Blueair Air Purifier
Independent Review & Opinion
which are widely considered to be among the best on the market.
There are several features that distinguish Blueair air purifiers from their competitors and make them "stand out from the crowd".
First and foremost, they deliver great results - high-quality clean air that is free of the vast majority of tiny air pollutants commonly found in indoor environments.
Second, they do it using most advanced materials which are 100% recyclable at the end of their service life.
Third, they are truly energy efficient and use very little electricity for their operations.
Blueair air purifiers are designed and manufactured in Sweden where they also won prestigious design awards.
Let's see in more detail what makes these machines so successful.
Blueair Air Purifier Models
While Blueair offer many air purifier models in their product line, we feature the following models on Top-Green-Products.com:
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Covers an area of up to 698 sq. ft. and offers digital user controls.
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Covers an area of up to 640 sq. ft. and offers manual user controls.
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Covers an area of up to 605 sq. ft. and offers digital user controls.
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Covers an area of up to 580 sq. ft. and offers manual user controls.
Purifiers with the letter E at the end of their names are electronic models meaning that they offer advanced digital user controls such as remote operation of the unit, use of timers as well as automatic detection of pollution levels and auto-mode setting.
Blueair Air Purifiers:
Air Pollutants Targeted For Removal
There are roughly two types of air pollutants widely present in indoor air: particulate pollutants and gaseous pollutants.
Blueair air purifiers' main targets are tiny particles. They include dust, pollen, mold spores, animal dander as well as bacteria and viruses.
Blueair purifiers achieve the removal of particles with their HEPASilent filtration technology. HEPASilent technology also removes a very small amount of gaseous pollutants.
For a more serious level of filtration for gases & odors Blueair offers optional SmokeStop filters with a significant amount of activated carbon to trap this type of air pollutants.
Blueair Air Purifiers:
Technology & Results
Blueair's unique technology that achieves such excellent results is the combination of electrostatic and mechanical HEPA-style filtration of airborne particles which is called HEPASilent technology.
The name comes from the fact that Blueair air purifiers which use this technology are very quiet, especially when compared to equivalent purifiers by other brands.
During the first stage of its operation, Blueair purifiers use electrostatic brushes to charge the particles with negative ions in a special ion chamber. Such electrical charge makes it very easy for the charged particles to cling on to the filter media afterwards and stay there, while the particle-free air will flow back into the room.
Before the air flows back into the room, it needs to go through the second stage of the process which involves three HEPASilent filters. They are the actual filter media that electrically charged particles get attached to.
Each of HEPASilent filters purify the air progressively, in a three-stage structure. Here is how it works.
Each filter has three layers of ultra-thin fibers which come in three different sizes.
The first layer traps particles of larger sizes such as pollen and dust and the second and third layers trap smaller particles, ex. bacteria and viruses.
HEPASilent filters are made of non-toxic polypropylene material which readily accepts electrically charged particles.
Polypropylene is waterproof and does not need to be treated with chemical-based bacteriostats to prevent the growth of bacteria inside the filter.
When operating at its lowest speed, HEPASilent technology achieves the removal of at least 99.97% of all particles 0.1 microns in size.
This is far above the minimum HEPA requirement for removing 99.97% of particles which are 0.3 microns in size.
This HEPASilent particle-removing technology is enhanced with a very modest amount of activated carbon for a light removal of some gases & odors as well.
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For extra sensitive individuals Blueair air purifiers offer an advanced level of filtration for indoor gases & odors.
If you want to utilize this option, you can simply get three SmokeStop filters instead of standard HEPASilent filters.
SmokeStop filters combine both particle- and gas- removing capability just like the standard HEPASilent filters.
They are absolutely identical to HEPASilent filters in terms of their particle-removing capacity.
But they are much more powerful for dealing with gaseous and chemical pollutants.
SmokeStop filters contain significant amounts of activated coconut-shell carbon impregnated with potassium iodide, phosphoric acid and potassium hydroxide.
This set-up has proven to be highly efficient at dealing with this type of air pollutants.
Blueair Air Purifiers:
Design & Construction Quality
Blueair air purifiers feature a boxy design, with a fan located at the bottom of the unit and filters attached to the unit's side walls and its top.
Here is an actual step-by-step process of air purification.
Step 1
The fan draws air from under the bottom of the unit as well as from small areas located at the bottom of each of the unit's side walls, front wall and back wall.
Step 2
The air passes through an ionization chamber where it gets electrically charged with negative ions.
Step 3
Once charged, the air travels through each of the three filters (two on the sides and one at the top). As a result, the particles “carried” by the air get attached to the filters and stay there.
Step 4
Clean air is then pushed out of the top areas of the side walls as well as from the very top of the unit itself.
Some Design Advantages
The important advantages of Blueair's design over that of competing electrostatic air purifiers are:
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Blueair's systems charge the particles themselves as they pass through an ion chamber and then get attached to the filter media.
Most other electrostatic air purifiers charge the fibers of their filters rather than the particles directly. This filters' charge will weaken over time and significantly reduce the efficiency of their systems.
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Blueair air purifiers require little maintenance, including a filter replacement a couple of times a year and an occasional cleaning of the units' internal parts.
This is different from other electrostatic air purifiers which require frequent cleaning of their particle-collector plates – or their efficiency will fall dramatically in a short period of time.
Some Design Disadvantages
The main disadvantage of this design is its lack of a pre-filter.
Many competing high-quality air purifiers use pre-filters to catch larger particles – both to protect the unit's internal parts from dirt and to extend lifespans of their main filters.
This, for example, is the case with IQAir air purifiers.
Blueair have developed an otherwise excellent design for their air purifiers.
But the lack of a pre-filter does have to sacrifice some user convenience and filters' longer useful lives, and this does increase the costs associated with more frequent filter replacements.
Other Issues
The housing of Blueair units is made of galvanized steel rather than petroleum-based plastics. This guarantees the durability of the system that customers can use safely for many years to come.
The three-stage filter design ensures that filters do not experience any loading or clogging and keep their efficiency for longer periods.
Blueair Air Purifiers:
Other Functionality
Ozone Safety Issues
Some readers may have some legitimate concerns about the safety of Blueair's electrostatic process since many lower-quality electrostatic air cleaners usually produce unhealthy amounts of ozone as a by-product of their operation.
Ozone is a lung irritant, and people (especially sensitive individuals) are generally advised to avoid contact with it altogether.
Blueair's highly efficient design does not produce ozone during its operation. In fact, it has even been shown to reduce ozone levels in the air it purified.
In this respect, we consider this ozone-free use of the electrostatic process a real achievement by Blueair which has proven elusive for so many other companies.
Filters' Lifespans
Blueair's major design shortcoming – lack of a pre-filter – becomes most apparent when there comes a time to replace filters.
Its HEPASilent filters' lifespans are quite short compared to competing high-quality purifiers.
The company's recommendation is to replace filters at least twice a year.
That means each filter's useful life-time is only around 6 months.
This compares unfavorably to IQAir's pre-filter's lifespan of 6 – 18 months, and the main HEPA filter's service of 2 – 4 years.
But users report that polypropylene filters can be vacuumed for longer service life.
Very Low Noise Levels
Low noise levels are a big advantage that Blueair air purifiers, with their blend of electrostatic and mechanical HEPA technologies, have over purely HEPA home air cleaners.
Traditional HEPA purifiers have to use powerful fans to push air through true HEPA filters – and, naturally, that produces noise as well.
Blueair's combination of electrostatic and mechanical filtration is almost perfect in terms of the quietness of their systems' operation.
It is no surprise that their air purifiers are very popular among customers buying them specifically for use in the bedroom.
Please check each specific model for precise measurements of their noise levels for each speed setting.
User Controls
Blueair offer two types of air purifier models: the ones with electronic user controls and the ones with manual user controls.
The electronic models are identified by the letter E at the end of their names, ex. Blueair 650E. Such models have the following digital-enabled functionality:
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remote operation of the unit
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option of using timers
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display of data on your unique domestic air quality
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use of electronic pollution-level sensors for choosing the correct speed setting
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use of auto mode setting
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filter replacement indicator
For manual models, users can use a knob to change fan speeds.
Environmental Issues
The environmental aspects of Blueair air purifiers are something that they deserve total admiration for.
This is how the company explains the environmental impact of its products.
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Blueair systems are long-lasting.
Their housings are made of steel which is a lot more durable than plastic. This guarantees many years of service for customers.
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Blueair systems are made of Earth-friendly materials.
They utilize only non-toxic materials, from filters to the exterior finish. All their components are recyclable at the end of their useful life.
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Blueair filter media use no chemical additives.
Blueair's polypropylene filters are water proof and therefore do not require any chemical-based bacteriostats or mold inhibitors which could be harmful if later released into the environment.
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Blueair systems are energy efficient.
Actually, they are as energy-efficient as it gets. Blueair units use between 35 and 120 watts depending on the fan speed.
That is the trick – to achieve high efficiency of air purification with lower power use. Blueair does it with excellence and better than many other purifiers.
Energy Use
Use of energy-efficient appliances is not only environmentally friendly but is also cost-effective.
This is certainly the case with Blueair air purifiers.
They have been awarded an Energy Star certification which guarantees the use of up to 35% less energy than comparable units.
Warranty Period
It appears that Blueair's warranty period used to be 10 years, then 5 years – among the longest in the industry.
As of now, Blueair's limited warranty period is only 1 year under the condition that filters are replaced at least once every 4 months.
You have an option of extending this period from 1 to 2 years if you simply register your unit with Blueair at the time of purchase.
Compare
Blueair Air Purifiers
Blueair 650E |
Blueair 603 |
Blueair 550E |
Blueair 503 |
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Area Covered |
698 sq. ft |
640 sq. ft |
605 sq. ft |
580 sq. ft |
Air Pollutants Targeted For Removal
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Particles: |
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Gases & Odors: |
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Gases & Odors: |
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Technology Used & Results |
Removal of Particles
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Removal of Gaseous Pollutants HEPASilent filters have a very modest amount of activated carbon for a light removal of some gases & odors. |
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| Removal of Gaseous Pollutants SmokeStop filters contain significant amounts of activated coconut-shell carbon impregnated with potassium iodide, phosphoric acid and potassium hydroxide. This set-up guarantees a a thorough filtration of gases & odors. |
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CADR Ratings
More on CADR ratings |
Tobacco Smoke = > 450 |
Tobacco Smoke = > 415 |
Tobacco Smoke = > 390 |
Tobacco Smoke = > 375 |
Design & Construction Quality |
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Ozone Safety Issues |
Ozone-free operation |
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Filters' Lifespans |
HEPASilent filters' lifespan is around 6 months |
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Noise Levels
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Noise levels (in decibels, db) and clean air production rates (in cubic feet per minute, cfm) for each fan speed |
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Speed 1: 88 cfm @ 35 db |
Speed 1: 88 cfm @ 35 db |
Speed 1: 88 cfm @ 35 db |
Speed 1: 88 cfm @ 35 db |
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User Controls |
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Environmental Issues |
Blueair air purifiers cannot get enough praise for being as environmentally friendly as they are.
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Energy Use |
Blueair air purifiers use between 35 and 120 watts |
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Warranty Period |
1 year - filters must be replaced at least once every 4 months. |
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Last Update: February 2010
