improve wellness, protect your home, and even reduce stress with a complete collection of whole-house Healthy Air solutions.

www.aprilaire.com

Impulsive is my middle name!

Somewhat kidding; I did research the two I mentioned! I don’t know why the wirecutter article didn’t cover the more expensive air filters ( like the one you linked) though. I’d assume at $579 that it out performs the Conway and the Winix.

I do not have an HVAC system (welcome to the PNW lol) so I think the only one I can use from that brand is their room model. Woof, it’s on sale, but still, a cool $400! I am trying to figure out what the performative difference is between it and the Winix 5500-2 (besides the lack of an ionizer, which is obviously a boon, but as it is a feature I can just leave “off” I’m not sure it’s worth $250). Is it the rate at which it exchanges air? I wish the spec lists on these were easier to find.

I also had found some reviews from Winix users who used the filters in their bird rooms (with the ionizing feature toggled off).

Edited to add: I apologize, as I don’t want to sound like a cheapskate/there is no monetary value on my parrot’s comfort; it’s just that I want to be sure if we get a really spendy unit it’s truly going to significantly outperform an economy model.

Ok, one more edit: Since WHEN did consumer reports require a membership? Boooo!

 

[ravvlet]

And in the end, after reading a lot more articles (and more posts here), it turns out the Levoit purifiers rank comparably to many higher cost units, and don’t have an ionizing feature. We went with a smart model core 300.

 

[SailBoat]

We do not use an air purifier as we have a whole home high-end filtering system that works really well.

If you are finding that your air purifier is quickly filling with dust, check your forced air furnace as you likely need to change its filters more often. If your home is older, consider having the air ducting system cleaning as they tend to fill with dust over the years.

Ionizing feature have become almost standard with the Covid Virus and the common combination of both air purifing and Ionizing. Yes, buy a unit that you can switch the Ionizing feature off!

 

[CosiGirl]

So, I just was reading through these posts. I’ve had two Holmes air purifiers running pretty consistently over the last 2-3 days with the ionizing feature on, one close to the cage. I didn’t know that was bad for birds! I just turned the feature off. I really hope I haven’t harmed my budgie anything I should look out for in terms of symptoms if this has affected her?

 

[Henderbird]

So, I just was reading through these posts. I’ve had two Holmes air purifiers running pretty consistently over the last 2-3 days with the ionizing feature on, one close to the cage. I didn’t know that was bad for birds! I just turned the feature off. I really hope I haven’t harmed my budgie anything I should look out for in terms of symptoms if this has affected her?

That's alright. I'm sure your bird is fine.
The ionization feature is bad for birds but does not have immediate effect on them, rather it produces negative effects over a period of time if used during that time.
Just make sure the feature is turned off all the time and you should be good.

 

[CosiGirl]

That's alright. I'm sure your bird is fine.
The ionization feature is bad for birds but does not have immediate effect on them, rather it produces negative effects over a period of time if used during that time.
Just make sure the feature is turned off all the time and you should be good.

Phew, thank you. I was ready to hand in my bird-mom card. The ionizer feature will remain off.