Air purifiers: good or fad?
5 watchers
Jan 2024
1:32pm, 2 Jan 2024
116,995 posts
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Hanneke
I live in a stone built converted chapel. It gets damp easily for reasons I cannot address. This causes mould to grow, especially in winter and when I am away for a few days/weeks as the heating is not on. Currently pondering an air purifier to remove mould and mould spores. I also have a cat, apparently, it helps with dust and dander too. They aren't cheap! And there seem to be so many. Any Fetchies who have personal experience? I do have multiple allergies, so I think "pure" air would help... |
Jan 2024
8:15am, 3 Jan 2024
4,049 posts
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Oranj
An air purifier is just a dehumidifier with a filter, isn't it? I bought a dehumidifier, mid-range from Screwfix, a while back and it's made a noticeable difference. On wash days it goes in the room with the clothes hanger to dry them out (it has a 'laundry' setting which supercharges the whole process), otherwise I just leave it in one room at a time through the day. Dry air heats up faster too, although I don't make enough saving on that to recoup the 20–30p it costs to run every day. |
Jan 2024
8:47am, 3 Jan 2024
25,266 posts
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richmac
Like oranj says it is a dehumidifier with a filter, you'll end up with a tank of water. We have 2, big one in the house, smaller version on the same in the conservatory. The brand is electriq. The larger one has a different modes dehumidifier, purifier, smart or laundry. I'd say they help in a few ways. They deffo take moisture out of the air, we didn't really have a mold problem but probably would have had going forward, when we moved in the back bed wall was piss wet through now it's bone dry. Dry air is easier to heat than damp, so it cancels out the running costs, more or less. It clears the steamy air post shower more quickly. The laundry mode. Turns it up to max., the idea is you park the clothes rack next to it. You're running the thing anyway so running it on high makes little difference and it's cheaper than the drier. On balance, I'd say yes, but don't go cheap our large one was about 200 the small 100 . But you want to look at other ways of getting rid of damp as well. |
Jan 2024
8:55am, 3 Jan 2024
3,926 posts
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Nord SledRunner
I don't know if any of the devices measure relative humidity but if you can keep it ideally down to the range 30 - 50% RH it will stop the mould growing (source: US EPA).
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Jan 2024
11:50am, 3 Jan 2024
117,043 posts
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Hanneke
Right: I have a dehumidifier, which brings humidity down to about 60% at a push and is a pain to run. It does have a laundry setting, but it didn't dry the laundry any quicker. My "house" is all open plan apart from the bathroom so I concluded it simply doesn't work and I now keep it in my workshop, where it dried out freshly plastered walls and green timber very effectively. I shall not bother with an air purifier. Thanks for your feedback! I just have to live with the mould  It has been an idiotically wet year and groundwater comes up through the earth floor underneath my wooden floor, making things worse Normally, running the log burner helps dry things but I am not well enough to deal with the wood
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Jan 2024
4:37pm, 3 Jan 2024
4,050 posts
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Oranj
My house is can get a bit damp at times (hence the dehumidifier). I keep the mould at bay with HG Mould Remover. It's pretty nasty stuff but does the trick on the worst corners for a good few months in the winter.
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Jan 2024
8:39pm, 3 Jan 2024
25,274 posts
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richmac
HG is great stuff. At the risk of mansplaining you need to make sure the unit is rated to the square footage you have or else you may as well not bother. This is ours electriq.co.uk It's rated for a 5 bed house we have 3 plus the conservatory where one of these little fellas is appliancesdirect.co.uk What I'm getting at is we had something like this amazon.co.uk In the utility room at the last house and it still felt damp. You have to over spec. |
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Jan 2024
8:58pm, 3 Jan 2024
117,103 posts
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Hanneke
I over-specced, because of the double hight. I calculated the cubic metrage of the whole chapel. The machine was expensive, but my house typically runs at 90% humidity in winter, hard to deal with, if water keeps coming up under the floor... I am actually pondering a pump, to pump the water out from the floorspace but it is tricky, as there is no access without breaking up the floor. Pumps are also expensive and often run on diesel or petrol to be effective... |
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Jan 2024
9:53pm, 3 Jan 2024
25,279 posts
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richmac
Wow that is some problem! I really would suggest the ground water is the problem, we have similar in the crawl space. But it's a pretty big gap so seems not to really cause to much damp. Again at the risk of mansplaining we bought one of these screwfix.com If you can facilitate getting through the floor and digging a sump to stick this thing in it will happily run on it's float switch and might help? |
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Jan 2024
10:08pm, 3 Jan 2024
117,109 posts
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Hanneke
It is a problem! I invested in some serious drainage and a massive soakaway, which at least has stopped the water from the road running under the floor through the air bricks. Groundwater is difficult though... I just spent some time looking at pumps and have found a "puddle pump" that runs automatically and doesn't need a sump! So: find the deepest point, make a hole in the wooden floor, drop it in, get the electrician to hard wire properly... I continue pondering this, but will ask a friend to get the dehumidifier from my herb building. I have just been given logs by my friends and as I am home 24/7 with the heating on, that may just work, as it isn't as bad as previous winters. Get the HG out in kitchen and bathroom and 🤞 |
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