I searched through a large selection of air filters trying to optimize price, utility, reputation, and ease of use (I don''t have time to replace some components every 6 months and other components every 3 months, etc). I decided on the Austin Air Healthmate Air Purifier. From there, it was a search for a reasonable retailer. Due to price (along with free shipping) and Amazon backing, I chose All Seasons Health.
The product arrived quickly and in perfect condition--I would definitely order other products through this retailer.
I pulled the Healthmate out of the box and after reading the instructions, I plugged it in and away it went (yep, that was it). I was having a problem with new carpet installation (an abundance of VOC''s causing watering eyes, sore throat, and dizziness); the difference in just two days was remarkable and noticed by others. The Healthmate has three settings, low, medium, and high. The output on high is amazing and has an added benefit of dramatically increasing airflow in the room. The low setting is quiet enough to sit next to the machine and watch a movie without difficulty.
According to the instructions, in about four to five years I will have to replace the filter inside and from a cursory review of the instructions, it should be much simpler than replacing my water filter.
I will add further comments closer to allergy season.
4 stars for the air cleaner, 1 star for out-of-warranty repairs. I have owned 2 Austin units since 1996, the full size HM400 and the ''Jr'' HM200. They do a pretty fair job of filtration, although there are better units that have come on the market since these came out. The filters do not last 5 years, more like 3 before they start to lose effectivness. That was still pretty good, until some of the better competition started to arrive. (I bought 2 competitors units, and they work better at filtering the air, and are about the same in filter costs, but I kept the Austins for use in other rooms.)
Overall, I was satisfied with these, until they needed out-of-warranty repair. The Austin HM 200 needed shipment to the factory just before the 5 year warranty was up, and was repaired under warranty, so I wasn''t aware of potential out-of-warranty problems. I recently replaced the filter on the larger Austin HM400, when I noticed the blower started running more slowly, and varying the speed a lot while running, even almost coming to a stop. I called Austin, and they said I would have to use the "... repair and return service for units that are outside of the five year warranty. It would be $45 for parts, $45 for labor and the shipping to and from our Buffalo offices would also be the customers expense." I could not see wasting the energy resources or money to ship this back to Buffalo from California, so I had a local HVAC service diagnose the problem. (tough diagnosis their is a metal case, a filter, a 3 speed switch, and electric motor, and a small black box on the motor called a run capacitor.) It turned out to be a $6.00 motor control capacitor, ("usual point of failure on fans and blowers last 5-10 years on average" according to the shop) which they suggested I order from Austin as being the ''easiest route''. I was surprised to get the same response from Austin:
"Unfortunately we do not sell the individual mechanical components of our units. We do offer a repair and return service for units that are outside of the five year warranty. It would be $45 for parts, $45 for labor and the shipping to and from our Buffalo offices would also be the customers expense." This would mean about $150 to replace a $6 part on a 15 year old unit wich is basically only a fan/motor/switch and a filter in a metal box. If they replaced the motor, wires, switch and provided a new warranty for that price, it would be worth it.
I will find the part elsewhere. As I said, this is a very reasonable air purifier, but there are better at the same or slightly higher price points. The biggest downside for potential purchasers, however, is that about the time you are due for the first filter (allegedly 5 years), your warranty will be up. This means a cost of ~$200 for a filter replacement, and $150+ shipping round trip when something goes wrong 70% of the cost of a new unit with a warranty. Something to keep in mind before purchase or ordering replacement filters on an older unit.
UPDATE 2/6/2011
After more research on the suspected broken part, I found it on-line, as well as from a local supplier that would sell retail (CarbonBrush.com) and ordered an exact replacement for the suspected damaged part, a small black box with 2 wires, bolted on the motor called a ''motor run capacitor''. I ordered the exact part from the numbers on the side of the black box "6uf +/5%,350vAC CBB61, UL number E183963". Available with a long wait for $6 on line from various overseas suppliers, ordering it locally was $10 $18 after California tax and shipping (prompt shipping by the company ordered late Thursday night, delivered prioritymail Saturday morning).
I also needed a 2 pack of crimp style spade connectors "22-18 Insulated female 0.25". At this point I could have taken the parts and Austin to any HVAV or sewing/vacuum cleaner repair shop for installation, but it was so simple a job that I felt I had enough basic wiring skill to do it myself. If you don''t know anything about electricity, just take everything to a shop like above. But if you have ever changed out a wall switch at your house, then you probably have enough knowledge and skill to do this at home.
I did it myself, and the Austin again runs just fine, no noise or motor speed changes. It took 15 minutes, and total cost under $20, not counting about 8 hours of my time researching the possible problem, and identifying a part source. (Incidently, in my research I found that this is the same part that fails on ceiling fans, with the same symptoms, and replacement parts and procedures are the same.)
Buy Austin Air HealthMate HM 400 Now
The Austin Air Healthmate is the best I''ve ever owned. One large unit is enough for our entire house. It reduces (or even eliminates) odors from our cat''s litter box and makes the stale air in our home fresher when we return from a couple of days away. We run it in the bedroom at night and wake up feeling healthier than we did before we got one of these. It''s quiet on the lowest setting, and a little loud but very powerful on the highest setting. There''s easy maintenance (just vacuum the outside once a month). Replacement filters are a little on the expensive side (around $200), but well worth it. The salesperson that sold us ours said we''d have to replace the filter every five years. We run ours constantly and had to replace it after three years. I think the expense is still worth it, as the quality of this product cannot be matched by less expensive purifiers.
Read Best Reviews of Austin Air HealthMate HM 400 Here
I bought this unit to help with my wife''s breathing issues. Last fall, we found out that she was allergic to a very common mold Aspergillus that is found in decomposing leaves and vegetation. So, she is basically allergic to the fall season. Wonderful. This year, we wanted to be as proactive as possible in eliminating the symptoms she was experiencing if at all possible. We knew that, at worst, we wanted to create a sanctuary of clean air in our home. Enter the Austin Air HealthMate.
Why I bought it
After a good deal of research, I landed on this unit for a few reasons. First, it is very well made. I didn''t want a unit that our 2 year old son or our large puppy would be able to break. This thing is solid. It weights in at about 45 pounds, so it won''t be picked up without some effort, but the wheels on the bottom make it a breeze to move around the house.
The second reason I chose this unit was because of the cost of filters. Many of the cheaper units have multiple filters that need to be changed at varying frequency. I don''t want to change a filter monthly, quarterly, and yearly. Not only is the maintenance just another thing to add to the list, but each filter costs more money. With the company not only claiming this unit''s filter lasts for 5 years, but also providing a warranty on the filter, I was sold. I haven''t done the exact math, but I bet you could buy a new unit every 5 years instead of replacing the filter and still come out ahead when compared to many of the units with lower upfront costs.
The final reason I chose this reason is because of the maintenance required. It is almost nothing. Every month or so, it is helpful to vacuum the outside of the unit to make sure nothing is blocking the air intake which would result in lower efficiency. That is. I can handle that.
Why would I recommend it?
The first night we used the unit in our bedroom, I woke up in the middle of the night. I took a breath through my nose, and realized why I had woken up. I had been congested for about 4 months. I just wrote it all off to allergies or seasonal changes. I didn''t realized that the air I was breathing in the house could be perpetuating the problem.
Over time, my wife made several comments about being able to breath easier. I couldn''t believe that an air filter could make that big of an impact. As her lungs seemed to be less of an issue, we got lazy with using it and often left it in the bedroom instead of rolling it into the living room. One day, my wife went out back for literally a few minutes, and came back in coughing hard. I wheeled the unit out into the living room, and turned it on high. Within a minute or so, the coughing stopped. We exchanged glances of disbelief. This thing was really working!
The final proof to me was when some friends came up for the weekend. Two of them are allergic to cats, and have to take medicine within a few hours of being in the house. With the filter, they asked if things had changed in the house, because their symptoms were greatly reduced.
The other thing I''ll add to this is how well it cleans the air for a good sized room. Our great room is where we spend most of our time, and consists of a living room, dining room and kitchen. This unit does a fantastic job of improving the air quality of the entire space. When we go to sleep, we just wheel the unit to the bedroom. I love how flexible it is for us to use where we are. It has also been great when my son gets sick. If his room smells bad, we put the unit in the room on high for a few minutes to clean the air.
What about the sound?
I''ll also address the sound of the unit, as it had come up a few times in my research. On 1, the unit blends in with ambient noise without a problem. The TV doesn''t have to be any louder, and we don''t have to talk differently than normal. On 2, the unit is easy to hear, and the TV needs to be turned up a a bit, but conversations aren''t dramatically impacted in our experience. On 3, the unit sounds similar to an AC unit fan quite noticeable. For us, the sound is no bother at all regardless of the setting. We are not light sleepers, so setting 1 and 2 have been no problem at all for us when it is running in our bedroom. We''ve never tried it on 3.
Conclusion
On the whole, this unit has been worth every penny for my wife and family''s well being. I never realized it would benefit me as much as it has either. The air is noticeably cleaner in our house, my congestion has been almost completely eliminated, and my wife''s asthma has been much more manageable. I had a lot of doubts when purchasing this, or any, air filter for our house. My expectations have been surpassed to say the least, which is good when you are spending this kind of money on something.
Want Austin Air HealthMate HM 400 Discount?
The primary reason my husband I bought this product was to clean the air in our home from the dog odor that seemed really hard to eliminate with traditional cleaning. We''ve had this product for a year now and have LOVED it from the beginning. Right away we noticed that the dog smell in the air was practically eliminated when we leave the unit running. When we return from being away from home for a few days or turn the unit off, we really notice a difference in the quality of the air; it does what it advertises it will do. It has also really helped with our allergies. I am giving this product four stars however, because after a year, I''m ready to buy a new filter, though the product advertises that it will last up to five years. When I recently called the company to ask about receiving a replacement filter, they offer a forty percent discount off the price of the filter during the first two years of use. I will be buying a replacement filter because we love this unit so much when it''s working at optimum level. I will say we leave it running all the time and have recently done renovations to our home, so that may be the reason we need a new filter already. Below is a breakdown of the pros and cons of this unit:
Pros:
-REALLY cleans the air of smells and allergens. I honestly was surprised by how clean the air smelled when we first bought the unit. It really does the job we wanted it to.
-Though I wouldn''t say it''s whisper quiet at the lowest level, we leave it running all the time (even when we''re out of the house during the day), and we really don''t notice the noise(and we have really tall ceilings).
-One unit will really clean a large surface area. I was concerned about the tall ceilings in our living space, but it hasn''t been a hindrance at all in the effectiveness of this product.
-Incredibly easy to use with very little maintenance and very easy to use right out of the box
-Though it''s not inexpensive, compared with similar high-end products on the market it''s priced reasonably. I can''t imagine something more expensive being more efficient. We''ve found this product to be worth the money that was paid for it, and it''s much better than having bought something at even half the price that didn''t work as well.
-Rolls easily so it can be tucked away or moved simply from room to room
Cons:
-The filter needs replacing after a year of use, but as I mentioned, we leave it running all the time and have done renovations in our home that probably contributed to the lack of longevity in the life of the filter. If you call Austin Air specifically, they will provide you with a new filter at a forty percent discount (during the first two years, but they will offer it at a pro-rated discount for up to five years).
Bottom line:
If you''re looking for an air-purifier that will rid your home of smells and allergens, you won''t be disappointed by this product (plus it''s incredibly low maintenance and easy to use).
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THis container is exactly like the ones that come with the SodaStream penguin. Very attractive and sturdy. However, if you have a SodaStream Jet or Pure, I doubt this will be compatible. Penguin contains are 20oz and Jet containers are about 34oz.
