Cr 12 2007 Lennox International Inc. Air Cleaner CLEANERS/ FILTERS
User Manual: Lennox International Inc. Air Cleaner AIR CLEANERS/ FILTERS
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Copyright 2007 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. Yonkers, NY 10703-1057, a nonprofit organization. Reprinted with permission from the December 2007 issue of CONSUMER REPORTS® for educational purposes only. The information and images posted here are protected by the copyright laws. Reproduction, downloading, redistributing, or retransmitting without our written permission is prohibited. www.ConsumerReports.org. AIR PURIFIERS Filtering the claims Most people buy air purifiers to ease asthma or allergies. But despite product claims, there’s little definitive medical evidence that purifiers help relieve respiratory symptoms. Some may pose a threat even to healthy users. Electrostatic precipitators are the most heavily promoted purifiers, accounting for about half of the models sold. Oreck and Sharper Image versions are best sellers, despite their lackluster air-cleaning performance in our tests. Electrostatic precipitators trap particles by applying an electrical charge to them as they pass through the unit and depositing them on plates or filters.The process creates some ozone as a byproduct. While ozone in the upper atmosphere protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, ground-level ozone is an irritant that can aggravate asthma and lessen lung function. Another type of purifier, ozone generators, are a growing part of the market. KEEP IT CLEAN Our long-term tests show that you need to follow recommended maintenance to sustain peak performance. They create large amounts of ozone by design and claim to use it to purify the air. We rated two such models Not Acceptable because in our latest tests they reached up to 20 times the voluntary ozone standard based on the limit set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for medical devices. (See “Not Acceptable: Ozone generators,” on the facing page.) The FDA, though, doesn’t consider air purifiers a medical device. And the ozone emissions of home air purifiers aren’t regulated by any federal agency. But as we went to press, California banned ozone generators for most uses, effective 2010. Air purifiers that draw air through fabric filters are among those that do the best job of removing dust and smoke from the air without producing any ozone. Toprated models such as the Whirlpool Whispure, $230, performed better at their lowest, quietest speeds than many others did at their higher, noisier settings. But simple steps such as those mentioned in First Things First could improve air quality enough so that you don’t need a purifier. Other findings and issues: Ozone is a growing concern. No standard exists for acceptable indoor ozone levels generated by a nonmedical device. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) First things first. Air purifiers alone won’t clean the air or relieve asthma or allergy symptoms. TRY THESE STEPS FILTERS Basic steps can be more effective than air purifiers, according to experts, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Lung Association. Less expensive options include: Best for trapping dust, pollen, and smoke without emitting ozone, an irritant. • Banning indoor smoking • Keeping pets out of bedrooms • Removing carpeting and other dust-mite harbors • Opening windows whenever possible • Using outdoor-venting fans in the bathroom and kitchen • Maintaining heating equipment For more simple ideas, go to www.Consumer Reports.org/aircleaning. Avoid ozone generators, which emit hazardous levels of ozone. They should be used only by professionals after serious contamination from a fire or flood, not for routine air cleaning. 48 C O N S U M E R R E P O RT S &Z D E C E M B E R 2007 But effectiveness varies considerably among models. They typically cost more per year for both electricity and replacement filters. Portable models tend to be noisy at high speeds, and do-it-yourself whole-house furnace filters were fair at best for smoke removal. How they work A fan pulls air through a filter. Portable models typically use highefficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters; whole-house units use pleated fabric filters and are attached to forced-air systems. Price $100 to $800 for portables; $10 to $30 for better DIY whole-house filters; $200 to $500 for whole-house systems (plus $200 or more for installation). • Expert • Independent • Nonprofit ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Best for low operating costs. Some do a fine job of removing dust, pollen, and smoke. But all create some ozone, which can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function. Models with small fans or no fans are ineffective at removing dust and smoke. Models with a fan can be noisy at high speeds. Models with plates need more maintenance than filters. How they work An electrical charge is applied to the particles drawn into the device. Then the particles are captured onto flat plates or filters. Price $250 to $800 for portables; $400 to $1,150 for professionally installed wholehouse models (plus $200 or more for installation). certifies electrostatic precipitators using the FDA limit of 50 parts per billion. But that limit is under scrutiny. “Fifty parts per billion is by no means universally accepted in the scientific community as being a low enough benchmark for ozone,” says Richard Shaughnessy, Ph.D., director of the University of Tulsa’s Indoor Air Research Program and the author of an analysis prepared for the Consumer Product Safety Commission on research pertaining to the current limit. A recent study of outdoor air in 98 urban areas, led by Michelle L. Bell, assistant professor of environmental health at Yale University, indicated that even low levels of ground-level ozone were associated with increased risk of premature death. Ozone has other risks. Studies increasingly suggest that ozone creates other irritants as it reacts with household products such as scented cleaners and air fresheners. Among these irritants are formaldehyde, a carcinogen; acrolein, a toxic irritant found in cigarette smoke; and ultrafine particles. “Picture ultrafine particle behavior the way you see cigarette smoke behave in a lighted room,” says Charles J. Weschler, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. “They hang in the air for a long time. The concern is how easily the ultrafine particles are inhaled before they can settle.” Germ-cleaning claims are oversold. Many air purifiers claim to rid your home of airborne bacteria and viruses in addition to dust, pollen, and smoke. We ran tests on five portable air purifiers that made those claims. While our tests confirmed that they reduce germs in the air, so should any air purifier that effectively removes dust and smoke. Still, germ removal isn’t a good reason to buy an air purifier. “The limited effectiveness of the home air purifiers may give people a false sense of security,” says Edward J. Septimus, M.D., an infectiousdisease expert at Methodist Hospital in Houston. “Stick with the basics instead: Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds and cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze and cough.” Ozone testing is in flux. Even the UL ozone test is under review as UL and in- dustry and consumer groups, including Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of CONSUMER REPORTS, search for a better way to measure the ozone some purifiers emit.“You can get any results you want depending on how you run the current UL test,” says Shaughnessy, who is on the committee revising the standard. In the past we used the UL ozone test, among others. But because of concerns about the UL approach, we tested ozoneproducing purifiers using our own test in an airtight, unfurnished room. While that won’t exactly reproduce the levels in your home, given the increasing concerns about even low levels of ozone, it’s useful to have this worst-case scenario of ozone buildup in a room. IF YOU BUY AN AIR PURIFIER Consumers Union continues to urge the CPSC to set indoor ozone limits for all air purifiers and mandate performance tests and labels disclosing the results. CU also urges the Federal Trade Commission to investigate air-purifier ads to determine the validity of health-related claims. If you’re set on buying one, keep these points in mind: Consider whole-house models. Forced-air heating/cooling systems circulate so much air that they can overwhelm portable purifiers. Whole-house purifiers are a better option. Better products range from $10 to $30 for do-it-yourself filters to $1,000-plus systems that have to be installed by a pro.The latter are more effective at removing dust and smoke. DIY furnace filters do nearly as good a job of removing dust but aren’t as good at removing smoke. Buy a whole-house model with a filter rather than an electrostatic precipitator, which produces some ozone. Portables: Bigger is better. Portable air purifiers work best at high speeds but are quietest on low. Run the unit on the higher, louder setting when you’re not in the room, and turn it down to low when you’re nearby. Or buy a model certified for a larger area.We believe a clean-air delivery rate (CADR) above 350 is excellent, and one below 100 is poor. Look for CADR figures with an Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) logo. Only those were confirmed by AHAM. Not Acceptable Ozone generators Makers of ozone generators often target home users with claims that the devices reduce allergens such as dust, smoke, pollen, germs, and mold using “highly activated oxygen” or “super oxide ions,” leaving the fresh scents of thunderstorms and waterfalls in their place. Two companies, Biotech Research and EcoQuest, go much further in their ads. The $850 EcoQuest Fresh Air uses “exclusive ‘Space Certified’ ” technology “used to scrub the air inside spacecraft,” ads say. BioTech Research says its $230 EdenPure Area’s technology is “used by the federal government to purify air in the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.” And ABC Radio broadcaster Paul Harvey, who claims to use the EdenPure, describes it as “the best air purifier ever created by the hand of man” in an ad. But our tests found that even at the generators’ low everyday settings, their ozone production quickly exceeded the 50 parts per billion (ppb) FDA limit for medical devices. Purifiers aren’t considered medical devices by the FDA. Ozone concentrations in our test room measured about 650 to 990 ppb for the EdenPure, depending on the setting. The EcoQuest produced about 110 to 350 ppb at its normal and high settings and up to 4,300 ppb at its “away” settings, which the company says to use only when you and your pets aren’t home. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that relatively low levels of ozone can cause chest pain and shortness of breath. Ozone may also worsen asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections. The EPA regulates outdoor ozone levels, but there is no federal agency that regulates indoor levels or air purifiers. As we went to press, California banned the sale of ozone generators for most uses. Because both of these ozone generators produced very high amounts of ozone and have no way to automatically control its concentration in the air, we consider them Not Acceptable. They were also poor at removing dust and smoke in the air. About those “space” claims: We sent NASA the ads, and spokeswomen told us that the space shuttle and the space station life-support and environmentalcontrol systems have always relied on filtration to purify the air, not ozone. D E C E M B E R 2007 &Z w w w. ConsumerRepor ts.org 49 Ratings air purifiers • Availability Most models at stores through April 2008. CR Quick Recommendations No air purifier alone will clean the air. Nor should it be the first thing you try. Based on increasing concern about exposure to even small amounts of ozone, we strongly suggest using whole-house and portable air purifiers that rely on filters and produce no ozone. At their lowest and quietest settings, the top-rated portable air purifiers outperformed or matched most of the other portables in the Ratings. There’s no reason to choose any others. Stick with whole-house systems if you have forced-air heating. The top-rated furnace filters are a simple, inexpensive upgrade from the standard furnace filter. For performance comparable to that of the best portables, opt for a professionally installed system. Ventilation is still the best way to remove odors from your home. Although our latest tests show that the IQAir (20) and Austin Air (21) removed cooking odors, that capability will be reduced with use. And those models aren’t very effective at removing dust or smoke. The Ratings rank air purifiers by overall performance. Quick Picks lists models that combine performance and value. B Poor F G VG E 4 60 200 46 200 105 68 45 170 56 60 45 7 500 64 176 44 8 Hunter Quietflo 30401 260 149 120 44 9 Vornado 35 AQS35 200 130 95 44 10 Bionaire Galileo BAP1250-U 200 79 102 42 11 Holmes HAP756 140 77 105 41 12 Holmes HAP726 13 Sharp Plasmacluster FP-P60CX 14 Panasonic F-P20HU1 125 126 70 39 400 34 20 35 100 102 77 35 5 6 15 Holmes Harmony HAP422-U 16 Atmosphere (Quixtar.com) Air Purifier 17 Honeywell QuietClean HFD-120-Q 18 TrueAir 04492 1 Lennox $350, CR Best Buy 9 3M $20 10 3M $16 The Lennox is the only professionally installed system that does not produce ozone, and it’s also the least expensive. But it will cost an extra $200 or more for installation and has high annual costs for filter replacements. Do-it-yourself furnace filters like the 3M (9, 10) aren’t the best if you live with a smoker, but these two were very good at removing dust without significantly limiting the heating/cooling system’s airflow. 600 Blueair 601 3M Ultra Slim Air Purifier FAP03-RS Honeywell Enviracaire 50250 Blueair 501 85 58 160 34 970 27 869 33 150 32 0 33 130 47 0 32 19 Winix PlasmaWave 5000 300 36 100 32 20 IQAir HealthPro Plus 21 Austin Air HealthMate HM-400 22 Amcor AM130 23 Bionaire Permatech BAP1500 24 3M Ultra Slim FAP04-RC 800 124 230 32 450 96 95 30 120 80 34 28 150 61 0 27 300 42 80 26 25 SoleusAir SA-150R 200 44 18 26 26 Zojirushi PA-MTC14 170 35 24 24 27 Blueair Airpod 100 6 76 16 Smoke removal Noise Low speed 100 P Low speed Filter 0 High speed Dust removal Ozone emission Test results High speed Overall score Low speed Annual costs High speed Price Similar model, in small type, is comparable to tested model. FILTER PURIFIERS Most use HEPA filtration, and none emit ozone. 63 1 Whirlpool Whispure $230 $77 $130 &X AP45030S Kenmore Progressive 57 2 270 81 145 &X 83202 Whirlpool AP510303 56 3 Hunter Permalife 30547 270 128 44 &X Best whole-house air purifiers: D E C E M B E R 2007 B V Fair 1 Whirlpool Energy Key number Brand & model 1 Whirlpool $230 2 Kenmore $270 Both combine fine performance with quieter operation, especially when set on low. The Hunter (3) costs a bit less in annual costs but was noisier when run on high. Though the Friedrich (28) and Kenmore (29) were better at dust removal on their high settings, they emitted moderate amounts of ozone in our tests, so we don’t suggest you buy them. &Z B C Good Within types, in performance order. Blue key numbers indicate Quick Picks. Best room air purifiers: C O N S U M E R R E P O RT S Z Portables QUICK PICKS 50 B X Excellent Very good &C &X &C &C &X - &C & C &Z V & & V X & &X & X & Z & C &C & C & V & V &C & V & B & C &X & X & Z & Z - &C & X & C & X & C & C & C & C & C & V & C &V & V & V & V & V & V & V & B & B & V & B &C & X & C & X & C & C & V & C & C & V & C &V & V & V & V & V & V & V & B & B & V & B &B & B & V & V & V & V & V & V & B & V & B &X & Z & X & X & X & X & X & Z & Z & X & Z - &V & V & C & C & V & V & V & V & V & V & B &B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B &V & V & C & C & V & V & V & B & B & V & B &B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B &X & C & V & V & B & V & C & V & C & V & X &Z & X & Z & Z & Z & Z & Z & Z & Z & Z & Z - - - - ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS All produce some ozone; none exceeded the 50-ppb voluntary FDA limit. • 28 Friedrich C-90B 500 48 80 29 Kenmore (Sears) K6 85264 370 129 0 30 Bio-Net EGF Enhanced ⁄ 31 Sharper Image Hybrid Germicidal Purifier SI724GRY 32 Ionic Pro Pure Pro 200 33 Brookstone Pure-Ion Advanced Honeywell QuietClean 34 HFD-135 750 90 122 500 10 0 64 57 39 34 200 31 0 31 300 70 0 30 300 51 90 26 Expert • Independent • Nonprofit &Z & Z & V & V & V & V &C & C & V & V & V & B &X & X & V & V & V & V &C & C & V & B & B & B &V & V & C & X & C & B &X & X & X & Z & Z & Z M M L L M L &V &B &B &B &V &Z L closeup ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR ADVICE 9 3M G VG E Noise Ozone emission F Smoke removal Low speed 100 P Dust removal High speed 0 Test results Low speed Overall score High speed Filter Energy Annual costs Low speed Price Key number Brand & model 1 Lennox High speed 2 Kenmore ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS continued 35 Oreck XL Tower Professional 36 Oreck XL Tabletop Professional AIRPS 700 43 50 470 33 38 17 L &V B & V & B & B & Z & L & B B & B & B & C & Z & 24 ⁄ Uses a nonreplaceable filter as well as electrostatic technology. Whole-house Overall score Test results 0 100 P F G VG E Dust removal Key number Similar models, in small type, are comparable to tested model. Ozone emission Annual cost Airflow resistance Price Smoke removal Brand & model PRO-INSTALLED FILTER SYSTEM Uses non-HEPA filtration and emits no ozone. 1 2 3 4 5 84 Lennox Healthy Climate HC16 $ 350 $99 &Z &X &X PRO-INSTALLED ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS All emit some ozone; none exceeded the 50-ppb voluntary FDA limit. Trane Clean Effects € 89 1,025 16 &Z &Z &X L American Standard Accuclean € 450 36 Bryant Perfect Air 1,135 89 84 Trion SE1400 700 33 83 Aprilaire 5000 ⁄ Carrier Infinity Air Purifier GAPA ⁄ 87 6 Trane Perfect Fit TFE210A9FR3 600 22 83 7 Carrier EACB 500 29 82 8 Honeywell F300 600 25 77 &Z & Z & Z & Z & Z & Z &Z & Z & Z & Z & Z & X &X & X & Z & Z & Z & X L L M M M M For the past 15 years, CONSUMER REPORTS has recommended some electrostatic precipitators. The Friedrich C-90B and Aprilaire 5000 were effective air purifiers with low annual maintenance costs but produced small amounts of ozone. These portable and whole-house purifiers apply an electrical charge to the particles drawn into the device and produce some ozone as a byproduct. These products’ performance has not changed significantly, but our advice has. We now believe that air purifiers that emit even small amounts of ozone (less than 50 parts per billion) are not your best choice. Research is increasingly warning against Friedrich C-90B adding ozone to indoor air. But more studies need to be conducted to determine the effects of low-level ozone exposure. If you own one of these models, we suggest that you err on the side of caution. If a member of your household has asthma or allergy symptoms that aren’t improving, even though you’ve removed allergy and asthma triggers and keep your home well ventilated, you might want to consider switching to one of our highly rated, filter-based models if you still want a purifier. DO-IT-YOURSELF Standard, non-HEPA filters, about 1-inch thick. They emit no ozone. 9 3M Filtrete 1700 10 3M Filtrete Ultra Allergen Reduction 1250 11 True Blue RP8202014 12 3M Filtrete Micro Allergen Reduction 1000 13 Precisionaire NaturalAire Elite 14 American Air Filter Breathe Right Allergen Barrier 15 3M Filtrete Dust and Pollen Reduction 600 16 Web Hepa-Pure 17 American Air Filter Dirt Demon Dust Shield 18 Precisionaire NaturalAire Plus 20 80 52 16 64 48 15 60 10 40 13 52 37 19 76 35 8 32 34 30 120 33 3 12 19 4 16 17 19 Web The Original WEB 20 0 15 20 American Air Filter ElectroKlean 26 0 14 1 12 14 20 0 13 21 Precisionaire EZ Flow 22 Web WEB Lifetime 43 42 &X & X & X & C & C & C &V & V & V & V & B & B &X & X & C & X & X & X - &C & C & V & B & B & B & B & B & B &B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B & B &X & C & C & X & X & X & Z & X & Z - - - 23 American Air Filter StrataDensity ‹ 2 6 12 ⁄ Uses non-HEPA filtration as well as an electrostatic precipitator. € Recalled because electrical arcing inside the collection cells can pose a fire hazard. ‹ Comes in four-pack. Guide to the Ratings Overall score is mainly how well models removed dust and smoke from a test chamber, plus quietness for room models and airflow resistance for whole-house. Dust and smoke are how well models cleared the air of fine clay dust and cigarette smoke. Pollen removal is typically similar to dust removal. Noise for room models denotes instrument and panel judgments at highest and lowest speeds. Airflow resistance reflects how freely air passed through the unit. Annual cost is our estimate based on continuous operation. Ozone emission is our classification of ozone generated by a product in our tests: 1 to 25 parts per billion (ppb) is low (L); 26 to 50 ppb, medium (M). For whole-house products, ozone calculations are adjusted to be comparable to those for portables. Price is approximate retail. Scores for previously tested models may have changed based on the performance of newly tested models and testing changes. D E C E M B E R 2007 &Z w w w. ConsumerRepor ts.org 51
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