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Ecoquest Fresh Air Purifier - cleans the air, but at what cost?
Date of Review: Aug 28, 2005
The Bottom Line: The Ecoquest Fresh Air Purifier is a solid air freshener, but if emitting ozone is of a concern to you, then you might want to look elsewhere.
To hear this review in MP3 Audiopinion format, click the link from my profile According to the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, "Ozone at the earth's surface causes numerous adverse health effects and is a criteria air pollutant. It is a major component of smog."
My father-in-law purchased the Ecoquest Fresh Air Purifier because he liked his so much. He was hoping it would help with cat and dog dander and my wife's allergies. Indeed it seemed to make the air fresher. but at what cost...?
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What it is
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The Ecoquest Fresh Air Purifier is a fan based air purifier roughly the size of a small computer monitor. It is black with a faux-wood plastic. It's not unattractive, but it isn't as sleek-looking as some purifiers. The unit also has a small LCD readout and a remote control.
It works in a couple of different ways. First there is a screen on the back which catches dust. Next is an ultraviolet light which is supposed to burn off allergens and bacteria as the air passes through. And finally, there is the purification plate which is has become rather controversial.
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Features and Commentary
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The Ecoquest Fresh Air Purifier has a 5-speed fan and it can be a bit loud when on it's highest setting. It blows a fair amount of air through it and the resulting filter in back gets noticeably dirty very quickly. This is the first line of defense and from the looks of the filter during the monthly cleaning it is doing the job very well.
While I have no way of measuring the bacteria in the air, the blue UV lamp glows visibly from the front if you look at the right angle. A word of note: our UV lamp burned out only about 6 months into the use of the purifier and a replacement is upwards of $25 after tax and shipping.
It is obvious the purifier plate is doing something because of the bleach-like smell in the air. And this is what makes the Ecoquest Fresh Air Purifier and other filters like it so controversial. That smell is ozone. Ozone is a toxic gas that has been known to rust stainless steel and cause respiratory problems. EcoQuest says that the amount of ozone released into the air is minimal and a natural byproduct of the purification process - much like you'd experience by taking in the air after a lightning storm. However, our experiences were somewhat different.
You can adjust the amount of purification based on the square footage of the area you want to clean. Since we lived in a 1900 sq foot house we set it to 1750 sq feet. The ozone smell was very strong and I woke up in the mornings with a sore throat. Then I turned the purifier down to 250 sq feet (the lowest setting) and the problems went away along with the smell. This was very troubling to me as the children were also exposed to this. I can't say that the purification process is bad for you, I don't know. But from our experience, it wasn't comfortable.
Additionally, the user has the option of setting a purification cycle to run for 2,4, or 6 hours. This cranks the purification up to high for the specified period of time. This begs the question: if the purification process is as safe as EcoQuest claims, then why do the instructions tell you to vacate the premises during the purification cycle? Something to ponder...
The Ecoquest Fresh Air Purifier has a supposedly "Intelligent" system that alerts you to when the unit needs cleaning or maintenance. Further investigation indicates that it tells you to clean the unit once a month regardless of how dirty it is. Not exactly intelligent.
Monthly maintenance is a bit of a chore. Cleaning the filter requires unscrewing the back plate (with the provided screwdriver) and then vacuuming out the filter. While there, its always a good idea to vacuum the rest of the innards as well, of course being careful not to damage anything. Then reassemble, plug back in and you're done. This process in all doesn't take much more than 10 minutes, but it is not as simple as just sliding a filter out, cleaning, it and then sliding it back in.
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Conclusion
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Overall, the EcoQuest does seem to make the air in our house smell fresher. The bleach smell of ozone is not prevalent when the unit is at the low purification setting. And the filter alone does an excellent job of trapping dust. But the nagging in the back of my head makes me wonder if the cost of spewing ozone into the air is worth it.
