Electrostatic Air Cleaners Review – Friedrich

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Air Cleaner Review – Friedrich Electrostatic Air Cleaner

Since the Friedrich air cleaner received an excellent independent rating by the Association of American Home Appliance Manufacturers, a number of people buy this machine and give us good reports on it. Putting aside my own prejudices about anything that is not a true HEPA filtration system, I decided to bring one of these air cleaners into our offices for staff product training. This is what you should know about it.

PLUSES
* No doubt about it, this air cleaner is wonderfully easy to maintain. Changing the pre-filter or odor filter is as simple as sliding a new panel in and out of a slot.
* Gone is the expense of replacing hepa filters and pre-filters. When electrostatic collector plates in the Friedrich are clogged you can just put them in the dishwasher. The pre-filter can also be vacuumed or washed in an all- purpose washing fluid and water.
* The Friedrich is very quiet indeed which is one of its biggest strengths. Even on high speed, recommended for when smokers are around, it is pretty quiet. On low speed you have a hard time hearing it and for most home applications low speed is all you need.
* The Friedrich does have a carbon filter plate which is cheap and easy to replace. It should be replaced frequently especially after being around smoke.

MINUSES
* If you have an environment needing a lot of air cleaning, the efficiency of the electrostatic cell will degrade pretty quickly and you may need to give the electrostatic collector plates a weekly bath.
* When the electrostatic plates need cleaning, the machine sounds like a bug zapper going off. Even when it doesn’t need cleaning you will hear little zapping sounds periodically.
* One of our staff who is ultra sensitive really did not like this machine. Either the Friedrich was out gassing, or there was some small amount of ozone being generated [a by-product in all electrostatic machines]. She complained of the smell and said she was getting a headache.
* Although the Friedrich has a carbon filter, it does not have sufficient carbon for major VOC or heavy odor removal. The plus is that the carbon filter is cheap. The minus is you will need to replace it often if you are relying on it for odor removal.

MY CONCLUSION
I think a lot people will like the Friedrich even if it does look like an pet carrier. It is ultra quiet, easy to operate and cheap to maintain. I do not see it as the machine for those with bad asthma, really severe allergies or in environments where volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a problem. Smokers will love it, and so will those people looking for a quiet machine. I can tell you that the people who have bought them from us do not return them and order more of them. Is it my favorite? No, that honor belongs to IQair at the moment, but I cannot argue with why the Friedrich air cleaner has its own fan club.

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