Air purifiers

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cddt

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#248627 2-Apr-2019 22:20

Hi all

I'm interested in hearing whether anyone has a recommendation for an air purifier. There are a few available in NZ now, but the reviews are mixed, and it seems like good ones are quite pricey.

The motivation is that we live next to a busy road, and there's more and more research coming out showing the negative effects of air pollution (especially on children).

howsitgoing

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#2209830 2-Apr-2019 23:21

I live next to said road, and have two air purifiers, a dehumidifier with a basic filter and another with Blue Air filters.

They are great for clearing most smells, and the premium units are going to be more effective. It's worth pointing out my nose doesn't correlate very well to my PM2.5 measurements.

I use them to clear the air after an event, like from cooking or after coming home to an open window and a house full of domestic fire place pollution. Both work well for that, but you will probably still want to move away from the road.

Lias

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#2209866 2-Apr-2019 23:24

I've heard good things about the Dyson fan with the filter builtin.. but very not cheap

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michaelmurfy

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#2209872 3-Apr-2019 00:00

Yes I've got one and love it - as somebody who is sensitive to anything airborne it works well and has not actually been switched off since I got it: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=21960

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timmmay

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#2209882 3-Apr-2019 05:47

I recently updated my ventilation system to include a decent filter. You can go for F7 but it reduces airflow a bit, and I was supplied a G4 filter. Filter information here. It seems from that to reduce gases you might need an active carbon filter.

I've noticed that when the neighbors have their fire on we get a less smoke smells with the filter in place. It should also reduce dust, pollen, etc.

Kickinbac

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#2213300 8-Apr-2019 22:01

Daikin do one, can’t recall how much they cost.

https://www.daikin.co.nz/our-product-range/air-purifiers/air-purifier

cddt

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#2231238 5-May-2019 16:59

I ended up getting the Beurer LR200 from Kogan. Seems to work really well.

jonathan18

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#2370306 8-Dec-2019 08:20

I'm looking at the same thing - an air purifier - but for different reasons: my wife suffers really bad allergies, particularly in spring and early summer with the really high pollen count. Our solution is to move to the beach, but unless we win Lotto this aint happening in the short-term!

So, has anyone got any specific recommendations of a decently performing air purifier, certainly under $500 but ideally $300 or less? It just has to be able to perform well in a moderately-sized bedroom, as I imagine it would be most useful to allow her to get a decent night's sleep.

I'm thinking one aspect is also ongoing costs of new filters.

I see companies like Breville make them; so do Xiaomi (but apparently not a HEPA 12 filter).

This Beurer model gets generally positive reviews, and there's a Fellowes AeraMax for $250 at PB Tech.

I'd appreciate any advice or recommendations.

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mrphil

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#2370923 9-Dec-2019 10:17

jonathan18:

I'm looking at the same thing - an air purifier - but for different reasons: my wife suffers really bad allergies, particularly in spring and early summer with the really high pollen count. Our solution is to move to the beach, but unless we win Lotto this aint happening in the short-term!

So, has anyone got any specific recommendations of a decently performing air purifier, certainly under $500 but ideally $300 or less? It just has to be able to perform well in a moderately-sized bedroom, as I imagine it would be most useful to allow her to get a decent night's sleep.

I'm thinking one aspect is also ongoing costs of new filters.

I see companies like Breville make them; so do Xiaomi (but apparently not a HEPA 12 filter).

This Beurer model gets generally positive reviews, and there's a Fellowes AeraMax for $250 at PB Tech.

I'd appreciate any advice or recommendations.

Get the Xiaomi one you linked.

My wife also gets very bad allergies and after using the xiaomi purifier it's been a lot better for her.

jonathan18

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#2370992 9-Dec-2019 11:09

Thanks, good to hear from someone who's found the Xiaomi effective. The biggest problem is availability - no-one currently has them in stock in NZ; closest is Kogan/DSE, which isn't shipping them until the end of the month. I'm not too keen on buying something like this via AliExpress, given the lack of CGA cover.

I wandered around all relevant shops yesterday, which confirmed that air purifiers are clearly a niche product - most retailers that had them listed on their site didn't actually have them in stock.

At this stage, other than the Xiaomi, I'm primarily looking at:

the Breville LAP300 (Priceme shows this often comes down to c $260 from $380, so the best-value alternative I've found, given its for rooms 30-40m2)
the Philips AC1215 (HN said they can do it $400 - I had got keen when I'd seen it online for $270, until I realised it was the HN Aus site!)

The Beurer for $299 is still an option (but is online order only), similarly two Trusens models also sold at JB...

I'd welcome any other recommendations or advice.

timmmay

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#2370997 9-Dec-2019 11:14

@jonathan18 do you have a ventilation system for your home? If you do you can keep the windows closed and filter the air on the way into the house, which could be effective. Since we put a decent filter onto our ventilation system the dust in the house has reduced quite a bit. A sock filter is not a decent filter, you need a filter box and a properly rated filter.

A lot of dust and such is produced in a house, so things need to be dusted and cleaned regularly - probably weekly - probably be someone other than your wife.

jonathan18

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#2371049 9-Dec-2019 11:30

Good idea thanks, @timmmay, but no ventilation system - just a ducted heat pump throughout the house. I don't think the filters on those are HEPA-grade, so even using that on air circulation wouldn't be effective in this context, I don't think.

I can't believe I've not previously cottoned on to looking at getting a product to help her, given how badly affected she is - often costs her in hours of lost sleep as well as significant discomfort, so it's actually a pretty decent investment in terms of the positive impact a purifier will hopefully have. My youngest son suffers similarly (but luckily more mildly), so a smaller model could be useful for him as well...

timmmay

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#2371055 9-Dec-2019 11:44

Maybe you should consider putting a ventilation system in, if you own the house. Right now you probably rely on open windows for ventilation, this way most of the air coming in is filtered. This will probably work best in a house that's fairly air tight, but it helps a lot in my super old house.

Assume your wife is on antihistamines, nasal sprays, etc? Seeing an allergy specialist or GP with a special focus can help some, but didn't help me all that much.

mrphil

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#2371120 9-Dec-2019 13:10

jonathan18:

Thanks, good to hear from someone who's found the Xiaomi effective. The biggest problem is availability - no-one currently has them in stock in NZ; closest is Kogan/DSE, which isn't shipping them until the end of the month. I'm not too keen on buying something like this via AliExpress, given the lack of CGA cover.

I wandered around all relevant shops yesterday, which confirmed that air purifiers are clearly a niche product - most retailers that had them listed on their site didn't actually have them in stock.

At this stage, other than the Xiaomi, I'm primarily looking at:

the Breville LAP300 (Priceme shows this often comes down to c $260 from $380, so the best-value alternative I've found, given its for rooms 30-40m2)
the Philips AC1215 (HN said they can do it $400 - I had got keen when I'd seen it online for $270, until I realised it was the HN Aus site!)
The Beurer for $299 is still an option (but is online order only), similarly two Trusens models also sold at JB...

I'd welcome any other recommendations or advice.

I ordered ours from DSE and even with stock in hand it took about 3 weeks to get here

bfginger

1267 posts

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#2371427 9-Dec-2019 23:27

The closer the filter is to HEPA quality the better for your health. Filters may be advertised as removing "99% by weight" and that may be correct but many smaller particles weigh the same as a few larger ones and the smaller ones can be more harmful. The standard G4 filter is better than nothing but it isn't ideal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_filter#Filter_classes

jonathan18

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#2371479 10-Dec-2019 08:35

The Breville model I've been looking at has a HEPA H13 filter, whereas I think the Xiaomi is an H11.

In a once in a lifetime event, Briscoes has a sale today... What are the chances?! 40% off the air purifiers, and at $228 it's the cheapest it's been since being listed.

https://m.briscoes.co.nz/default.aspx?catid=7969&pdid=133337

Given it's in stock, and Briscoes is usually easy to deal with in relation to returns, I plan to get her this.

Thanks for the responses.