Air Purifiers -- input

[highdudgeon]

Hi,

I'm just wondering what people might be using for air purifiers.

I'm allowed limited indoor smoking, in a large den separated from the house by a garage, but even then it seems too much. I crack open the window (it is winter time) and have been running a Honeywell air purifier. I bought one of those Csonka devices, too, but I'm not so convinced about their safety or usefulness (although pretty good at masking smell sometime after the event.)

So, I've been looking at something more hearty in, say, the $350-$600 range. There's the Blue Air 501 with SmokeStop which goes a bit beyond the ionizing thing. IQair units are more than I want to spend.

I really that nothing will really be perfect and just suck all the smoke out of the air as it burns. However, if something could truly defeat lingering smells within an hour or so, keep smells from getting elsewhere in the house (my wife -- and I -- can smell a cigar clear across the garage and into the kitchen), and help keep it from furniture, that would be fantastic.

Experiences?

 

[jfields]

I do not really have anything to add in the air purifier question. But, I do want to add that as far as keeping odors down in your room................
You need to keep it in an area with as little fabric as possible. Rooms with tile, or hardwood floors make a huge difference. Also, removing furniture that has fabric is a must. Leather makes a big difference I found. Then, when you finish your cigar, make sure to empty, or carry the ashtray outside.

 

[grateful1]

Search is your friend!

Make sure it has a Hepa filter that does 'smoke'...and make sure to check the CADR rating.


---edit to add...there's some kind of 'lamp berger' device guys have talked about..they say it works well.

I have a Honywell in the house...for the RARE occasion...the few time I smoked with it on it worked well.

 

[highdudgeon]

This is a hard for for me. I've been using candles, open windows, and a Honeywell device. Actually, it works pretty well -- the room doesn't smell like smoke.

The problem is that the smell leaks out and invades the rest of the house. My wife has put her foot down about it.

That's a bummer, because I just spent over $600 on a Blueair 601 Hepa device with a "smokestop" filter and really high CADR and air exchange numbers. It totally recirculates a 670 sq foot room 6 times in an hour. My den is half that size.

Still, it won't deal with the escaping smoke.

AND the carpeting and huge L-shaped sofa.

The real bummer to it all is that my rather lovely and over-the-top stereo lives in this room. I like to sit in the "sweet spot" and enjoy a cigar, a glass or water or scotch, and flip through a magazine or just enjoy great music.

The back patio is not quite as inviting.

Crap.

 

[LedMizer]

I read this article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. PM me with your e-mail address and I will forward readable link for non-subscribers.


Air Purifiers
Draw Scrutiny
Some Devices Produce Ozone,
Which Can Pose Health Risks;
Agency Considers Safe Levels
By SYLVIA PAGÁN WESTPHAL
January 29, 2008; Page D1

Pressure is growing on makers of popular devices that promise to clean up indoor air -- but that can actually produce their own pollution.

People spend about 90% of their time indoors, breathing air that contains higher concentrations of many pollutants than outdoor air, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Concern about the health impact of that air has given rise to a growing market for air cleaners, sold online and via popular retail outlets such as Sharper Image and Brookstone.

But some experts worry that many of these devices produce ozone -- a highly reactive gas that, while beneficial in the upper atmosphere as a filter of harmful UV rays, is a pollutant on the ground. Ozone is considered a toxic gas by the EPA, and its adverse effects include lung damage, exacerbated asthma symptoms and, at high levels of exposure, an increased risk of death.

Ozone-producing purifiers come in two categories. One is the "ozone generators," which release high amounts of the gas on purpose, claiming that ozone breaks down contaminants. These devices, such as Zontec Perfect Air 100 and Jenesco FM-1 air purifiers, can be purchased from a variety of Web sites. Second are the air cleaners more commonly known as "ionizers" or "electrostatic precipitators," which work by electrically charging airborne particles so they can be more easily collected and removed. These release small amounts of ozone as a byproduct. Popular machines include the Friedrich C-90B, the Kenmore K6 85264 and the Honeywell QuietClean.

Manufacturers of both types of air purifiers -- ozone and ionic -- say that the machines are safe when used properly, and that further research is needed to understand their impact. Kenneth Brumleve, owner of Jenesco, an Amherst, N.H., company that makes ozone purifiers, agrees that his machines produce high levels of the gas. But he says he warns customers that it's best to use the machines in areas when they are unoccupied "because ozone in high concentrations is not healthy to breathe."

 

[grateful1]

There's also listed Consumer Reports article on the ineffectiveness of the Ozone/Ionic types. (Along with subsiquent refutes!).

I'd be interested to read this article..PM sent.