Air Cleaner Purifier

Experts Talk About Asthma and Allergies

Friday, March 12, 2010 by Justin Randall

The Washington Post publishes an Asthma and Allergies Guide annually. It is a good reference and offers sound advice to anyone who is interested in mitigating their asthma and allergy symptoms. The guide covers everything from food allergies to indoor air pollution and gives expert advice on how to control symptoms for a healthy lifestyle.

Take special note on the article titled “The Truth About Indoor Air Quality”. It talks about the risks associated with poor indoor air quality and the best way to improve your homes air. The expert in the article highly recommends a whole home air cleaner to remove the fine particulate from your homes air

Spend Your Tax Return Wisely with Aprilaire

Thursday, March 11, 2010 by Dennie Plomedahl

Did you suffer from the ill-effects of dry air this winter because you don't have a whole- house humidifier? Did you have dry, itchy skin or get jolted by static shocks? Did the woodwork in your home shrink and crack? One more question; do you have a tax return coming this year?

Spend your tax return wisely
If you're tired of suffering every winter and you have a tax return coming your way, suffer no longer. Aprilaire is the industry leader in residential indoor air quality (IAQ). Not only do we have products that ensure proper levels of relative humidity (RH) throughout your entire home, we offer the best in whole-house air cleaners, thermostats, ventilation, and zoning. Aprilaire is also viewed as the best IAQ value in the industry. So much so that after you've paid for your Aprilaire humidifier, you'll probably have enough tax return dollars left over to buy that techno-gadget you've had your eye on.

Call your local Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your whole-house humidifier today. Getting your Aprilaire whole-house humidifier installed now will give you peace of mind going into next year’s heating season.

Aprilaire - protecting you and your family, and providing peace of mind, for over 50 years!

Is there a air dehumidifier filter upgrade?

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 by Aprilaire Team

Consumer question submitted to Aprilaire:

Is it possible to upgrade the efficiency of the pre-filter from the current MERV-8?

Aprilaires' Response:

Thank you for contacting us with regards to our Model 1750 Dehumidifier. We do not offer a high-efficiency filter for this model other than the supplied MERV 8. However, if this unit were attached to your HVAC system and its intake positioned downstream of your HVAC filter, that could potentially have a higher efficiency than MERV 8. In that situation, the internal filter would not be needed as all air it uses would be pulled through your HVAC filter. For example, our Aprilaire whole-home air cleaners begin at MERV 10 and go higher from there. The two could work together to give the 1750 cleaner air than the dehumidifier could create on its own.
We appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance.

I want to upgrade!!

Friday, March 5, 2010 by Aprilaire Team

Question submmited to Aprilaire:

I have a Model 5000 filter. I'd like to get an upgrade kit, but I am not sure whether there is one that would fit. I am confused between the Model 2400 and 5000 and the media for each. Are these two different models with interchangeable parts?

Aprilaires' response:

There is no upgrade at this time for the model 5000 electronic air cleaner. Because of the electronics involved, we have not yet come up with an upgrade for this unit.

The size of the 5000 is the same as the size for the 2400. Although, the 2400 is not electronic. Also the filter used in the 2400, even though the same size, is not recommended for use in the 5000, just as the filter for the 5000 is not recommended for use in the 2400. The 501 filter for the 5000 has metalic stripping on the pleats of the filter. These are necessary for the correct operation of the 5000. If you put a 401 filter into the 5000, sure it would catch dust, but you would loose all the electronic capabilities that you purchased the 5000 for in the first place.

Smoking and air cleaners

Thursday, March 4, 2010 by Tom Ruse

No two ways about it, cigarette smokeis hard to avoid. Even with the best air cleaner on market. Alot of scammy makers of air purifiers will have you thinking you'll never smell or be harmed by 2nd hand smoke if you use their product.

I won't do that. Even our Model 5000, the best whole house particulate removal product, will not deter the harmful affects of 2nd hand smoke. It WILL help clean your air of all kinds of nasty stuff; virus-sized particles, allergens and other contaminants.

It's best just to properly ventilate, or maybe just don't smoke in the house. Go outside with the other 2nd class citizens!

Why do you need whole-house air cleaning? Consider this:

Thursday, February 25, 2010 by Justin Randall

    * Each person inhales over 3,500 gallons of air each day. Children inhale more particles for their size then adolescents or adults.
    * Polluted air causes 94% of all respiratory problems.
    * More than 31 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma, about 1/3 are children under 18.
    * About 40,000 dust mites, a common household allergen, can live in one ounce of dust.
    * An estimated 10-15% of the entire population may be allergic to cat or dog dander.
    * A person sheds up to 700,000 skin flakes per day.

These are just a few of the reasons to make sure your home is protected by having a whole house air cleaner installed. A high efficiency whole house air cleaner from Aprilaire makes your home healthier and cleaner. The EPA states that indoor air is often times more polluted then outdoor air so cleaning the air in your home is more important then ever.

If you currently have an Aprilaire air cleaner you can upgrade it to our newest media that removes more particulate from the air. Call you local contractor and tell them you want to upgrade your Aprilaire air cleaner today. For a small investment you can improve your current air filter.

Green Inside and Out!

Friday, February 12, 2010 by Aprilaire Team

Aprilaire is going green one step at a time. Indoor air quality is the key focus at Aprilaire with our whole-home air cleaners, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and other whole-home product, but we also feel it is very important to protect the environment. ENERGY STAR and energy-saving products are just the start, we also make environmentally concise decisions for our company's energy use. Let's all find new ways to save energy!

Upon Further Review - IS Online retailer Cleartheairinc.com misleading the consumer? Maybe NOT!

Friday, February 12, 2010 by Tom Ruse

I posted the comments below on Friday and since then, the kind folks at Cleartheairinc.com have... well.... cleared the air.

They assure me their intentions were never to mislead. I guess I'll never know that for 100% sure, but I'm ready to give them the benefit of the doubt. After reading of my concerns they immediately took action to modify the language on their site and clarify what the consumer is buying.

I applaud their quick response and willingness to set things right.

Good luck, and if you're happy purchasing filters for Aprilaire Air Cleaners that are not made by Aprilaire, Cleartheairinc.com seems like a fair place to trade.

Tom

From Friday......

Don't buy from this site if you are interested in receiving the quality of product provided by the original manufacturer! THESE ARE KNOCK-OFFS!

Cleartheairinc.com is misleading you. It describes knock-off replacement filters as Aprilaire and SpaceGard. THEY ARE NOT MADE BY APRILAIRE!

The site tries to cleverly describe the filter as "Clear the Air's Aprilaire Spacegard replacement filter". They probably do this so that they could argue that legally they are calling it a "Clear the Air" brand and therefore NOT misleading the consumer into thinking they are buying an Aprilaire brand.

You decide. Take a look. Would you think you were buying a filter made by Aprilaire or SpaceGard on this page?

They do this with other brands as well.

Sleazy.

If you have an Aprilaire or SpaceGard air purifier / air cleaner and you typically replace the flters yourself, ask an Aprilaire dealer in your area. Often they will sell them to you off the shelf. And they'll be the real deal!

UNLIKE CLEARTHEAIRINC.COM, I'LL BE VERY STRAIGHT FORWARD WITH YOU. Take a look at the estore on Aprilaire.com , just so you get an idea of what the real thing looks like.

Sure, you can buy them there. But that's not the point. I could care less if you buy from our estore. We're the manufacturer! We get the sale of Aprilaire product regardless of where you buy it. Just go there to see the pictures. Then you'll know what the real deal looks like. Then. if you want to shop around, you can get them cheaper on other websites or from your local dealer.

And at least you'll know what you're getting for your dollar.

Keep Indoor Air Healthy In the Winter

Friday, January 15, 2010 by Justin Randall

The EPA says indoor air can often be many times more polluted then outdoor air. Further they say we spend as much as 90% of our time indoors. In the winter when it's cold outside the percentage is probably even higher so it's important to understand what you can do to make sure your homes indoor air is clean.

There are some real basic things that can be done including use non toxic cleaners, dust often, use fans when cooking, wash your bed sheets in hot water, if you have an attached garage pull your car out right after you start it, don't smoke indoors, and the list goes on.

Despite doing the aforementioned items you're still going to end up with particulate and pollution in your homes air. Due to the fact that in the winter there is very little fresh air getting into your home that pollution can build up and cause everything from cold symptoms, sore throats, stuffed up noses, allergy symptoms to much more serious long term effects like asthma and other long term respiratory health problems.

That is why it is important to have a whole home air cleaner to remove particulate in your homes air before you breathe it. Aprilaire offers 3 different levels of air cleaning with different efficiency ratings and control options. Control is a very important part of any air cleaner; most air cleaners only run based on temperature, which doesn't make much sense...you need to clean the air when your air is dirty and that has nothing to do with when you need to change your temperature. Look for more on the importance of controlling your air cleaner from me in future blogs.

Upgrade today!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 by Aprilaire Team

View this short video to see how easy it is to upgrade your Aprilaire Air Cleaner today!

H1N1 and Air Cleaning

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 by Tom Ruse

I am amending my previous post about trapping flu virus.

Trapping Flu Virus with Air Cleaners

Can a high efficiency air cleaner safeguard my house against the flu?

The real answer is IT CAN HELP! Our Aprilaire Model 5000 Electronic Air Cleaner DOES trap airborne particles down to 1 micron in size; well within the range of the size of flu viruses. Here's how:

If a virus attaches itself to a piece of airborne dust, and when your system blower operates, if that dust is blown through your return air ducts to the air cleaner filter, the Model 5000 will permanently trap 98% of those particles and they will not re-enter your living space.

In that way, the air cleaner helps control and reduce the spread of the virus. A virus that someone leaves on a hard surface may never be airborne so the Aprilaire air cleaner cannot help that---- NO air cleaner can!

Be sure you take all the precautions that the pros tell you about the spread of the flu.

Ventilation, Humidity and Health

Thursday, January 7, 2010 by Tom Ruse

Commented on by Robert F. at 1-6-2010 10:33 PM

My Model 700 just doesn't seem to be doing the job on my 2700 square foot house here in Louisville KY. My furnace man came out yesterday and pronounced it in good working order and observed that he didn't think it would ever get my house to 30% or above with the current outdoor temps of low 20s. Is that true? There is no way to get my humidity up to the proper level with your product? Thanks for any info or help you can provide. PS. 20 year old well insulated house with a new furnace and humidifier and your air cleaner also. No condensation on the windows and I have about 4 different hygrometers working since they all read a little different anyway. They are currently reading in the 20-25 % range.

Robert

A model 700 CAN deliver over 30% RH to a home your size and larger. But there are a ton of factors that may be affecting this. If it's colder than 20, it might be a challenge for the humidifier to maintain above 30%. And even though you say the house is well insulated, since it is 20 years old it may be a bit "looser" than newer homes; perhaps not using the latest insulation and maybe looser windows and/or doors. This could affect the capacity to deliver higher degrees of RH.

Take a look at the info in our owners manual for more info about the settings on the control. You might be able to adjust the setting slightly to increase the RH.

It might also help to use hot water to flow to the humidifier. Not essential, but it is more efficient to the evaporation process. This, along with running your blower more often than just when there is a call for heat, will increase vapor through your ductwork.

Indoor Air Quality, Plants and H1N1

Thursday, December 31, 2009 by Tom Ruse

I've written about this interesting phenomenon before; that certain types of plants might act as air filters, absorbing pollutants in our homes and releasing cleaner oxygen.

I just ran across an interesting debate about this. One is a blog which reports the findings by NASA about the filtering benefits of plants.

The other, which was someone who commented on the blog post, shares a link to Building Ecology, which disputes the evidence, stating that 1. plants filtering effects are negligible, 2. the NASA study was done in static chambers which don't accurately simulate a home environment, and 3. Get this: Plants could actually contribute to poor indoor air quality, releasing excess moisture when it's already too humid. And if pesticides and fertilizers are used, those are no picnic for the indoor air we breathe.

So now you have two sides to story.

Anyway, the Building Ecology site has alot of other interesting information about Indoor Air Quality. Spend some time there.

For example, it sites a study that shows that sunlight, and its production of Vitamin D, may help control the spread of H1N1 and other viruses by assisting in "proper immune system functioning and could play a role in resistance to infections such as the influenza virus".

The site is also quick to stress "the importance of scrupulous standards of hygene to combat the spread of viruses". So don't let your guard down just because the sun is shining! Mr. Sun may help, but you still have to wash your hands!!!

It's like when we talk about the benefits of using air cleaners to reduce contaminants in our air. These are real benefits to be sure! But they should be used IN CONJUNCTION with proper hygene and taking normal precautions to avoid exposure. DUH! An air cleaner won't protect you from someone sneezing in your face, for example. Or from someone scrathing their nose and then touching your silverware with H1N1. Eeww!

So, let the sunshine in, get some fresh air, filter the air you breathe in your house and keep your hands clean (and every other surface you can reach). And if Aunt Gladys is sick with the flu, tell her to stay home and rest. It'll do you both good.

Here's to a 2010 without H1N1.

What's in the air of the place you visit?

Wednesday, December 23, 2009 by Justin Randall

Check out this eye opening article regarding a business in California that had indoor air pollution levels "eight times the amount you'd find if you were standing along a Los Angeles freeway, during rush hour."

This type of pollution isn't just found in ice arenas or the like. Think about it...do you have an attached garage? That pollution from your car can easily make it into your home. During this time of year when it's cold outside and everything is buttoned down that pollution lingers inside your home. Add a high efficiency air cleaner to your HVAC system and you can remove that pollution before your family breathes it.

A Brand New Aprilaire Air Cleaner for a Fraction of the Price

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 by Justin Randall

Do you have an Aprilaire 2200 or 2400 air cleaner? If so you’re probably familiar with the Aprilaire 201 and 401 replacement filters. The 201 and 401 filter is a great product that has been around almost 30 years; many manufacturers have tried to duplicate the performance of the 201 and 401 without much success. The numerous knock off’s are low quality, which means they have a short life, put stress on your HVAC equipment and don’t capture the amount of particulate as the original.

Recently Aprilaire came out with an upgrade to the original 201/401 media. The new MERV 13 media uses new technology that holds more dust, captures nearly twice as much particulate and restricts less airflow throughout its useful life. We use the new style media in our 2000 and 4000 series air cleaners, but the greatest thing about it is you can upgrade your current Aprilaire Air Cleaner to use the improved media without having to buy a whole new air cleaner. We have an upgrade kit that slides into your older air cleaner and allows it to accept the new media. You only need to purchase the kit once and then you just replace the new media just like you did the 201 and 401 filter. You can get the upgrade from your normal heating and air conditioning contractor; if you are interested in capturing more dust and more particulate out of your homes air just tell your contractor you want to upgrade! You can even do it yourself it takes about 2 minutes and you don't need any tools.

It's Time to Change Your HVAC Filter

Monday, December 7, 2009 by Justin Randall

The cold weather has come and it’s going to continue to get colder and colder. That means your heating system is going to be running more and more. Now is the time to make sure your HVAC filters have been changed to insure your heating system runs at peak efficiency this winter, and that it’s in tip top shape when the cooling season rolls around.

It doesn’t matter if you have a 1” filter or you have an Aprilaire whole home air cleaner make sure your filter hasn’t past its useful life.

If you only use a 1” filter you should seriously consider having an Aprilaire whole home air cleaner installed. 1” filters have 3 major problems with them. First, they are either low efficiency (Meaning they don’t capture much particulate out of the air.) or they are high efficiency, but also have a high pressure drop (Meaning they restrict the air going through them. Picture a brick wall it would make a great filter, but no air could get through it.) high pressure drop wastes energy and puts more stress on your HVAC system meaning it shortens the life of your system. The final drawback to a 1” filter is cost; a $12 filter that lasts 30 days will actually cost you $144 a year. An Aprilaire replacement filter lasts 1 year and will cost you less then half the amount of replacing 1” filters plus you’re getting a better performing filtration system that requires less maintenance.

For the benefit of your HVAC system and your family’s health think about ridding your life of 1” replacement filters and make the move to an Aprilaire whole home air cleaner.

Poor Care of HVAC Systems May Create Indoor Allergies

Monday, November 16, 2009 by Justin Randall

Experts agree, poor indoor air quality may create indoor allergies. But there are ways to fight indoor allergies and poor indoor air quality.

Your HVAC equipment can both help and hurt the quality of your homes air. If you take care of your equipment by having an Aprilaire Whole Home Air Cleaner installed your HVAC will help to make your home healthier. If you neglect your HVAC system it can become a breeding ground for unhealthy stuff to be spread throughout your home.

Take action now to make your home healthy. Call your local Aprialire Contractor today for solutions to improve indoor air quality.

Home Energy Tips

Monday, November 2, 2009 by Tom Ruse

I don't often link to blogs because there are so many out there that go right to poorly-worded content about how great portable room air purifiers are without giving mention to whole house solutions. Of course they always link to ads for.....room air purifiers. Horray!

Here's a better one! Not only because it discusses whole house solutions but also because it doesn't have an ad associated with its contents. Pretty credible, then.

Aprilaire 201 and 402 Media - You can Upgrade Your Air Cleaner

Thursday, October 29, 2009 by Tom Ruse

For anyone who owns an Aprilaire 2000 series or SpaceGardAir Cleaner, you can now upgrade to a higher efficiency filtering media.

If you change filters yourself, you should be asking for the 1213 or 1415 Upgrade Kits to replace your old 201 or 401 filtering media.

If these Upgrade Kits are not available where you usually purchase your filter, then you are either buying cheaper, less-efficient knock-offs at a home store or hardware store, or you are buying filters online or from a dealer who should be offering the upgrade kits instead!

The best way to handle this is to call your local Aprilaire dealer and tell them you want to upgrade!

Why upgrade? The new kits are easier to install, but the best reason is that they are up to 2 times more efficient at removing crap from your air; Better air for you to breathe and better protection for your expensive HVAC system.

Isn't that the reason you have an air cleaner in the first place?!!??!

Dander Allergens Comment

Thursday, October 29, 2009 by Justin Randall

My granddaughter is highly allergic to dog & cat dander. We have a dog & she has not been able to visit or stay at our house for the past 2 years - she is 7. HELP! We are willing to do whatever we can so she can visit - does this really work? If she is exposed she develops bad sinus infection, fever & is sick for about 5 days even on an antibiotic.

Yes an Aprilaire whole home air cleaner does really work and it would most certainly help to reduce the amount of pet dander in your home's air. But I would be remiss to say that if you installed an Aprilaire whole home air cleaner all your problems with your granddaughter would be solved. A whole home air cleaner will remove particulate from the air and if you run your fan all the time the air cleaner will constantly be cleaning your air, but if you have pets in your home it's going to be almost impossible to get rid of all the dander in the air. Further, the air cleaner isn't going to help remove the particulate that has settled on your coffee table or carpet. For a less severe case of allergies I would say that air cleaner would be enough, but it sounds like she's got a severe case of allergies and although the whole home air cleaner will help remove allergens it's not going to make your home completely allergen free.

Installing an Aprilaire 4000 Series Air Cleaner with MERV 13 performance and One Touch Control would be a great option for you and make your home more accommodating for your granddaughter; an Aprilaire Model 5000 would be an even better option for you as it is our most efficient air cleaner.