[RickJ]

I use a commercial ozone generator for stinky apartments. I know they make models for everyday use so I'm thinking of one for a resident in a small 1-BR apt.

Should I consider an ionizer (like this or this)instead? If so, why?

I'm finding lots of info about each type - but nothing good comparing the two...

Thanks!

Rick.

[fredg]

Hi,
Two years ago, Consumer Reports, overall, rated the Whirlpool Whispure, AP 450, air purifyer the best; over all ionizers.
Reasons included the air flow, which the Whispure has fan settings of low, medium, and high; and the HEPA filter, with a pre-filter.
The SharperImage and the Oreck were rated as well in the ionizers testing.
By the way, the Oreck Vacuum cleaner is rated low.
I haven't really tried the ionizers, cause I bought the Whispure, based on Consumer Reports. It works great.

[RickJ]

I did see the Whispure as rated high for an Ionizer, but as far as ongoing maintenance goes, I'm leaning toward the ozone generator since there's nothing to clean with them.

... but wondering why the apparent popularity of Ionizers over Ozone generators since I know ozone generators work so well.

I got the opinion of the Co. I got our commercial ozone generator from:

It's a health issue. While ozone generators are far superior in air purification, too much ozone is harmful to your health, and most companies don't want to deal with that liability.

Ionizers can only purify air that passes through it, so they work very very slowly. Some have a UV light with them and a fan to pull the air into the rays, but the fan must move very very slowly to allow the air to be in the light long enough to kill the stink.

... I'm leaning toward the ozone generator...

[fredg]

Hi,
Got me on that one... never heard of an Ozone generator. Best of luck with your decision.

[kp2171]

Here is a useful link

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html

We used ozone in a business I worked at. I'm a chemist who formulated inks for the flexible packaging industry. Its used to treat plastics and films before printing, increasing the surface tension of the plastic, which helps with proper printing... getting the ink to lay down correctly.

So we used a wand, much like the electric hand mixer wands you can use to make drinks, crush ice, only this had an electrical disharge unit on the bottom. You could actually see little purple arcs jumping from the wand to the plastic substrate. Big, stationary units are also used press-side, charging films rapidly as the are prepared to print. Point is, we were around it, could smell it, inhaled it. But my opinion is its like being a coal miner... you know its not good for you to breathe that air in. luckily I'm no longer in the business. I expect its just seen as a workplace hazard, like working with gasoline or toluene...

Anyway, while I like the smell of ozone in small amounts, I just have a hard time believing that the ionizers that are sold 1) do a good job at low levels and/or 2) are safe at higher levels of ozone.

The website I linked confirms that there are clear problems with this technology... you're hoping to find this fine line between being useful and being dangerous. I'm not sure that place exists.

[always_learning]

You might want to look at this link concerning ionisers:
http://www.negativeions.com/products.htm

My mother suffers from asthma and she contracted a racking cough that lasted for over 3 months. She used all sorts of antiobiotics and sinus products prescribed by her doctor, all to no avail.

I found the ioniser product through a web search. The fact that it was recommended by a qualified physician made me take notice. Most doctors don't like to recommend alternative medicine therapy.

We bought the product and within a week my mother's cough disappeared. She now has a very restful night's sleep and the cough has not returned.

Be warned, the product does not come cheap. (But then, endless visitors to the doctor don't either).

[RickJ]

I saw that epa link - and found "Available scientific evidence shows that at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone has little potential to remove indoor air contaminants."

That's probably where the key lies, then. The guy I talked to deals with the commercial models that do better because they generate far more than the health standards allow (and are used on vacant apartments).

... ok, so now I'm back to skin scratching and more surfing. I'm glad I asked!