Alen - BreatheSmart 45i HEPA

After literally weeks of research, I purchased three Alen Air, 45i units. The Black Friday bundle was a buy two, get a third one free. Alen was very easy and responsive, shipped quickly without a hitch, they're very quiet and attractive, fully wi-fi featured, energy-efficient, and are incredibly effective. While I'm only a few weeks into using them, I am very satisfied and my research was worth the time I spent doing so. (Alen's new units are the 35i's, slightly smaller units than the 45i and 75i larger units.

Alen is the best of that group by far. And especially since this is r/BIFL - they offer a lifetime warranty as long as you buy your filters from them (or authorized 3rd party) Remember, get a unit bigger than you think you’ll need so you don’t need to run it on full blast constantly and be overwhelmed by noise - another plus for Alen is that they are insanely quiet. I have a 45i and 75i and they are excellent. The VOC filter has a crazy amount of carbon in it too to help with smoke. I believe they are also one of the few manufacturers that publish their carbon numbers in their filters. A lot of others don’t.

Have you considered 2 medium sized units placed strategically? For a space that size it may be more effective. 2 Alen 45i’s + the VOC filter may be worth considering as well. And I believe they are buy 1 get on 50% off right now.

Hmm. Have you asked about a more effective litter? I’m not saying litter is everything but wonder if someone in a similar situation would have suggestions. Do you think the vet would recommend a probiotic to potentially help? The Alen BreatheSmart 45i might help. It has two pounds of carbon pellets. Obviously you’d want to have it in close proximity of the litter box. It’s suited for rooms around 450 square feet https://housefresh.com/air-purifiers-for-litter-box-smell/ I use Rocco and Roxie litter box deodorizer when one of my cats has a particularly stinky deposit. The air purifiers help but the ones I have don’t always completely eliminate the smell, at least not quickly enough for me.

The Alen BreatheSmart 45i has a lower overall CADR of 245 CFM in comparison to the 75i. Note this is a composite or averaged CADR, **not** a Smoke CADR. I also don't know the activated carbon weight in the 45i's "Fresh" filter. You would need to ask Alen for these values.

Oops, yes, I missed the [45i's VOC/Smoke Filter](https://alen.com/products/alen-breathesmart-45i-hepa-filter?variant=40426841342017). The illustration is made to show more activated carbon. But I still don't know the weight in ounces or pounds. Regarding the linked post with a chart, unfortunately it's a bit out of date. I believe Alen updated at least one of its purifiers and there's no 45i VOC/Smoke Filter listed as such. I didn't mention a 75% rule. It's a CADR 2/3 rule for room area under normal circumstances. *This doesn't apply, as you are treating for wildfire smoke.* **The rule that applies to you**: for wildfire smoke, Smoke CADR should *equal* a room's area, assuming an 8 ft. ceiling. Your ceilings are 8 ft. high. The info you gave me: * **Main Room**: 11.5 ft. x 25 ft. = 287.5 sq. ft. Smoke CADR: 288 CFM * **Bedroom**: 11 ft. x 11 ft. = 121 sq. ft. Smoke CADR: 121 CFM **But you would still need to get the Smoke CADR from Alen for each purifier model you are considering.** **When you are given the Smoke CADR for each purifier, it is likely it will be for the top speed only.**

+1 for Alen air. I got a levoit first since it was so much cheaper, ended up returning it and getting an Alen air. You get what you pay for in this case. If you go that route make sure you upgrade to the filters meant for smoke. Edit: we have 2 45i’s, have had them for 3 years now and replace the filters once a year. They’re well built, easy to clean and have a great app interface.

Levoit core 600s, coway airmega 300/400, medify ma125, dyson tp10, alen air breath smart, winix t810/5500. Any of these are great, so you can pick based off of design preference and location. Ones that intake from all sides work best in center of room, others are fine up against a wall. Dyson works well as a fan or circulator too. I also live in a larger open air loft style apartment with a cat. I have a Dyson in the upstairs bedroom for the fan feature, levoit 600s in kitchen for cooking because that thing moves alot of air at max, winix 5500 in bathroom and by litterbox because it is best bang for buck, having carbon pellets for odor at low price.

Alen is the best. True hepa (yes, this matters), absolutely silent, legit CADR. Coway and Winix are right behind them. Anything with true hepa (h13) is worth your money. Everything else is not.

We have an Alen breatheSmart. I like it. It’s sensitive to changes. It reacts as soon as we light a candle or cook. We change the filter once a year.