I used to work with a Filter Queen distributor, have the vacuum I bought when I was there (and another I bought on eBay) - - excellent machines, so I would expect the Defender to be a similarly good-quality machine.
I also like the Alpine/EcoQuest purifiers that use a combination of ionization and oxidation. I realize that the HMI (Defender) manufacturer warns against these types of purifiers (not unexpected given that they are the competition). What HMI doesn't tell you is that clean, unpolluted outdoor air contains a low background level of O3 (ozone, aka activated oxygen), ranging from 15-40 ppb (thats parts-per-billion - very small amounts). It is this level that the purifier should used to approximate, not the much higher levels that are associated with air pollution and physical ill-effects (normally registered at levels over 100 ppb). Sunlight hitting O2 in the air causes low levels of O3 to be produced; sunlight hitting smog causes higher levels that are associated with pollution and health reactions to O3; it's the O3 that also acts to oxidize/break down air pollution naturally. The O3 isn't a pollutant in itself; it is a reaction to pollution, and an easy way to gauge the level of pollution because of the known chemistry of this reaction.
Full disclosure: I am, and have been an EcoQuest dealer since shortly after I parted ways with HMI in 1995. I can't sell you anything without violating FixYa's terms and conditions, so we won't go there.
My recommendation as someone with lifelong dust allergies (one reason I got into the business) is that the optimal solution is a combination of active high-performance filtration in a vacuuming system, and active ionization (induces a static charge on particulate air pollution, much like throwing a magnet into a box of loose hardware), causing them to stick together and fall out of the air, and also be more effectively trapped by high-performance filters such as found in the Defender or the vacuum cleaning system. My only reservation about the Defender is that it only cleans one room effectively; the EcoQuest units can generate ionization throughout an entire house (typcially 50-60' radius through walls). I'd expect the vacuum system to be used throughout your home.
One other thing - filters are rated by the weight of what they capture, not particle count. If all the particulate pollution was represented by a bucket filled with everything from fist-sized rocks, to gravel, to marbles, pebbles and fine sand, a filter that trapped 99.7% of that dirt would be getting the big stuff, not the little sand particles, yet these are the most easily inhaled deep into your lungs where they can be the most detrmental. This is why I believe ionization to be so important - - it clumps the little particles together into bigger ones that can be filtered effectively.
If I can be of further assistance, or if you have questions, please let me know before rating me.
If this solves the issue, please rate it accordingly. My goal is to earn a "FixYa" rating from everyone I help.
Answers & Comments
Hi lahgolf,
I used to work with a Filter Queen distributor, have the vacuum I bought when I was there (and another I bought on eBay) - - excellent machines, so I would expect the Defender to be a similarly good-quality machine.
I also like the Alpine/EcoQuest purifiers that use a combination of ionization and oxidation. I realize that the HMI (Defender) manufacturer warns against these types of purifiers (not unexpected given that they are the competition). What HMI doesn't tell you is that clean, unpolluted outdoor air contains a low background level of O3 (ozone, aka activated oxygen), ranging from 15-40 ppb (thats parts-per-billion - very small amounts). It is this level that the purifier should used to approximate, not the much higher levels that are associated with air pollution and physical ill-effects (normally registered at levels over 100 ppb). Sunlight hitting O2 in the air causes low levels of O3 to be produced; sunlight hitting smog causes higher levels that are associated with pollution and health reactions to O3; it's the O3 that also acts to oxidize/break down air pollution naturally. The O3 isn't a pollutant in itself; it is a reaction to pollution, and an easy way to gauge the level of pollution because of the known chemistry of this reaction.
Full disclosure: I am, and have been an EcoQuest dealer since shortly after I parted ways with HMI in 1995. I can't sell you anything without violating FixYa's terms and conditions, so we won't go there.
My recommendation as someone with lifelong dust allergies (one reason I got into the business) is that the optimal solution is a combination of active high-performance filtration in a vacuuming system, and active ionization (induces a static charge on particulate air pollution, much like throwing a magnet into a box of loose hardware), causing them to stick together and fall out of the air, and also be more effectively trapped by high-performance filters such as found in the Defender or the vacuum cleaning system. My only reservation about the Defender is that it only cleans one room effectively; the EcoQuest units can generate ionization throughout an entire house (typcially 50-60' radius through walls). I'd expect the vacuum system to be used throughout your home.
One other thing - filters are rated by the weight of what they capture, not particle count. If all the particulate pollution was represented by a bucket filled with everything from fist-sized rocks, to gravel, to marbles, pebbles and fine sand, a filter that trapped 99.7% of that dirt would be getting the big stuff, not the little sand particles, yet these are the most easily inhaled deep into your lungs where they can be the most detrmental. This is why I believe ionization to be so important - - it clumps the little particles together into bigger ones that can be filtered effectively.
If I can be of further assistance, or if you have questions, please let me know before rating me.
If this solves the issue, please rate it accordingly. My goal is to earn a "FixYa" rating from everyone I help.
Thanks for using Fixya.com,
Jon