Cheap SAFE air Purifier?

[RobertsKitty]

I am looking for a safe air purifier for when we get our Grey. Air Purifiers with IONIZERS are extremely dangerous to your birds health.

Anyways I was wondering what kind of air purifier you use in your house!

 

Thanks!<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2007/08/10 02:09

[loviechick]

you're right the ionizers are bad! I found a honeywell one at Target for like $100 bucks, works great!

[RobertsKitty]

Hmm...I'll check around on targets webpage! More karma for you! As always lovie comes with expert advice!

[spookyhurst]

I'm afraid I use the Ionic Breeze from Sharper Image, but they both have ozone guards on them. I got both as refurbished units, so they cost about $150 a piece. Do they ever suck up the dust and dander :ohmy:. I clean them once a week, and the crud rolls off the collection blades! They even pick up those little strands from the downy feathers.

[SFsailor]

WOAH!!! Ionizers ARE NOT BAD. Ozone generators are bad.

 

Quick chem lesson.

 

Ionizers create/put a negative charge on a molecule. The molecule is then attracted to other negatives (like the ground or a negatively charged plate). There is nothing exotic or harmful about this. In fact most molecules carry either a negative or positive charge.

 

Ozone on the other hand is bad because it is a "radical" oxygen molecule. oxygen is the most reactive atom there is in normal chemistry. But ozone is an more reactive type of oxygen because it will break down and has "free electrons" these free electrons will easily "attack" other molecules and causes a change in that molecule usually bad.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone

 

Hope that helps clear up your misunderstanding!

[RobertsKitty]

Really? huh. Ok thanks for your help! I found a couple cheap ones at Walmart!

[judygram]

Thanks, SFsailor, for the chem lesson, doesn't the diversity of professions shown here really come in handy to help one another. Great job.

[SFsailor]

Yeah, I 100% positive about this. Ozone generators are bad and ionizers are not.

 

Also Ionizers will only ionize in the close proximity around them, because the "ionized" molecules quickly attach to something else and settle. While Ozone can float anywhere and has the potential to create even more "free oxygen radicals" where ever it goes. Which is bad.

 

Ionizers are relatively cheap. You can get one that will take care of a bathroom sized room for around $10 USD. The ones from Sharper Image are hi end, and probably worth the extra money if u can afford it because they use the negatively charged plate and this makes for easy cleaning of the "ionized" molecules that you have taken out of the air. Without these plates the ionized particles will collect around the ionizer and after awhile you will see a light brown muck which is all of the ionized particles.<br><br>Post edited by: SFsailor, at: 2007/08/10 16:30

[danmcq]

True SFSailor and thanks for clarifying that! :-)

 

FYI for All - Lightening Ionizes the Atmosphere.....notice how fresh everything is after a lightening storm?<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2007/08/10 16:20

[Guest Lidia]

How do air purifiers work? What do they do? I have never had one of these, and I didn't realise that they suck up dust particles. How do they do this? Would it cut down on the dust in my apartment?

[SFsailor]

There are 3 major types of air cleaners.

 

Filter, ionizer and Ozone. I already explained the latter two.

 

Filter air cleaners pass air through a filter (obviously) that traps molecules larger than a certain size, and if you have a bird I could see these as not being the ideal choice because they would tend to clog up with all the dander and stuff. The filters can also be pretty expensive when you have to replace them.

 

Anyone else know more about filter air cleaners?

[spookyhurst]

I like the Sharper Image cleaners because of their lack of filters. You just wipe all the dust off the stainless steel blades, and pop them back in. The HEPA filter air cleaners are supposed to be superior, but you pay out the nose to maintain them.

 

Talon has a special bird air cleaner that she really likes. I think it's an expensive one though. I've considered it myself, because Nikko really puts off the dander. I can't imagine what our house would be like if I didn't bathe her every other day and have an air purifier by her gym and cage.

[kiwibarb12]

I have a couple of the sharper image purifiers - one next to Becketts cage and one in our bedroom. I have noticed Joes allergies are a lot better now, so am sold on them. I haven't noticed any dust reduction so still have to dust :angry: , but must be doing something positive!!! (allergies- sinus)

[Tari]

I got mine from living air. But not cheep. I need to have it worked on and that wont be cheep eihter. But it has been worth every penny. I have had it almost 10 years.