BlueAir 550E Air Purifier Review

Air purifier designers must confront an ever-present issue - restriction.

When the machine is sealed tightly to capture contaminants, more expensive components must be employed.

Cheaper air cleaners generally allow some form of leakage - bypassing - to ensure airflow so cheap motors do not burn up.

The Blueairs offer a clever engineering approach to this problem - hybrid electrostatic filters unique to the Blueair product line.

Achieving HEPA-like performance - capturing 99.97% of particles at .1 micron - Blueair 550e's hybrid filter design uses electrostatics and charged polypropylene media.

This less restrictive design reduces energy costs and sound emissions.

Free breathing allows Blueair 550e to process high volumes of air, capturing particles very efficiently.

But I think it remains to be proven that Blueair 550E duplicates premium true-HEPA performance throughout the six-month life of the filters.

550E is a top quality air purifier, among the best. Built of stainless steel in Sweden, Blueairs have a reputation for durability.

Founded in 1996, Blueair air purifiers has earned it's leading reputation, and established a niche in the premium "allergy shop" marketing space.

The 2009 Blueair upgrade includes the complete product lineup.

403 and 450E have supplanted 402. Blueair 601 is replaced by 603 and 650E. 550e and 503 take over for 501.

Smart, Very Smart: 550E is Automated!

In my opinion, the big news from Blueair is the E-series, 550e and its siblings 650e and 450e.

The suffix "E" stands for electronics.

That means automatic sensor driven controls, as I have advocated here since 2005.

550E is a Blueair 503 (upgraded 501) with digital LED displays and state of the art automated electronic controls.

550e's odor and dust sensors control the air purifier in Auto Mode, matching fan speed to observed particulate, chemical, and odor levels.

Blueairs of the E-series have two digital displays to inform users in real time about indoor air quality.

Blind Ambition

Some buyers may ask, why pay more for sensors and automation?

Anyone who is buying an air purifier for health reasons needs the feedback and preemptive capabilities found in the automatic Blueairs.

Educated consumers purchase air purifiers to capture particles we cannot see and harmful chemicals which may lack detectable odors.

Many air cleaners are sold on the premise that visible dust, larger particles most vacuums easily catch, is the target.

Naive users have long marveled at all the visible dust that collected inside former market leader Ionic Breeze and its legions of imitators.

When we cannot sense the real pollutants, we cannot determine whether our air is actually clean.

So when symptoms flare, we turn up the purifier.

Manual feedback has a significant time lag. Where sporadic emissions recur, most of the damage is done before human consciousness senses the problem. During sleep, this is impossible.

Blueair 550e - Information is Power

In both manual and auto modes, Blueair 550e's electronic sensors sample the air and display pollutant levels.

A silly happy face grins from the display when air is clean and frowns when sensors detect higher contaminant levels.

550E also shows pollutant readings with 2 four-level LED bar-graphs, quantifying particle and odor/chemical pollutants separately.

In Auto Mode, 550E runs on high for five minutes, then reverts to silent idle speed, saving energy in watchdog mode.

This is pretty close to the best there is, way to go Blueair.

A filter change indicator - actually a six-month countdown timer - illuminates a red LED lamp. A timer and 20-foot radius remote are included.

Automated Blueair 550es should be run continuously.

550E: Strong CADRs

Like the Blueair 501 before it, 550E is a strong performer.

Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) ratings are 390 Dust, 390 Smoke, 390 Pollen - very impressive scores.

Airflow rates are 88 to 450 cubic feet per minute.

AHAM rates the 550E for a room size of 605 square feet.

The company advises 580 sq. ft.

I'd try 420 sq. feet, maybe less, depending on your environment.

Note that CADR ratings apply solely to particles, not odors and chemicals,

Blueairs Lack a Prefilter

Blueairs, engineered to score high on the marketing-oriented CADR tests, have no prefilter to capture coarse dust.

Examine a Blueair with six month old filters, you'll find a layer of coarse dust. I would have preferred a separate washable prefilter to collect the visible range fragments.

A lower CADR might result, but main filter life would be longer - the Achilles heel of Blueair's clever design is filter replacements.

When filters are replaced after 6 months, interior cleaning of the 550e's is suggested.

Vacuuming the air intake grille and interior, with a soft brush is a minor chore.

"HEPASilent" Filters

Blueair 550e uses the same basic filter design as previous models.

Many people think HEPA filters are solely the folded paper element type.

Actually HEPA is an efficiency standard, not a particular technology.

So, since the filter meets the standard, Blueair's use of the name in their trademark "HEPASilent" is not misleading.

The 550's filter is claimed to retain 99.97% of the tiniest 0.1 micron particles on power level one.

I'd also like to see efficiency specification at .3 microns, the HEPA "most penetrating particle size.

Blueairs combine electrostatic and mechanical technologies in 3-stage filters with progressively tighter fiber spacing.

Particulates are given an electric charge in a metal chamber by ozone-free electrostatic brushes.

Polypropylene filter media, which is not charged itself, captures the ionized particles.

Previously popular charged-grid electrostatic models - Ionic Breeze, Oreck, Ionic Pro, Brookstone, Friedrick C90.... - were subject to efficiency losses when collector grid cleaning was postponed.

At higher power settings I suspect Blueair E-Series efficiency falls significantly, but not nearly as far as the more primitive earlier electrostatics.

Some deterioration is inevitable as the media is layered with dust and electrostatic forces weaken.

For warranty coverage, Blueair owners must replace filters, for around $80, at least every six months.

Users with contaminated living spaces (pets, tobacco...) or serious health issues may need more frequent filter replacements.

But some user reviews report monthly vacuuming prolongs media life.

No tools are needed to quickly replace Blueair 550e's three filters.

Optional SmokeStop Filters

This year's upgraded standard 500-600 series Blueair filters includes some activated carbon, recognizable as a black layer on the back side.

Heavy gas phase pollutants still require the optional (translation: "expensive") $150 SmokeStop filter.

SmokeStops have activated carbon and Potassium Iodide for improved gas adsorption and oxidation.

But since the 550e can monitor gas phase pollution, users won't need to blindly replace high-dollar carbon filters we don't need.

In the past, I advised Blueair buyers to routinely order the SmokeStop filter option at original purchase.

Unless your environment is heavily polluted (smokers, wood stove users, multi-pet homes, artists, or workshops) just monitor gas phase levels for the first 6 months.

If using the standard HEPASilent filters consistently indicates your space is gas/chemical/odor free, the optional filters will not be necessary.

If this is the case, the $140 annual savings over the SmokeStop option will pay the automated machine's price premium in just over one year!

User reviews occasionally mention break-in smells from new SmokeStop filters, but most state that the extra carbon removes odors and fumes effectively.

Only genuine Blueair filters, three identical in a set, will fit 550e.

550e Emissions

Blueairs are known for a high pitched whistle which some find irritating. 550e makes 35dB(A) @88cubic feet/min on low, which is fairly quiet.

No question 71 dB(A) on high, blowing a respectable 450 cfm, will be loud.

This should not be tha case for long. If an automated air purifier runs on high continuously, you have a continuous source emission which needs to be removed.

Blueair's low voltage ionization brushes do not create corona discharge (blue arc around electrical fields), as a result Blueair 550e is nearly ozone-free.

Blueairs no-ozone claims are backed by tests in sealed chambers.

There is no chemical emission from Blueair 550e's powder coated finish.

Blueairs have a too-bright blue LED "nightlight." Some users tape over the light for bedroom use.

Utility

Blueair 550 is EPA Energy Star® qualified.

Power usage is 35 watts on low to 90 watts on high, consistent with the power output.

A bit boxy at 26 inches high by 20 wide and 13 deep, 550e weighs 35 lbs and has 4 casters to move on.

The 550e's 5 foot detachable cord is short for this premium class air purifier.

Blueair Corporate

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Blueairs are distributed in North America from Chicago.

Blueair Inc.
17 N. State, Suite 1830
Chicago, IL 60602

Blueairs warranty has historically been an incredible 10 years. The company web page says 550e is covered for 5 years.

The Filter Subscription Program requires new filters every 6 months for warranty coverage.

Blueair customer service has a strong reputation.

Conclusions

Blueair's 550e is an effective, durable, premium air purifier.

Filter costs are the weak spot.

The $150 premium (over the manually switched 503) for the 550e's electronic interface is a stiffer price than I had hoped for.

But users who actually want clean air will appreciate the feedback. Potentially there are cost savings where optional filters are contemplated.

There is also the "go bare" option for users who wisely have eliminated most toxins from their life space - use the monitoring feature and vacuuming to extend filter life and forego the warranty.

Review Rating

Each of ten factors gets up to 10 points, 100 is perfect and very unlikely.

1. First do no harm; minimal out gassing, no ozone.

Score: 9 of 10.

2. Serious gas and odor removal is a requirement if health benefits are expected: Units with real carbon VOC capability rank higher.

Score: 8 of 10, 9 of 10 with SmokeStop Filter option.

3. Quality construction; case, gaskets, seals, and precision fitting eliminate bypassing and assure high efficiency at filtering sub-micron particles.

Score: 8 of 10, three filter design is not as tight on top filter.

4. The design maximizes the lifespan of each filter stage by allowing independent filter replacement. Ideally this is combined with electronic filter monitoring.

Score: 8 of 10, combined chemical/particle filters are replaced as one, but monitors allow effective filter replacement.

5. Unit has long filter life, low maintenance requirements, and reasonable operating costs.

Score: 8 of 10, not the cheapest to own.

6. Purifier produces low noise levels and meaningful air flow rates relative to noise.

Score: 10 of 10, automatic operation keeps noise down.

7. Manufacturer has a track record, with many units in the field and a reputation for supporting what they sell. Warranty period and average service life are long.

Score: 10 of 10, warranty is now shorter, but company widely respected. 8. Purifier is a value in terms of price/performance ratio. Every price range should be included, “models above $1,200 are best”, while true, is not useful to most consumers.

Score: 10 of 10, premium price, premium performance.

9. No dirt; unit and manufacturer should be devoid of class-action suits, high returns, recalls, consumer complaints, and legitimate negative consumer reviews.

Score: 10 of 10.

10. Unit is stylish, portable, comfortable, and convenient for consumer use.

Score: 10 of 10, Automated with dual display :), handy remote, easy interface.

Air-Purifier-Power Numeric Rating; 91, Blueair 550e is recommended here.