Some current advice re the Extreme Heat, Air Quality, P2 Masks, & N95 Masks from the ACT Govt that may be useful to many others:
https://www.health.act.gov.au/public-health-alert/heavy-smoke-and-extreme-heat-conditions-act
Current ACT conditions re PM 2.5 (at the time of this post it is classified as Hazardous Extreme, their highest danger rating):
Please look at using a HEPA filter or even a Microshield car cabin filter, attached to the Front of your fan. This is the most cost-effective solution. $60, not $600. It’s just slow and ugly. Several videos on web demonstrate this method. You don’t need an atomic particle filter because you can smell the smoke and see it easily.
This is how https://smartairfilters.com/cn/en/ started. I bought two “Sqair” filters and they cost $130 each, but DHL air freight was $320 together. They are quiet: 57db max.
Attaching a non-OEM filter to the front of a fan would only work if one could guarantee a perfect seal between the filter and the device it is being attached to. Otherwise the air flow will mostly follow the path of least resistance, namely, any gaps between the filter and the device. In such case, the non-OEM filter may have limited or no effect changing air quality within a room.
The other thing to consider if that the device may not be suited to blowing air through a filter, causing the device to overheat (inc. fire) or fail prematurely.
Doing such should proceed with caution and only if recommended by the device’s manufacturer.
Indeed- many fans rely on the air moving past the motor for cooling. Reduce or stop that and you are asking for trouble.
How do you know this is effective? Have you seen any measurements of what is removed from the air using this system?
I don’t understand you here. You can be harmed by small particles that you cannot see, the smallest are the most harmful. Even if you can see them why should we not remove them?
thanks for reading my text.
Some air will go through the filter. Being imperfect, it is not as efficient, so it must use more time. See this, and other videos. https://youtu.be/JpfpZofUzNo
Secondly, as the filter is on the front, the motor still gets its cooling stream. A perfect seal would reduce that flow, but it’s not perfectly sealed, so all is OK.
As for atomic particle counters, I think they should not be in the device. Firstly, they distract the tester from the filter performance to the counter performance. I.e. is the filter working, or is the counter faulty? Secondly, they are expensive.
Thirdly, at the concentrations of smoke in CANBERRA recently, the performance is obvious. Health ACT recorded AQI scores over 300 on many days and over 5000 on some days. A laser pointer at night in a dark room would probably scatter light really well.
Insisting on perfection Is counterproductive. That prevents people from filtering their air cheaply with non-proprietary systems. That motivated several people to demonstrate the effectiveness of HEPA filters. it’s the HEPA filter that matters.
You are right, however I was desperate and thankful when I found the Sensitive sire.
. I had bought a 700$ or so BlueAir purifier a few years ago only to find it HARMED asthmatics, it was used for a few months so like new sitting because it’s so hard to get rid of…
That knowledge was not around at the time of purchase,
Instead of the excellent Winex wish I had bought the Australian one with much carbonl which took in smoke so well. If there are fires next year I will,
Given the position of asthma Australia re causes and treatment of asthma
I give this sensitive site more integrity, then it’s buyer beware and do due diligence. I am after 15 years of medically induced bad asthma exacerbated by medical corticosteroid treatment including hospitalisation for two separate weeks, am in recovery month by month as off that harmful treatment but dealing with a doctor with knowledge of endocrinology, Looking at funding to asthma Australia is revealing.
Yes, my apologies. Still regrowing my memory.
I recently purchased the Breville LAP300 air purifier (2/4) from an eBay store best buys. After reading this months article on effectiveness I realise I’ve wasted my money… I had already suspected as such since my allergy and asthma symptoms remain the same after a month of it in my bedroom non-stop. Do I have any rights as a consumer because I bought a product with a title ‘air purifier’ reasonably assuming that it will clean the air completely. Purifier to me implies completely clean. Your latest testing suggests it’s anything but!
Hi @Karj, welcome to the community.
It’s great to hear you have read the recent Choice reviews.
In the past we’ve wondered about some of our product choices after the fact too! Not for being neglectful of Choice. Just bad timing of needing a new product.
To enable others to consider your question further. How old is the purchase, and who was the retailer?
If it’s not that long ago and the retailer prides themselves on their service and satisfaction guarantees. Have you spoken with them to see if they will refund or exchange the product for a different brand?
The Breville product you mention.
Consider.
Is it the relative performance of that style of air purifier and model to your needs/product expectations that has not been met?
What did the sales staff (if discussed) offer or promote about the product performance?
How well did the staff understand your needs, if discussed?
What does the product specifications and marketing offer to deliver?
If the product ‘Technical’ performance matches the specifications and there is no false and misleading Information provided. It may come down to the goodwill of the supplier.
Where there are no current reviews of a product.
Some Choice members post general enquires asking about particular products where there are no current relevant reviews. It’s always an option. There is a wealth of consumer product experience in the Choice community.
First it is necessary to ignore the word ‘completely’ because even industrial and medical clean rooms are not 100% perfectly clean, and no consumer product could attain ‘completely’.
Therein lies one issue because ebay merchant responses vary widely, but the ACL states products ‘must do all the things someone would normally expect them to do.’ If the ebay merchant is a business with an ABN rather than an individual selling from their garage your chances are significantly better.
In your case of the air purifier not testing very good, a laboratory test (eg Choice report) puts a serious question to whether the device functions as advertised, and your personal experience reinforces the product may be seriously inadequate for purpose, you may be able to make a claim under the ACL, following the process and procedure and templates provided on the link.
As evidence you can use the Choice report compared to product advertising and related claims to efficacy. A contributory problem is that Choice is a third party - eg you did not confirm laboratory results yourself, but that is a theoretical issue for now.
Start with a request for return/refund and expect it to be knocked back. Respond with a well researched and documented 'letter of complaint’ per the ACL citing chapters and verses of your rights under the ACL and how the product fails, and the retailers responsibility, and exactly what you want and by when (a reasonable time for response is 1-2 business weeks).
Choice also has related information ins a consumer friendly page
Others might fill in significant product and ACL detail, but I trust pointing you at your rights and the process to secure them will be sufficient to get you going.
Caveats: Just because your product is not the best product does not necessarily mean it fails to perform as an air purifier. If the advertising and packaging says it filters 90% but only does 50%, that is important, for perspective in how you need to approach it.
Please let us know how you go.
If one looks at the Breville website, it states that it only reduces air borne pollutants…and dust. The device does not eliminate them completely like every other air purifier on the market used domestically or commercially. Even the air purifiers which are used by space agencies to prevent contamination of things which go into space can’t remove all airborne pollutants or dust…they reduce pollutants and dust to levels which reduces risks of these pollutants causing problems.
Breville also haven’t indicated that it will reduce or eliminate allergies or asthma…I suspect such guarantees are not made as Breville can’t control the environment that their device works in. For example, if one’s allergy is triggered by volitile organic compounds and one has bought all new furniture which emits high levels of VOCs when new, the device may not be abke to remove VOCs from the air to an acceptable level as there may be more going into the air from the furniture than that which can be treated by the device. Likewise with dust, pollen, spores and such like.
It also claims that it has a
True HEPA H13 filter to eliminate 99.97% of allergens
This reduction would be air passing through a new correctly installed filter and not the air in a room (air in the room is affected by inputs from various sources).
To prove the H13 filter does not eliminate 99.97% of allergens is difficult and would need expensive laboratory testing to do such.
Is this a reasonable expectation when marketing material indicates that it only reduces airborne pollutants and dust?
One can’t reasonably expect an air purifier to remove all pollutants and dust from a room for the reasons oulined above.
You may have grounds if the ebay seller specifically indicated that it will eliminate all pollutants and dust from a room. In such case, the ebay seller would have mislead you and you would have a right for a remedy under the ACL.
Do you have a link to the product sold to you on ebay so that we can see what it says…or do you have a message from the seller with specific product performane guarantees?
Otherwise, if the ebay seller posted infomation from Breville (which is often the case), I believe that the purchase would and your issue falls into change of mind. This falls outside the ACL and it is up to the seller to determine how they approach your change of mind.
I appreciate the feedback. While the Breville website doesn’t claim to completely eliminate pollutants, it does state on the Breville website that I will “Breathe easy and sleep well” this is why I feel I’ve been mislead
It may be that the particular machine is inadequate, or that whatever causes your problem is not in your house or that the pollutant(s) you are sensitive to cannot be removed by many purifiers. In the last case for example it takes a special filter to remove volatile organics as these are gases not particles. Choice rated some machines highly that are poor at VOC removal.
It is hard to say without more information. I would not assume that if you had a highly rated purifier that your health will necessarily improve dramatically.
Unless you have a very cooperative vendor who works with you, such words are generally considered ‘puffery’ and are meaningless.
That is correct. The NSW Office of Fair Trading explains puffery well…
Many businesses use puffery as a marketing tool…like a car advert saying it makes you feel good or a BBQ advert saying you will become a better cook.
EDIT:
While the website makes this statement, it doesn’t say why this is the case. Furthermore, breathe easy and sleep well can have different meanings than inhaling ‘purified’ air from the device.
As the website is silent for the basis of this marketing term…one also can’t expect one with a lot on their mind, a noisy house etc to sleep well if they use the device. Likewise if one is stressed, a heavy smoker etc can’t expect to breathe easy by using the device.
This is why it is puffery.
I looked at that model and considered it too low a capacity to be useful, considering the density of smoke (and sometimes dust) that we were being subjected to over summer.
I bought the Breville LAP500WHT model, and running it in the bedroom in the late afternoon and overnight significantly reduced the amount of smoke in the room, making it a lot more pleasant for sleeping. I did sometimes run it in the main living area, where it certainly reduced smoke and dust levels when we could initially see it inside the house, but would have needed several of them to consider the air ‘clean’ as visibility outside was often below 1km when the wind from nearby fires blew the smoke towards us.
Neither my wife or myself suffer from allergies, it was more to make breathing a bit more pleasant and reduce coughing and clogged up noses.
In what size room are you trying to clean the air with the LAP300?
Your best bet may well be to contact Breville directly and politely explain your problem. Tell them that you’ve been using the product but it has done little to relieve your symptoms. Ask if there’s anything else you can do to improve your air quality.
It’s extremely unlikely that they will offer you your money back or anything. But they may well come up with some other offer if you ask without directly saying ‘your product is shit’
I think if they have relied on a claim and that claim hasn’t been met they may still have a case under ACL for a refund as the ACL states a refund is possible if “it doesn’t do what you asked for and can’t easily be fixed within a reasonable time”. Reliance by the purchaser that they would “Breathe easy and sleep well” while puffery (and I am against this type of puffery) still is a claim made by the manufacturer and should to some extent be able to be relied upon for ACL purposes. This of course should be stated as a reason why a refund is being sought to firstly the retailer as they should be the first point of contact if possible.
If paid for by Credit Card they may also be able to seek a chargeback, if paid by PAYPAL™ they may also be able to claim using “Buyer Protection” if they are able to satisfy those terms particularly relating to “materially different”.
Please note that PAYPAL’s™ terms are not the same as ACL’s:
"Significantly Not as Described claims
An item will be considered Significantly Not as Described if:
An item will not be considered Significantly Not as Described if:
In my opinion, if the main problem is mould, you have to buy a dehumidifier. If I would you, I would use a hygrometer for understanding the humidity level in your room/house. And then, if it is too high (higher than 40-50%), I would buy a dehumidifier. Here’s the difference between air purifiers and dehumidifiers:
If you are allergic, the best option is to buy an air purifier in addition to a dehumidifier. Or if you have pets. Or you have smoking people in the house. For example, my husband smoking, but I hate smoking smell. DH can’t refuse to smoke, but I love him, so the best decision for us was to buy an air purifier for smoke with HEPA filters (you can read more about them here). Our model is Winix 5300-2 https://www.amazon.com/Winix-5300-2-Purifier-PlasmaWave-Reducing/dp/B01D8DAYBA?th=1. Expensive, but it worth its price. Both sides are happy.
From my experience over the years, the claim re breathe and sleep well has not been met. I would put that to them, asking for a refund. Do not talk about otherollutants other brands or any sidetracking,
Make it simple, .their statement re breatheetc, but I did not.
I used so many puffs or whatever our manure is, woke in night or morning etc.
I did not breathe easier, I slept badl woke asthmatic,
Or whatever. Very simple, I bought xx because of your statement , it dd not do this, I want a refund now.
Then ask for higher up person, keep pushing. Do not change your words.
They will try to sidetrack you like people here, say it’s just puffery. That we said other things. Ignore them,
Go back to your mantra. You state breathe easily etc and so I bought it, that claim was wrong I need my money back now.
Too bad.
Go for it. They stuffed up putting those words in. Be happy to ask for supervisor, manager etc. if they manage to thwart you, try phoning the general manager…persist.
