IQAir - GC MultiGas NE

I have Austins and IQAir MuliGas. The Austins were recommended by a clinic which treats individuals with extreme chemical sensitivities. You want a unit where the fan feeds the filters (1st in the chain) to avoid contamination from the fan itself. No filter is going to eliminate all VOCs.

I have a couple of models: Immunity Machine, Healthmate Plus, bedroom machine. There have been some reviews stating that Austins are slower at clearing a room of particulates. My main concern is VOCs and since I run 3-4 filters in each room that isn't a concern for me. Am now testing the immunity machine. Seems to do a much better job with VOCs, although final results will take a while. What is your concern with IQAair?

I run 3 filters, Austin and IQAIR, in each of 2 spaces - one 300 square feet the other 600 square feet. If the air is poor outside my Purple Air sensors will still show green. However there are so many chemicals in wildfire smoke, particularly if structures have burned, that they don't get everything. I am sensitive to terpenes and right now they don't help with the Camphor tree flowers. So they can greatly improve air quality but don't expect all VOCs to be removed from the air.

I use Austin Immunity machine and iQair GC Multigas units as VOCs are a major concern for me. Not rated.

To get rid of VOCs you need a lot of absorbent substrate, 10 pounds or more. IQAir GC multigas works, other vendors include airpura, allerair, austin.

For VOC removal the generally recommended manufacturers are Airpura, Allerair, Austin, IQAir all of which have filters with 10 or more pounds of carbon. The AirDoctor 1000 has a relatively small Carbon filter which would have to be replaced more frequently than the others. This is reflected in the cost of the replacement filters which run \~$72 where replacements for the others run in the 100's. Doubt that it is as effective due to its small size. I use Austin and IQAir GC Multigas units. Just replaced the Austin filters with Immunity machine filters and saw significant improvement, but at the cost of \~$700 per filter. They are supposed to last 5 years. If you have to replace before that they reduce the cost. Consumer Reports (subscription required) has extensive discussions about air filters and reviews for filters without Carbon.

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.

Running both IQAir and Austin Immunity Machines in my major rooms particulates run from 0 to under 10.

I have had my Austin, IQAir, Honeywell and Whirlpool machines for as much as \~20 years and have had no problems with filter replacements.

I would overall aim to address the mold problem and deprioritize VOCs unless they’re actively a problem. So that would mean maximizing the amount of hepa filtration within your budget. Ideally a purifier for each bedroom and either a larger unit if the living room / kitchen is an open concept or just do two in that large space. For carbon filters, IQAir is very impactful if you have the budget for the GC Multigas. There are other recommendations like Austin Air. A lot of people don’t feel like the carbon filter has a significant impact, but I know a few chronically ill folks who say it makes a meaningful difference.

Absolutely. I have an IQAir GC Multigas

IQ Air multi gas. My doctors offices, pulmonologist, cardiologist, etc . uses them. It really helps me breathe at home.

We rec’d the IQAir Multigas GC yesterday and I ran it in the bedroom all night without no problems. In this short time, the unit has already significantly reduced the overpowering VOC smell in my bedroom and bath. It’s a big unit, it’s as tall as my hip! I have the fans turned all the way up and it’s not noisy to me but I also don’t mind that sound of a fan going, others might not feel the same. So far, I’m super impressed and think it was worth the cost.

I agree, I have an IQAir multigas GC and an Airpura G700. They both work incredibly well and I highly recommend both, but I prefer the IQAir due to less noise and I love to use it with the App. Don’t get me wrong, we have the Airpura cranked in the living room during the wildfire smoke high AQ days and it works incredibly well.

We just moved into a new build that absolutely reeked of VOC’s, and I’m super sensitive. We bought them specifically to tackle wildfire smoke and VOC’s. We put the IQAir in the bedroom because it’s quieter, and the placed the Airpura in the living room/kitchen which smelled the worse by far. I’d say within less than a week 99% of the VOC smell was gone. The Airpura is a mechanical beast and does the job extremely well, I feel like it did the heavy lifting of removing the VOC’s. Just know that it’s louder, and only has an on/off button and a dial to adjust the intensity, that’s it, no bells or whistles. I feel like it’s more for special events like VOC’s or wildfire events rather than a daily use air purifier.

Something like the Cleanairkits if you can get furnace filters where you live or you can consider the airfanta 3 pro. I don’t think CleanAirKits ships to India though but you could make your own since it’s pretty DIY. They both are low cost and offer excellent cadr without being loud. Hepa filters are super loud at their high setting which you need to get the high cadr values. If they are on their low setting, they don’t really do much. If you want, the iqair gc multigas would be the most expensive, nicest air purifier that will offer elite performance. The unit costs a ton though but you get what you pay for. Since it’s a big unit, you could run it on a lower setting so it won’t be so loud and you would still get good performance. The 12 lbs of carbon in it will scrub out harmful gases you might encounter where you live. Their CEO breathed out of the air purifier in a sealed box with a tear gas grenades going off as a marketing stunt haha.

Iqair is a great option. Have one in our bedroom with our 5 month old baby. But can only run it on setting 2 (75 cfm) without going above 50 db. We also have a luggable xl cr box in the bedroom to get more filtration without increasing the sound in the room. We have a Smart Air Blast in the living room and it’s a a quiet beast. Pushes a ton of air, however it’s power hungry. I’m also a fan of the Alens for how they sound and Coway AirMegas.

Hey, you and I are in the same boat. I had a baby boy at 31 weeks, now almost 5 month adjusted, and I went down the air quality rabbit hole hard. I want to do whatever I can to keep him healthy and developing normally. He sleeps with us in our room right now. I have a clean air kits luggable xl pc fan cr box and a IQair Health Pro Plus running on setting 2. Both run 24/7. This gives me a lot of air changes per hour and some gas filtration, while staying below 50 decibels. In the rest of the house, I have more luggable xls, smart air blast, iqair gc and GCX, Coway 400 and 300, and an Alen 25i. I think it’s important to get a standalone air quality monitor like the air gradient one or purple air zen. I run the hvac blower fan 24/7 to circulate air through the house. I also open windows every morning and bring in fresh air to keep CO2 low. I don’t know what your budget is, but you can make your own cr boxes for really cheap and then throw a few nice hepa air purifiers on top. I bought all the expensive units used (iqair, Coway, smart air) and saved a ton of money. Just gave them a good cleaning and new filters. Another important thing is to always run your kitchen hood vent when cooking I’ve been keeping my house between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit so that he sleeps his best and relative humidity between 45-55%. I have a Midea Cube dehumidifier I run when it’s really humid out and humidity in the house gets above 60%. I also vaccum and mop the floors all the time now. We have an old dog that sheds a lot and the floors get covered in hair if I don’t stay on top of it. I kindof rambled but that’s just been what I have been doing and what purifiers I bought to give you some ideas and things to look into.

If money is out of the question. IQ Air Multigas.

Iq air MCS hands down. Entertain no other option, its ability to filter is down to the smallest size I can find.

You’re right, my bad. Guess is a colloquial name we’ve given it in my house. I’ve had two for 9 years and can’t imagine life without them. We do vacuum the bottom pre filter every two weeks to prevent dog hair from reducing flow. I do bring a medium sized new version Air Oasis when traveling.

Unfortunately the most effective purifiers are not cheap. I bought an AirDoctor because the IQAir was too expensive. It didn’t seem to do anything, so I ended up selling it and buying the IQAir in the end. The IQAir MultiGas was most effective (of the IQAir lineup) against VOCs like mycotoxins last I looked. I supplement with Microbalance EC3 candles

If you looking for filter out dust you need the one has big and powerful fan but if you need one to filter out VOC and a microscopic stuff you better of looking for multi layer filter system with HEPA , I have used Coway for dust and Dyson formaldehyde for microscopic and IQAIR multigas for road traffic pollution next to my apartment!

Oh man this is going to be long, but I have forever been at war with unidentifiable smells in homes. Smells are hard because the particles are much smaller than particulate pollution HVAC and HEPA filters are designed to remove. If you want to go that route, you need a solution with a lot of carbon to remove the smells. An ERV will absolutely help. I kind of doubt the smells are coming from the basement unless it’s wet. Sometimes basement walls hold moisture, which can make the whole house smell musty. Do you run a dehumidifier? That can make a big difference. But if the walls are perma wet, you need to look into waterproofing from the outside (not just a French drain, although that is good too). Other common culprits are the walls in the living space and the attic. Walls hold a lot of crud, so washing them semi-regularly can really help with odors. If you have an attic and the insulation is old, that can hold a lot of unpleasant smells. You can take it out and replace it. Also install an attic fan if it’s appropriate for your space. There is also a European tradition of opening your windows for 15 minutes a day (no matter how cold it is) and honestly doing that in my century home has helped with random smells a lot. It just brings in fresh air to recirculate. An ERV will do pretty much the same thing in a more formal capacity. As for other options, you can run an ozone generator while you and any pets are out of the house. This is best done after other cleaning is completed. And is sort of a finishing blast to get rid of anything lingering. There are better purifiers for smells if you’ve got the budget. The IQAir multigas is my preference, but I’ve also heard good things about Austin and AirPura. You need pounds of carbon. Depending on your HVAC set up, whole home purifiers (great for general particulates!) are usually less effective with smells unless you can get a carbon inline solution. The other thing to think about is what is your kitchen ventilation like? Cooking smells can really stick around and morph into less identifiable “stink” over time if not properly ventilated. You need a range hood that vents to the outside or an exhaust fan pulling the air out. Those microwave vents just spew everything back into the air and push it further out into the house. And then if you’re not getting fresh air in, those smells recirculate and stick to the walls. Another thing to consider is any sort of soft furniture you brought with you. This is going to sound a little nuts, but those pieces absorb smells that you might have been nose blind to in your previous home and now you’re smelling them in your new house. Highly recommend deep cleaning everything, including a good HEPA vacuum with a bag to really get the dust out. Don’t forget curtains Also, if there is any carpet in the space, that can be a huge odor holder, especially if it’s been around awhile. You could try deep cleaning that, but carpet is not great for indoor air quality in general, so you might want to consider taking it out if you can. If I were you, I’d go cheapest to most expensive to see what works. Old houses hold smells, so it might be an ongoing effort. Let me know if you have any questions I know that’s a lot of info!

If you have no budget restrictions, IQAir Multigas. It has a lot of carbon to handle smoke. AllerAir would be another choice with a lot of carbon. SmartAir also makes great purifiers, but they don’t have the carbon necessary for smoke. Have you had a remediation company in to clean your space? I assume yes, but wanted to mention it because that is super important since smoke sticks to everything. Sorry your dealing with this