We own four air purifiers - Solar Guard, 2 x Alpine Air And A Ionic Breeze

by Paula
(USA)

We own four air purifiers.

The first one is actually on the furnace itself. The name of it is Solar Guard. I do not know the model number for it, because it was installed with the new furnace. It is supposed to remove 99.9 percent of the bacteria in the air before it reaches the actual living area of our home. I feel it does help sanitize the air. It is comprised of two ultra violet lamps mounted in the main furnace duct, before it splits off to the various rooms of the house. The tubes need to be replaced annually. The lamps are expensive. I have noticed that since the new furnace has been installed, I feel, we do not pass colds and the flu around as we did in the past. Obviously, I have no medical evidence to substantiate this theory, other than past experience.

The second and third air purifiers are called Alpine Air and they are ionizers with a large particle filter on them, also. They are models 150 and C150. One of the two has a double plate set-up on it and is supposed to be higher powered. The large particle filters are always very dirty weekly as are the ionizer plates. We have had these for fifteen years. I had to send one in for repair because it fell from a shelf and broke. Other than that one accident, they have work constantly and seem to do a good job. The dealer sold me the shelf and it should have had a ledge of some sort to prevent the unit from vibrating off. I have purchased probably three or four replacement plates over the years. The company went from plastic plates to glass plates and the glass plates break pretty easily when you are removing the plates to clean or replacing them after cleaning. I believe the company has changed the composition of the plates again.

My biggest complaint about these Alpine Air units is that they are difficult to clean. The fan blades and front grill are hard to maneuver around. I have to take my fingers and a thin rag to clean each fan blade and there are five. The other drawback is the fan noise can seem very loud at times. The cost of running these units is the same as a 40 watt light bulb, as I remember, and that has been a long time ago.

The fourth filter unit is a professional series Ionic Breeze GP Model SI830. It is actually a replacement for the original model that caught fire. I was cleaning the good living room when I noticed the Ionic Breeze unit was not working and there was black powder on the unit itself and on the white couch next to the unit as well as on the white carpet and wall. Close examination of the unit showed a black residue over the entire unit both inside and outside the case. I called the company and they replaced it without question with a newer model, the model number I gave you. It seems to work well. The metal plates do not clean as easily as they do on tv, but they are always dirty and so I believe that it is working. I like the fact that the Ionic Breeze has the Ultra Violet light, and put that unit in the room when a family member has a cold in the hopes that it will contain spread of the illness. I was very pleased with Sharper Image for standing by their Ionic Breeze and replacing the unit. I think we have had this Model S1830 around three or four years.

All four of these air purifiers are functioning in our home currently. The Alpine filter 150 is in the kitchen, the c150 is in the family room and the Ionic Breeze is in the good living room. The house is 2000 square feet. The only time I unplug the units is when we are going to be gone for any length of time, or naturally when I clean them. I have lost the confidence to leave them running when we are gone. I have had good luck with all of the companies that I have dealt with. I have no complaints about service.

I can tell you our house is still very dusty. I have allergies and feel that the filters do help, because we have four birds, four cats, and four dogs in the house. I think it would be unbearable without these units running.

Of the three Ionizers, I like the Ionic Breeze the best because it is easiet to clean, and quiet. I wish the Ionic Breeze had a large particle pre filter. My dream air purifier would be a super filter that attached to the furnace along with the ultra violet tubes. I think it would be wonderful to only have to clean one filter every week, and no noise. Heavenly. I hope you find this report is satisfactory. Best Wishes