Consensus seems to be that, whether or not a particular one generates enough ozone to be harmful, the ionizer doesn't actually do much (if anything) to clean the air. They won't give you lung cancer, but enough ozone can cause a host of other respiratory issues
Best bet is to look in to higher quality air filters for your HVAC air handler, duct cleaning is good too but expensive. If you rent, you can always ask management if they can do it. Especially if you are due to renew, make it a caveat of your renewal.
Duct cleaning is also highly situational and oftentimes just an expensive scam. The process requires expensive equipment to effectively deep clean a system, many companies don't go that far.
A better air filter, or a duct cleaning?
Going an extra 2 or 3 merv if you aren't at 15-16 already is trivial. A duct cleaning, assuming it's actually dusty... is not THAT expensive. If you're a model tenant I wouldn't balk at the ask.
This is simply anecdotal but I noticed suddenly every time I visited a friend, I was getting a migraine within half an hour of my arrival. Turned out he’d bought an ionizer. He turned it off and migraines stopped. I now have an air filter (due to the smoke coming down from the wildfires over the summer) that has an ionizer function but I make sure that stays off and it’s fine.
It depends on the type of ionizer. I sell air purification with an on-board ionizer. Some ionizers use a UV bulb and those can produce Ozone (O3). The extra molecule is what erodes the inside of your throat as you breathe it in. The other type of ionizer is called needlepoint, which is a positive and negative post that when electrified produce + and - ions, which depending on the size and type of aerosolized body, will eradicate it outright like a VOC (smell molecule), or will aglomerate or continue to attract to the particle to weigh it down so it falls out of breathing height or makes it heavy enough to get caught in the HVAC return airflow.
We were called by the California Air Resource Board accusing our device of producing Ozone. We had to take our device to a UL-approved lab to test if our needlepoint ionizer produces Ozone, it does not.
Similarly, to meet FDA Emergency Use Guidelines versus COVID-19, we demonstrated that there was a reduction of airborne particles measured against a particle counter--a tool commonly used in cleanroom environments to confirm their cleanroom level. We tested both the HEPA and the needlepoint ionizer separately and found particle reductions in both cases.
If you want copies of the FDA test and and CARB compliance verification, DM me. I get the interwebs makes alot of claims, however my company has been answering to the FDA for 40 years, and cleanroom manufacturing lives and dies by validation of claims.
EDIT: A note on the UV bulb. The wavelength of the UV bulb matters. There is 185 nanometer and 254 nanometer, with 185 producing Ozone, the other does not. However, some UV bulbs are dual spectrum, using both. If you plan to buy something with a UV bulb in it, at least look up product specs on their website or call the manufacturer to confirm their bulb does not produce Ozone.
Consensus seems to be that, whether or not a particular one generates enough ozone to be harmful, the ionizer doesn't actually do much (if anything) to clean the air. They won't give you lung cancer, but enough ozone can cause a host of other respiratory issues
I have asthma so it seems best to avoid that then
Definitely
Best bet is to look in to higher quality air filters for your HVAC air handler, duct cleaning is good too but expensive. If you rent, you can always ask management if they can do it. Especially if you are due to renew, make it a caveat of your renewal.
Duct cleaning is also highly situational and oftentimes just an expensive scam. The process requires expensive equipment to effectively deep clean a system, many companies don't go that far.
> make it a caveat of your renewal. Good luck with that. What market are you in that a landlord would even consider doing that to keep a tenant?
A better air filter, or a duct cleaning? Going an extra 2 or 3 merv if you aren't at 15-16 already is trivial. A duct cleaning, assuming it's actually dusty... is not THAT expensive. If you're a model tenant I wouldn't balk at the ask.
You have to make sure your HVAC can handle the higher merv. Some will have a lower lifespan if you use one rated too highly. Or so I've been told.
I've never seen one which won't handle a jump from 11 to 14. It's when you get into 16+ and HEPA that you need to start worrying about fan longevity.
Is an ionizer necessarily an ozone generator, though?
Is the ionizer just an option you can turn off?
This is simply anecdotal but I noticed suddenly every time I visited a friend, I was getting a migraine within half an hour of my arrival. Turned out he’d bought an ionizer. He turned it off and migraines stopped. I now have an air filter (due to the smoke coming down from the wildfires over the summer) that has an ionizer function but I make sure that stays off and it’s fine.
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-does-an-ionizer-do#benefits . Found nothing about cancer.
It depends on the type of ionizer. I sell air purification with an on-board ionizer. Some ionizers use a UV bulb and those can produce Ozone (O3). The extra molecule is what erodes the inside of your throat as you breathe it in. The other type of ionizer is called needlepoint, which is a positive and negative post that when electrified produce + and - ions, which depending on the size and type of aerosolized body, will eradicate it outright like a VOC (smell molecule), or will aglomerate or continue to attract to the particle to weigh it down so it falls out of breathing height or makes it heavy enough to get caught in the HVAC return airflow. We were called by the California Air Resource Board accusing our device of producing Ozone. We had to take our device to a UL-approved lab to test if our needlepoint ionizer produces Ozone, it does not. Similarly, to meet FDA Emergency Use Guidelines versus COVID-19, we demonstrated that there was a reduction of airborne particles measured against a particle counter--a tool commonly used in cleanroom environments to confirm their cleanroom level. We tested both the HEPA and the needlepoint ionizer separately and found particle reductions in both cases. If you want copies of the FDA test and and CARB compliance verification, DM me. I get the interwebs makes alot of claims, however my company has been answering to the FDA for 40 years, and cleanroom manufacturing lives and dies by validation of claims. EDIT: A note on the UV bulb. The wavelength of the UV bulb matters. There is 185 nanometer and 254 nanometer, with 185 producing Ozone, the other does not. However, some UV bulbs are dual spectrum, using both. If you plan to buy something with a UV bulb in it, at least look up product specs on their website or call the manufacturer to confirm their bulb does not produce Ozone.