August 22, 2007

Oreck Air Purifier and the Ionic Breeze

Anything that seems “too good to be true” usually means that it’s all hogwash. This is especially true in the case the Oreck air purifier and the Ionic Breeze. Both of these products are readily recognizable because of the mammoth-sized marketing campaigns that back Oreck and Sharper image. Marketing doesn’t necessarily correspond to overall quality of the product being advertised. In the midst of all the claims made about the Oreck air purifiers and Sharper Image’s Ionic breeze, the question is this: which, if either is able perform as advertised?

The claims:

Both the Oreck and Sharper Image Companies claim that their products are great for individuals with allergies or lung conditions that may be affected by the quality of indoor air.
The Oreck and Ionic Breeze air purifiers are sold as a one-size-fits all solution, to clean the air of any sized room.
Oreck and Sharper Image air purifiers are easy on the ears—they are described as offering “very quiet” or even “silent” air cleaning.
These two brands either offer “permanent” filters or no filters at all. The idea is that the hassle and cost of annual filter replacement is eliminated.
The Oreck brand air purifiers and claimed to removed 98% of contaminants while both companies claimed their products were superior to HEPA filters.

True or False:

Good for individuals with Allergies, Asthma Etc.:

FALSE: Though it is important to remove the particles that cause and irritate allergic diseases, sometimes the byproducts that certain air purifiers produce can create more of a problem than the ones they solve. Most air purifiers that rely solely on ionization to collect particles will produce a small amount of ozone while they are on. For individuals with sensitive lungs or decreased lung function, even a small amount of ozone could be dangerous.

A “One-Size-Fits-All” Solution:

FALSE: The most important aspect of whether or not an air purifier will work is this: the amount of space in need of air filtration versus the amount of power the air filter has. This may seem very elementary, but it is true—the bigger the mess, the bigger the clean-up. If you were to place an Oreck or Ionic Breeze air purifier in your room, you couldn’t be certain that there would be enough coverage for your given amount of square footage and ceiling height (believe it or not, there is dirty air up by the ceiling, too. *gasp*) There are no guidelines supplied to consumers as to how many square feet each unit can clean.

The Flip Side: Too Much Power for Too Little Space

You can also run into problems if your air purifier has too much muscle for you are in need of cleaning. This is especially true with the technologies employed by Oreck and Ionic Breeze, because of the small amount of byproduct ozone they create. Though a small amount of ozone is not immediately harmful to an adult, if the machine is running and running and running in a small amount of space, the build-up of ozone could become dangerous. The most immediate effects of ozone are sore or scratchy throat, coughing, painful breathing and shortness of breath—the smell is also a problem as it can cause headaches and nausea. The long term effects are more serious.

Oreck and Ionic Breeze Use “Quiet Technology”:

FALSE: There is a delicate balance that needs to be achieved by air purifiers for them to perform optimally: they have to move enough air through filters, collection grids and UV lamp chambers to ensure that the air throughout the entire room/building is cycled 8-10 times per hour. At the same time, though, the fans or means of moving air needs to be at a low volume level for the comfort of the room’s occupants. There are many low-volume, efficient fans that are utilized by air purifiers, but in order to offer a cheap product that can be sold for the most profit, these fans are dismissed by companies like Oreck and Ionic Breeze. Consumer reports show that many Oreck owners experience problems with blower motors and bearings that cause the machines to “squeal, rattle and screech”). As for the Ionic Breeze, most models that I have seen have no fan at all, which makes the possibility of this machine cleaning more than a square foot or so of space absolutely ludicrous.

Collection Grids are Lower Maintenance than Filters:

FALSE: Collection grids do capture particles like filters do, but the difference is that the total surface area of most collection grids are far too small to remove the amount of pollution in your air. So yes, when you wash off your collection grids you will see the dust and debris that the air purifier has collected. The question is this: how often do collection grids need to be cleaned? Though Ionic Breeze claims that bimonthly cleanings are sufficient, but most owners find that they need to clean the collection grids anywhere from 3 times a week to once every other week. Most of the time, you need to use water to thoroughly clean the grids—the problem is that it takes 24 hours for the grid to dry completely and a moist grid cannot be used in the machine.

FYI: Filters versus Collection Grids

For pollutants such and smoke, it is most likely that an air purifier using a collection grid will not offer you relief from the contaminants. Smoke is such a heavy pollutant that almost immediately, grids will inevitably become filled to the point that they are saturated and will not absorb any more. The total surface area of a collection grid cannot compare with the densely packed fibers of a HEPA filter when it comes to Smoke Removal. The life of the filter depends on the amount of smoke being produced, but the over results of a HEPA filter will “smoke” a collection grid.

“Oreck and Ionic Breeze Air Purifiers Actually Work”

FALSE: According to the advertisements, these machines do work, but according to majority of people who spent their money on them, there is very little that these air purifiers actually do. Many independent labs have done their own research on these two brands of air purifiers and the results show just how careful consumer should be when considering a hyped up product like the Oreck and Ionic Breeze air purifiers. Consumer Reports magazine featured their own independent, unbiased ratings of several of the Ionic Breeze models (Ionic Breeze Quadra as well as the Sharper Image Professional Series), and noted that all of them failed the industry’s ozone standards and were not recommended because the simply did not clean the air. The Oreck XL Professional Cleaners were also sited as “Not Recommended” by Consumer Reports, because of their poor air cleaning abilities.

A private company tested the full gambit of air purifiers—in a 132 square foot room, 14 different air purifiers were tested. The top 9 air purifiers had an efficiency percentile between 98% and 70% of particles removed from the air. The Oreck XL Pro scored 45% on particle removal, while the Oreck XL Tower was only able to earn a 25%. The Ionic Breeze was given a generous handicap (it was left in the test room for an entire day, as opposed to the 20 minutes used to test all of the other air purifiers) and it scored lowest with 3% removal of particulate.

So before you are won by sheer marketing dollars, consider a few unsung heroes that are safe, quiet, low maintenance and (most importantly) have real air cleaning results:

Dynamic Air Quality Solution's CT500 and Dynamic Air Quality Solution's CT100

Safe, reliable and affordable high efficiency air cleaning products.

Filed under Pets, Chemical Sensitivity, Mold, Hay Fever, Odors, Dust, Smoke Removal, Asthma, Allergies, Air Quality by Dan Buglio