AirMedic Pro 6

I bought the airmedic pro 6 with vocarb filter which is rated to 1200 sqft and has 28 pounds of carbon impregnated with potassium permanganate. The performance is mixed. Placing the air intake on the bottom of the unit is a sub optimal design, it doesn't draw in air efficiently like units that have side 360° intake. Anything above medium is unbelievably loud. I run it in my bedroom, and on the days the Volcano erupts and there's a ton of SO2 in the air I'd say it improves indoor air quality by about 50% Meaning I still feel the effects but not as severe. Because my windows are somewhat leaky and the air intake is weak and inefficient it simply can't keep up with the pollutants that are constantly entering the room. Was it worth $900? Just barely.

Regarding your comment about potassium permanganate potentially off gassing as it saturates and loses efficacy, can you please elaborate? I own an Allerair pro 6 unit and opted for the Volcanic Gas carbon mixture that is impregnated with KMnO4, and am concerned as I run it in a room where my twin infant girls sleep. How will I know if it is offgassing? Will the super Hepa filter surrounding the carbon filter catch the particles if they are released (guessing not, given gasses require carbon for removal).

A few months ago I bought the Allerair airmedic pro 6 with vocarb filter which is rated to 1200 sqft and has 28 pounds of carbon impregnated with potassium permanganate. The performance is mixed. Placing the air intake on the bottom of the unit is a sub optimal design, it doesn't draw in air efficiently like units that have side 360° intake. Anything above medium is unbelievably loud. I run it in my bedroom, and on the days the Volcano erupts and there's a ton of SO2 in the air I'd say it improves indoor air quality by about 50% Meaning I still feel the effects but not as severe. Because my windows are somewhat leaky and the air intake is weak and inefficient it simply can't keep up with the pollutants that are constantly entering the room. Was it worth $900? Just barely. Wondering if Airpura will work better with 360 degree intake?

Most home-grade pufifiers are geared towards removing particulates. Such purifiers don't remove odors unless they are specialized units with large carbon canisters. The ones you are considering will move the odors around, and this may help dissipate it (just as any fan would), but they do not contain nearly enough carbon to remove odors. While these products claim to remove odors, these claims are, at best, *heavily* inflated. An example of a unit that will remove odors (and volatile organic compounds, in general) is the AllerAir AirMedic 6 with a 40lb carbon canister filter. This is a large, expensive, loud unit, that uses a lot of electricity, as is the case with all purifiers that can effectively remove odors (as they have to move air through a deep carbon bed, which requires a powerful motor to do so).

None of the consumer grade air purifiers are BIFL. For most, I recommend the Coway 1512AP. It's a good design, with excellent efficiency, acceptable noise levels, good airflow, and there are plenty of quality aftermarket filters available for it, which significantly reduces the operating costs over multiple years. Depending on the size of the space, just buy multiple units. (For optimal performance, each covers about 350-400 square feet.) Multiple smaller units are more effective and generally cheaper than buying one very large unit. If you want BIFL, AllerAir products are BIFL, but they are super expensive, have very high operating costs, are loud, are not energy efficient at all, and they are geared more towards those looking for VOC control in addition to controlling particulates. This is a specialized product, but it uses commercial components due to its fundamental design, and such components make this a true BIFL product. Also, you can build your own purifier for cheap. It's called a Corsi-Rosenthal Box, and it will do exactly what any of the consumer-grade purifiers do, which is removing particulates (Note--***none*** of the consumer grade purifiers contain enough carbon \[or use the correct carbon layout\] to control VOCs or remove odors through adsorption.)

Mine is out of reach for most people, but im about to have 3u3 in the middle of wildfire season, so i had to invest in what actually works on the smoke. Allerair Airmedic Pro 6. They are *very* expensive. But wildfire smoke requires at minimum 20lbs of carbon. Mine has 34lbs. For a normal, everyday animal hair/allergens model, Oransi Airmend is great.

I have an allerair that has 25 pounds of carbon. I have it in my bedroom and a cat box. If they use the cat box at night, I can smell it for a couple minutes and then gone. Airpura, allerair and Austin all make ones with big carbon filters.

I have a couple allerair I have been happy with. They have some of the largest carbon filters, work great for smoke and pet odors. I have one in a bedroom with a cat box. If the cat uses it at night the smell is gone in minutes. Allerair, airpura, Austin air are similar units. Metal cabinet, a switch, a fan and a filter. Very little to go wrong.

Check out Allerair they have models with large carbon filters specifically for wild fire smoke. I believe they are also made in Canada. Airpura is another similar one not cheap but I’m happy with the ones I have. I’m in Wisconsin and we have gotten a lot of smoke this year and don’t smell anything inside.

I would call the Air Purifier Store, they were very knowledgeable and helpful. If you need a large carbon filter for smoke look at alleraire or airpura or Austin. They have models specifically for smoke with large carbon filters, like 25 to 40 pounds of carbon. I have been happy with my 2 alleraires. They will be more than 300 dollars but may be worth it if they work. I’d definitely call and see what they recommend as when I purchased I had decided on a particular model. When I talked to them they explained what was best for my needs, which was cheaper than what I thought I needed.

You might try calling The Air Purifier Store, they are very helpful. I bought a couple Alleraire purifiers from them. They make models especially for smoke. Not exactly cheap, they have some of the largest charcoal canisters.

AllerAir. They come at a variety of sizes and price points but all have the same basic design. Even their smaller model does a good job. They can be pricey and it's an investment. They do not make pretty, electronic units with digital readouts or app connections. This is a metal housing (painted white) with a very large, heavy filter inside, and a motor with a mechanical fully adjustable rotating speed dial. I've had good luck with longevity of the filters and I am still on my original filter after a few years. The large, heavy filters take care of some toxic gases as well as your typical everyday allergens, dust, and pollutants. It's a different breed of filter than you get from Winix and Coway and the others who make units with HEPA filters. Their major competitor is Austin Air. The disadvantage of Austin Air is their motor only has three speeds and the medium and high speeds are loud. I had terrible luck with Austin Air filters not lasting long.

For best VOC removal, such as mycotoxins, you need a lot of absorbent media. Checkout Airpura, Allerair, Austin, IQAir. All are in the $1k range. I'm unsure whether any filter will eliminate mold sensitivities. Did see an improvement when upgraded my Austins with Immunity Machine filters but molds still aren't totally controlled. There are clinics which can treat mycotoxin sensitivities. Can be quite expensive.

Those units have very small carbon filters. They either will be ineffective or won't last that long. A good VOC filter has 10 or more pounds of absorbent media and run in the $1K range. Checkout Airpura, Allerair, Austin, IQAir. Just be aware that the VOCs will only be reduced in the bubble of clear air around the filter. If you have a very large room multiple filters may be required.

Allerair is excellent as well and cheaper than many if not all of the others with as good or equal in build and performance.