RE: Ionizers

[firefighterjake]

This year my wife has felt as if she is getting stuffed up and the woodstove (dust, wood . . . I'm not sure what?) is affecting her. She says this has happened in the past as well, but has never really said much about it.

I have a humidifier.

Wondering if those ionizers would make a difference . . . or are they just a bunch of hooey?

Also, if recommended . . . any particular make/model?

 

[semipro]

I would try a good HEPA air filtration unit before ionizing. Some units do both.

 

[woodgeek]

You have a humidifier, but do you know how effective it is...what is the relative humidity, RH? Most folks are comfortable above 30%.

I also found years ago that I started getting a sinus reaction FROM the humidifier....it was one of those ultrasonic guys and I became sensitive to the 'white dust'. Switched to the 'wick' type and all better.

 

[Bret Chase]

I keep an old 20 qt canner on the stove full of water.. thats my humidifier.... it puts between 3 and 4 gallons of water in the air each day. Ive also got a HEPA filter that does work... but it doesn't get rid of "dog" anywhere to the degree that the Ionic Breeze does.

I *have* to use it in the oldests room.... two of our 3 dogs sleep w/ him at night... and his room, well... smells like dog if he unplugs the ionizer....

 

[skysong]

Recommend an air purifier with hepa filter....many come with a built in ionizer that can switch on or off, so you can determine what works best. Helps stuffed nose hugely...it is easier breathing in the room...most people notice the difference right away. The humidifier is good too, but the filter seems to lighten the air. I have several kinds and they all seem to do the job...I'd check on size for the area required. I have a Holmes and a Honeywell and are great. I had purchased a GermGuardian but had to return it....there was a strong plastic smell when running. The other brands had no smell and I would recommend.

 

[thinkxingu]

Hi! My wife and son have asthma and my son's doctor recently suggested getting an air purifier for the room the stove is in. I picked up a Sharp KC-860U "Plasmacluster" ionizer/HEPA filter/humidifier and it is AWESOME. No more particles in the sunshine, room stays at 40% humidity, air smells cleaner, and is unnoticeable unless on high. Has a cool meter to show air quality (which really works--I have played around with it). If you can do without the humidifier (which needs to be filled daily, sometimes twice daily), you could do the FP-A60, which is just the purifier. If you check out reviews of the 860\850 they're almost all perfect.

Good luck.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Good advice above. Also- if the humidifier is not keeping up, it creates less than optimal conditions for several allergens.