Hepa Filter Air Purifier

[mike324]

Looking to get an Air Purifier

1.) I can't justify spending over 20,000 for a single unit (my room size is around 72 sqm 2 bed), it seems like buying two of the cheaper unit (less functions) covers more area and cost less. Thoughts on this?

2.) How important is the HEPA rating for the filter? I searched online and here are the ratings, is the difference negligible as long as its a HEPA filter it should be good enough? Pretty much all of the brands out there have HEPA, just a matter of how fast of an air flow to clean the room.

                                    Degree of Separation            Type   Filter Class      (%) @ 0.3 Micron                                                HEPA      H 10               85         HEPA      H 11               95         HEPA      H 12               99.5         HEPA      H 13               99.95         HEPA      H 14               99.995

3.) Yes I know I can tape the 3M Filtrete on my AC, read countless threads on that - so no need to waste precious space on that topic. I will be doing that as well.

4.) My Daikin AC does a too good of a job at elminating moisture, too good actually leaving my skin dry, I am thinking of getting a humidifier - is this counterproductive? Perhaps I should put the temperature higher and use a fan instead? So humidity increase yet enough airflow around the room to feel cool.

[jadee]

Hi, having lived and worked in both Thailand and in China (which has appalling air pollution), the best purifiers are Blueair, hands down. Before I moved to China, I used to think like you, there's no way to justify 20,000baht on a purifier. I had a 5,000 baht purifier from Big C and thought that was okay. As you say, almost all purifiers have the HEPA stickers.
After I moved to China where purifiers are essential, I completely changed my mind. When I came back, I bought a Blueair 'Sense' for my condo in Bangkok, it's a good investment.

1) You can justify the price: the filters are expensive to replace but do last one year. Filters on cheap purifiers need replacing much more often. Plus, with a high end purifier there's no need to waste your money on 3M Filtrete,
2) HEPA is important but so are other features, high-end purifiers contain an ionizer that helps capture particles more effectively, for example.

3) I used 3M Filtrete on my ACs for years, used to buy it every month from Tesco. After I saw what high-end purifiers can do, I stopped using it, it just increases electricity consumption and I just let the purifier do it's job, that's another reason why they are worth the investment.

4) Ceiling fans are ideal for this, you'll save electricity too by having the AC on a higher setting.

[mike324]

Hi, having lived and worked in both Thailand and in China (which has appalling air pollution), the best purifiers are Blueair, hands down. Before I moved to China, I used to think like you, there's no way to justify 20,000baht on a purifier. I had a 5,000 baht purifier from Big C and thought that was okay. As you say, almost all purifiers have the HEPA stickers.

After I moved to China where purifiers are essential, I completely changed my mind. When I came back, I bought a Blueair 'Sense' for my condo in Bangkok, it's a good investment.

1) You can justify the price: the filters are expensive to replace but do last one year. Filters on cheap purifiers need replacing much more often. Plus, with a high end purifier there's no need to waste your money on 3M Filtrete,

2) HEPA is important but so are other features, high-end purifiers contain an ionizer that helps capture particles more effectively, for example.

3) I used 3M Filtrete on my ACs for years, used to buy it every month from Tesco. After I saw what high-end purifiers can do, I stopped using it, it just increases electricity consumption and I just let the purifier do it's job, that's another reason why they are worth the investment.

4) Ceiling fans are ideal for this, you'll save electricity too by having the AC on a higher setting.

Thanks for the rely. After reading online for the past 2 hours, I think I'll stick with higher end units. As of now, the sharp seems to fit the budget and need. Blueair is no doubt one of the best one out there and finer filter down to 0.1 micron and 5 year warranty, but it also cost almost double for specs that are rated for the same space.

One thing that worries me is the Sharp filter, nobody seems to sell it online. Perhaps I will need to give sharp a call and see, since they are a big company I don't think there will be any problems with the replacement as they have been selling air purifiers here for years already.

Some links I found helpful

http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/22/the-best-air-purifier/

http://www.air-purifier-power.com/top-10-air-purifiers.html

Edited April 1, 2016 by mike324

[Thian]

One problem is they (toshiba) change models all the time and stop selling filters for older ones. Toshiba is a very silent one though, also remote control can be handy. Many bright led lights on it can be disturbing.

I would go for an automatic one with a sensor. If the air is dirty it senses it and the fan goes faster.

But i read there are maintenance free purifiers, i would go for those if they are good enough.

Ones with carbonfilters need replacement and those filters don't last long in humid air.

In my bedroom i have a hygrometer since a month now and it's great to have one. Sometimes in the morning the air is 37% and sometimes 70%. Still don't know why and how that works but both are not comfortable.

It's wise to study the models well before purchasing one, you'll use it a lot and for many years. Also the noisefactor is important.

[ammagic]

Don't buy a Sharp - I bought one & couldn't find filters for it. As I lived in Chiangmai in burning season bought a Bionaire Hepa filter for TB 24,000. Worth every satang!

[Gary A]

I have an older model Hatari and have not been able to buy replacement filters for it. I looked all over for a decent replacement air cleaner and it seems like they are difficult to find. Makro, Big C, Lotus and Home Pro don't sell them. I ended up on Lazada and they have a good selection. Unfortunately they don't see fit to sell replacement filters. Although I am miffed at Hatari, I bought a new model because Lazada does have replacement filters for that model. I have it sitting beside my computer. I smoke and my wife was constantly complaining about the smell. It does a pretty good job of eating the smoke and refreshing the room air..

[spik3s]

Hatari, especially the new model, does quite a good job and the price is much more affordable. Regarding the replacement filter, you can now order it directly from Hatari website (with free shipping if you buy 2500 baht worth ).