EDIT: UPDATE January 29, 2021:
After too much searching, we ended up getting these two units, and after a week of using them, LOVE the choices:

1. InvisiClean Aura II (HEPA filter, ionizer, UV-C light)

[amzn.to]

2. Alpine Air Commercial Ozone Generator – 10,000 mg/h (heavy duty ozonator for the really rough areas and periodic short use)

[amzn.to]

Thanks all for the suggestions and research.


__________________
We're looking to improve our Florida house air (constantly closed up pretty much 365 days which is the norm here).

Anyone have air purifiers that you rave about? We'd be open to all sorts of tech: HEPA, ozone, ionizers, magic waves of wands.

Current area of house that we'd want to clean is around 1600sf. We'd be fine moving the unit periodically from room to room.

---

Mac mini (M1 2020, 16G 2T) • Big Sur 11.x • Dual 25" Acer 1440p LCDs • 11" i5 MacBook Air •



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2021 04:37PM by tuqqer.

I have this one. It does a nice job and comes with 2 years of filters
[www.costco.com]

Do you have central air/existing ductwork? Wouldn't you want a whole house unit?

When I renovated my home I installed a heat exchange unit that are typically installed in houses in high-humidity areas like Florida. It exchanges the inside air about 4 times a day preserving most of the interior heated or cooled air in the process. I also have a portable New Comfort 6 Stage UV HEPA Ozone Generator Air Purifier that I turn on usually when I'm out of the house for an hour or more. It does an excellent job of purifying the air and the ozone treatment seems to help clear the air of dust, which the Chinese iRobot maid then sucks up on her morning run.

[www.amazon.com]

As you know, high efficiency filters require a strong air flow, which is not provided by the run of the mill fan motors in the average central air system.

But you can make your own filter unit fairly easily.

What are you looking to remove - dust, mold and/or odors? Your answer will determine what sort of system you’ll need.

Quote
PeterW
What are you looking to remove - dust, mold and/or odors? Your answer will determine what sort of system you’ll need.

I think all of the above. From what I'm hearing, I need ozone once a month (while we're out of the house) pointed at the intake of the air conditioner so it helps clean the vents, and then a HEPA and ionizer unit for day-to-day use. I don't mind if it's bigger and noisier as we can move it into rooms while we're not in there.

---

Mac mini (M1 2020, 16G 2T) • Big Sur 11.x • Dual 25" Acer 1440p LCDs • 11" i5 MacBook Air •

houses are hard to do with a single unit. they tend to recirculate the air of the room they are located in but not pull from rooms further away.

that said, I like the medify units. i put one a MA-40 in my wife's classroom (900sf) and it does make a difference. For home, several smaller ones in individual rooms may be better.

There are better units, but then you are going to be spending more than $1000 which is 3x-4x the cost of the MA-40. that was not in our budget

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.”
-- François de La Rochefoucauld

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

Ok, you have three-ish choices-

HEPA-removes allergens and small particles from the air.

Ionizer--Similar to ozone, but healthier. We use this when, for instance, the cleaners used a product with too much fragrance.

Carbon filter-takes volatile chemicals and odors out of the air. Also provides HEPA filtration

So here are the wire cutter recommendations [www.nytimes.com]

The Coway AP-1512HH Mighty is the one we use the most. It has a good HEPA filter and a good ionizer; the charcoal filter is almost nothing. We're happy enough with it that we bought two. Low power use, light enough to move around. I should note we got ours on sale, maybe $145 each....

If you're willing to fiddle around, you can buy a used Austin Air HealthMate HM400, the smaller version, the Junior, on eBay or craigslist for between $50 to $150 and a replacement filter pack for about $200. The filters last for 5 years under normal use; we use it in the room were the kitty litter boxes are. I bought one years ago before the Coway was available, and it's been totally sturdy.

There are other options available in the Wirecutter link, but that's the basic functionality.

FWIW, we did the DIY route when we remodeled our house and we weren't living in it. We didn't bother with making a cube of filters-just bought a couple of $20 fans and taped the filters directly to them. When it was time to change filters, we just cut the tape and put new ones on. YMMV, but they are nearly as good as a HEPA filter.

Neo,

Some significant problems with that idea. Fan motors aren't designed for this type of usage. Who knows how long it will last. There is also no carbon prefilter for removing larger particles, which extends the life of the main filter. How will it handle chemicals and VOC? No answers.

The video doesn't discuss the difference between MERV and true HEPA. There are differences and there is no actual standard for MERV ratings. A MERV 13 from one company may be the equivalent of a filter with a lower MERV rating from another company. Not cool.

A key measurement they neglected to discuss is air changes per hour in a given room. You want the purifier to completely clean the air in the room at least 5 or 6 times per hour. I forget which is the correct number. Either way, you don't know if the DYI model will do that.

The cost of MERV filters with the minimum level of 13 can be in the same range as the replacement consumables for a real air purifier. The only thing you're saving money on is the actual fan. I'm not convinced going DYI is worth it if you really want to keep the air in your home (or room) clean.

Robert

It is also worth mentioning that putting the fan before the filter will just cause a more inefficent fan. It cannot force air through a filter. That is why you want the fan to pull air through the filter. Doing so requires a stronger fan than most box fans have.

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.”
-- François de La Rochefoucauld

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional.