Air Ionizers/Purifiers - do they make a difference?

[Black Panther]

I've never owned one, but could you 'smell' the difference between a room where there is an ionizer and one where there isn't?

Is it beneficial for health?

Can it help asthma?

Now apart from the above... what do you think of ionizers which work through USB? Are they a gimmick?

I was thinking of buying this. Or this... Or perhaps even this tiny little thing...

Apart from whether ionizers actually do good to human health... and apart from whether a room really does smell fresher when using one or not...
is USB sufficient for such appliance?

The website is a reliable one. I've bought tens of items from them and never was disappointed so far.

Apart from whether a "proper" ionizer really makes a difference to a room or not, do you think these relatively small USB gadgets can do the work of their AC counterparts, at least for the room they're in?

[twilyth]

Ionizers tend to create unhealthy levels of ozone. I think they are now regulated in the US but I'm not sure.

There is some research to indicate that inhaling certain irritants has the paradoxical effect of causing bronchial passages to dilate but I don't think that has been translated into a therapy yet. It makes sense though since the response to an irritant is to clear it out as quickly as possible and that means widening the air passages to let the cilia do their job. I can try to find the article if you're interested. However I don't think this would apply to ozone. IIRC, the study used some sort of cayenne extract.

If there is a relationship between asthma attacks and allergens, then a good HEPA air filter should help. Just make sure that it is big enough to turn the air in the room over several times per hour. I can't remember the recommended amount, but if I were to guess, I would say the cfm rating should allow the filter to put out at least 3-5 times the volume of air in a room per hour. That might be a little high though, not sure. Check Consumer Reports. They have online subscriptions and periodically do reviews of air cleaners which include information on what to look for and for what purposes.

If you go the HEPA route though, make sure the machine has a feature that tells you what the filter status is. A HEPA filter will get clogged very quickly in a dusty environment. Also, these filters can be quite expensive so look for a model that has a washable pre-filter.

[yogurt_21]

Originally Posted by Black Panther

I've never owned one, but could you 'smell' the difference between a room where there is an ionizer and one where there isn't? Yes they make a difference in the room smell

Is it beneficial for health? Any air purifier cna be beneficial to health, I wouldn't say those that ionize are any better at this due to the ionizer, but because they typically have more robust filters on them, carbon layers, and etc.
Can it help asthma? vs a non airpurified room? yes

Now apart from the above... what do you think of ionizers which work through USB? Are they a gimmick? yes

I was thinking of buying this. Or this... Or perhaps even this tiny little thing...

Apart from whether ionizers actually do good to human health... and apart from whether a room really does smell fresher when using one or not...
is USB sufficient for such appliance? No

The website is a reliable one. I've bought tens of items from them and never was disappointed so far.

Apart from whether a "proper" ionizer really makes a difference to a room or not, do you think these relatively small USB gadgets can do the work of their AC counterparts, at least for the room they're in? No

think more robust

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...&blockType=G11

my wife has had several lung related issues. be it a partial lung collapse, asthma, or simple shortness of breath (non asthmatic). We went and looked at the air purfiers and found the kenmore model to be the most effiecient for the price. ours is abit older but same basic technology as the one I linked.

in order for it to actually purify the air it has to go through several chambers of filters before hitting the ionizer/ozone filter. Those little units are simply gimmicks that won't work for this purpose. If you're dealing with actual asthma related issues, ou need a real air purifier.

[Fourstaff]

We tried using an air ioniser some time ago (more like 10 years ago...), turned it on, and went to sleep. When we woke up, all the wall is covered with a nice layer of dust. I believe it goes without saying that it does get rid of the dust from the air (and plaster them on your walls). It was a largish air purifier though, looks 1/2 the size of what yoghurt posted.

And to your questions:
1. No, at least I can't smell the differences between a purified room and a non purified room.
2. Possibly, but I am not too sure about the impact. the hairs in our nose can clean particles quite efficiently, and its only the particles smaller than 10 microns (PM10 for hippies) that we need to worry a bit more about. Can an average air purifier scrub that I am not too sure.
3. I am not too sure, but I think if dust is one of the main triggers it might help reduce the attacks. But since that I am a fan of developing immunity, I will go with no.
4. I have no idea how much power is needed to ionise the air around, but I am pretty sure anything that plugs into usb and is not related to computer are gimmicks (although a minifan can be useful at times).

Oh, Twilyth, I call ozone production off air purifier bs, because conventional air purifier ionise air using high voltages, and you need UV or lightning to make ozone.

[twilyth]

Originally Posted by Fourstaff

Oh, Twilyth, I call ozone production off air purifier bs, because conventional air purifier ionise air using high voltages, and you need UV or lightning to make ozone.

Whether you believe me or not, this was a problem with some ionizers. I'm sure if you do a search on it you will see that, but if you don't want to believe me, that's cool too. I think it's the reason that none of the ionizers available today will create that sweet scent you associate with ozone. I used to have one that did produce a very faint scent and it didn't require much power. There was just a hair thin electrode located just after the fan that did the job and if you stuck your nose up against the grill, it was a lot more noticeable.

I did a quick search and here is what the EPA has to say about ozone generating aircleaners.

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html

[Fourstaff]

Interesting article you got there, Twylith. I never thought manufacturers will actually make ozone generators and market them as air purifiers, although I have came across cases of otherwise (1997 was the vintage year for me). Guess fashion come and go.

I read up on wiki's article regarding ozone production, link if anyone else is interested
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone

[Magibeg]

Originally Posted by Fourstaff

Interesting article you got there, Twylith. I never thought manufacturers will actually make ozone generators and market them as air purifiers, although I have came across cases of otherwise (1997 was the vintage year for me). Guess fashion come and go.

I read up on wiki's article regarding ozone production, link if anyone else is interested
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone

You just passed the genetic test.

[twilyth]

Originally Posted by magibeg

you just passed the genetic test.

one of us!!!


One of us!!!

[Bundy]

I have tried an ioniser in the past and got the same results as Fourstaff, it stuck all the dust to the walls. This did make a difference in odour for the room as well.

IMO, ionisers are ultimately gimmicks because they do not actually remove any dust from the room, just stick it to the walls. To keep the dust there, the ioniser would need to be forever operational.

I think it's better to clean the room.

[dr emulator (madmax)]

hm an ioniser running off a usb ?

well with my moderate knowledge of electrical high voltage equipment i'd say yes it would work ,but that it would be so pathetic it would be a waste of money ,

also a consideration would be because of it's size it would represent a fire risk(dependant on the size of the unit to how much power it emits)

yes the bigger units work (my aunt swears by them)
but again a consideration is that if left alone , i'e you don't clean/hoover them, they can gather to much dust, which can start a fire

my 5 cents