IQAir HEPA Air Purifier with HEPA Filter Review

IQAir HEPA Air Purifier with HEPA Filter Review

The IQair HEPA air filter is a new entrant into the market place from Switzerland. It is a testament to precision Swiss engineering. The company behind it is in the hospital clean room business.

The IQAir HEPA air purifier is a new entrant into the market place from Switzerland. It is a testament to precision Swiss engineering. The company behind this unit is in the hospital clean room business.

Pluses:

• Surpasses HEPA filtration: The IQAir has a HEPA filter and then some. Its hyper HEPA has a micro particle retention rate up to 100 times higher than regular HEPA. The amount of HEPA and other filter media in the IQAir HEPA air purifier is simply larger than almost any other machine we have tested.
• Quieter and Powerful Fan: The IQAir HEPA air purifier has at its core a 700 CFM, 2950 RPM rated fan. That is twice as powerful as any other fan in any other air purifier on our site. Each fan is individually balanced and uses steel ball bearings. In July 2003, improvements to the fan increased air flow and made the air purifiers sound 20 – 30% quieter overall. The most popular fan speeds – 2, 3, 4, and 5 – benefit with increased air delivery and lower noise level. View the press release for more information.
• Lower than average noise level: Because of its exceptionally large fan, centered in the middle of the machine the IQAir is quieter than most[but not all] HEPA air purifiers we have tested. On the first two fan speeds you have a hard time hearing the air filter. On the third speed it is a pleasant quiet background hum. Like all HEPA air purifiers, it is fairly noisy on the higher speeds (4-6) so you probably want to use it on high speed when you are not in the room.
• Control options and settings: One of the big pluses of the IQAir HEPA air purifier is its control options. While we did not see the need for the remote control, we were impressed with the ability to set the machine to go on and off at certain pre-designated times (Set it on high as you are coming home from work or just before your employees come to work.)
• Certified performance: We were not quite sure whether this was a marketing gimmick, but given the variation in performance of some other air purifiers we have tested, it was reassuring that each IQAir HEPA air purifier has a certificate of performance in air delivery, filter leakage and particle filtration efficiency.
• Pre-filter increases longevity of HEPA and gas filter life: Another big plus in our opinion is that the IQAir has both a pre-filter and a gas filter (in the plus model). Having a pre-filter means that your gas and your HEPA filter will last longer. The pre-filter lasts 7 to 14 months; the gas filter 10-21 months; the HEPA filter 17-35 months. This is based on running the unit at medium speed 3, 12 to 24 hours a day. Your actual filter life will vary based on the speed you run it at. If you run it above speed 3 the filter life will be shorter while running it below speed 3 will result in a longer filter life.
• Filter change needed indicator light: What our consumer panel loved about this HEPA air purifier is the IQAir lets you know when any of the filters need changing. This is an enormous plus in our eyes. Most people are using HEPA filters that have out lived their useful life. Why wait as one manufacturer recommends, for the air to “smell bad”- change the filter when it needs to be changed. Please keep in mind, when the orange light comes on you will still have 20% of the filter life remaining.
• Low cost to run: The IQAir for all its power is not expensive to run. It is one of the most efficient HEPA air purifiers from the energy consumption point of view [figure the same as one or two light bulbs].
• Environmentally safe construction: The IQAir HEPA air purifier is constructed of non off-gassing materials.
• Easy to change filters: One of the biggest pluses we saw, was the ease with which you could change filters. This was truly an impressive piece of engineering. Filters can be changed without a screwdriver in a matter of about 3 minutes. All the filters stack up modular fashion like “Chinese dim sum baskets”. They just can be swapped in and out. The IQAir HEPA air purifier is upgradeable to the gas model at a later date with a moderate amount of effort. This is really quite an ingenious piece of design.
• Helpful owner’s manual: The IQAir air purifier comes with an excellent manual [believe it or not, some manufacturers just don’t bother to provide one].

Minuses:

• Comparatively speaking the IQAir HEPA air purifier is large, standing near waist height. It is nicely styled but it does take up room.
• If quiet is the paramount feature you are looking for above all else, IQAirs are not our quietest air purifiers, although they are far from the noisiest. And now with a new improved fan for July 2003, they sound 20-30% quieter. (The distinction of quietest air purifier belongs to Blueair air purifiers).

Summary: Originally sold by the manufacturer at twice the price, you are now getting a whole lot of HEPA air purifier for your money. This is a very powerful and sophisticated air purifier. We were impressed that someone really thought deeply and tried to address a great number of thorny design issues. We spoke to the manufacturer at length and we were also impressed that they did not exaggerate their air purifier specifications and were quick to point out that on lower fan speeds the air purifier coverage will be smaller. They also alerted us that a number of manufacturers overstate the “real” CFM rating of their fans by quoting the CFM rating of the fan “free standing” before it goes through housing and a number of filters. Once we have checked this through with all manufacturers, we will make adjustments to our product listings and ratings. The HealthPro Plus is the choice of those who need to rid their work or home environments of gaseous contaminants or viruses.

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