Finally clean Air
Written: Dec 08 '02
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Pros: Really does the job, even in a large Room
Cons: Filters are expensive
The Bottom Line: Other than the expensive filters it has performed much better than expected. The $11.99 we paid is not the regular store price.
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| germank106's Full Review: Holmes Products HAP240T Air Purifier |
My father in law is a very heavy smoker. Since he visits us frequently (at least once a week) we have decided to invest in an air filter/purifier. We simply don't have the guts to ask this wonderful man to smoke on the front porch or outside.
We were a little put off by the price of some units. Then we found the Holmes air purifier and ionizer in the original packing at a local goodwill store for only $11.99.
It did not have a filter, so we went to several Department stores to check the price of filters. Wal-Mart came in lowest with $15.00 for one. K-Mart did not carry the filter we needed and a local Department store priced it at $17.99
We took the air purifier home. Not being one to look at directions when putting something together, I installed the filter as I thought it should go in. Actually it was the only way it could go in.
The grate in front of the machine snaps off, you install the filter with two little clips (in the package) and then place a black foam screen in front of it. Everything snaps back together. Total installation time: 3 Minutes.
On top of the purifier are two slide controls.
The right one is an on/off slide for the build-in ionizer, which we do not use. Ionizer filters are a little to pricey for us and I don't feel we really need them.
The left control controls the power and speed for the air purifier.
There are four possible settings: Off, High, Normal and Quiet. We do prefer the quiet setting. With it, the machine performs at regular speed, but you really cannot hear it over the sound of your computer keyboard when you tap the keys. The normal setting is somewhat louder, but as soon as you are about three feet away from the machine, it's just a steady hum. The high setting is very loud and we only use it when the smoke gets too thick. It does not drown out a conversation but you have to speak up to be heard.
We placed the machine on my desk at one end of a large living/dining room combination. The entire room measures 16 x 48 feet and has 10 ft ceilings.
The first time my father in law was here, he smoked about six cigarrettes within two hours. Usually that would have send us packing since neither my husband nor I smoke. I am an ex-smoker and still very sensitive to other people smoking. We set the machine on quiet while my father in law was here (about two and a half hours) and then on normal for another hour while we did stuff outside.
When we came in not a trace of smoke was in the room. We could not smell it, see it and had to look at the butts in the trash to make sure dear old dad really was here.
We have also noticed that the amount of pet hair in the air is a lot less. We have a huskie that usually "blows" out his coat about twice a year. That means big chunks of dog hair everywhere. While the chunks stick to everything, the finer hair just flies through the air and is hard to trap.
My youngest has some slight allergies and usually suffers quite a bit during these times. Lately he breathes much easier, his eyes are less itchy and he sneezes much less.
We've had the air purifier for about two months now and it seems that it's time to change the filter. When you unsnap the grate to clean it, and it does get dusty, the little flaps on the filter should appear white to off-white. Anything beyond that is a sure sign that it's time to change the filter. Ours are a little past off-white.
I assume that in a regular non-smoking house the filter will probably last about 10 - 12 weeks. That would bring the cost of replacement to $60 per year and I think that is a small price to pay for clean air.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 11.99
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Average
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Epinions.com ID:
germank106
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Location: middle of nowhere, MO
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