Friedrich Air Cleaner C90A

I suggest reading my article The Consumer Reports Air Purifier Rankings Controversy before you buy either of the Friedrich air cleaners.

Now that C90B has taken the spotlight, C90A has lost a little luster. Two Friedrich air cleanersmight dillute market share for the brand, which has led the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) chargeagainst market leaders Ionic Breeze and Oreck.

So Friedrich C90A is discontinued.

Air-Purifiers-America: "Friedrich C90B has replaced the C90A." There is almost nomention of it on the manufacturer's website, but a Google search for "Friedrich c-90A" turnsup 27,000 sites on the web. Could be old inventory, returned units, and remanufacturedwarranty claims, that still need to move. Many still list the full retail price, taking advantage of naive buyers in the wake of the Consumer Reports gold rush.

The C90 has strong average CADRs of 332. (Dust 325, Smoke 300,Pollen 370) Sophisticated consumers are not fooled by CADRs. If this seems confusing, pleasehit the "home" button and read the bold, centered text, halfway down the page, which is the Air-Purifier-Power theme.You must often read between the lines.

See AHAM and the CADR rating

The air cleaners from Friedrich have lots of satisfied users. Six reviews at amazon.com average 4.8 of 5. Eight reviews at epinions.com average 3.5 of 5.

A four step filtering process can remove particles beyond HEPA spec (99.97% at .3 micron) to 0.01 micron. When the electrostatic collector plate is kept clean, it continues at this level.

Frequent plate Cleaning

Most buyers will not keep the Friedrich air purifier's plates clean, despite good intentions at purchase. Consumer reviews of the electronic air cleaner in general reportcleaning the collector plates about every two weeks, when platesstart to arc, or when they see accumulated dust. This is not often enough to maintain efficiency. This type machineneeds cleaning every 72 hours to prevent bypassing. Please note that thisapplies to all electrostatic precipitators, not just the C90's.

In high-particle rooms, especially where tarry tobacco smoke is present, efficiency of the electrostatic cell deteriorates quickly.

Then C90a will bypass dangerous finer particles, these accumulate inside the exhaust housing, on the fan, and in other less accessible parts of the machine. To maintain efficiency, wash the Friedrich air cleaner's plates every 3 days.

Friedrich C90A air cleaner literature is very detailed concerning the need for frequent careful washing. Cleaning the Friedrich c-90a's electronic cell is easy if it fits in your dishwasher. Compare the space inside your dishwasher to the dimensions of the electronic cell: 16" high x 12 1/2" wide x 4 1/2" deep.

If it's too big, the user's manual includes detailed directions for a lengthy cleaning process involving soaking and rinsing in very hot water.

Avoid cuts from the Friedrichs sharp, fragile plates, which cost $160 to replace. The ionizer wires may get dirty: occasional cleaning is recommended. Consumer reviews mention short life expectancy of tiny ionizer wires and electronic collector plates.

Compared with leading TV blitzes selling illusions of zero maintenance, Friedrich has been honestabout the need for cleaning.

With few filter replacements to run up costs, the C90A Friedrich air cleaners cost of ownership is lower than many lower priced HEPA air purifiers. With electrostatic air cleaners users are exchanging their labor (frequent plate washing) for the cost of filters.

The C90A is mechanically simple; a washable pre-filter is ahead of dual Honeywell-made de-ionizers and a large electronic precipitator grid, and a carbon impregnated post filter. The entire front and rear of the machineare vents. There are no manifolds: air comes straight in the rear and out the front. The rear of Friedrich C90A looks just like the front, a black grille. A high voltage DC power supply runs a big three speed fan in a heavy duty plastic body. Friedrich air cleaners emphasize function overform; no electronic controls or remote.

When the carbon post-filter gets dirty, it can be vacuumed, but this will not restore odor removal capability. For the Friedrich to clean air, this filter must be installed.

Friedrich Air Cleaner Noise

The complete Air-Purifier-Power Friedrich air purifier noise specification (sound in decibels @ air volume in cubic feet per minute) is;

55dB(A)@365cfm on high, very good.

50dB(A)@275cfm on medium,

40dB(A)@225cfm on low.

For those new to this site: noise is relative, not just how loud, but how much air purifying is done?

Like most air purifiers, the Friedrich is loud on high speed. But 55dB(A) is quiet, and365cfm is lots of purified air. And 40dB(A) on low is not real quiet for sleep, but at that lowest setting it moves more air than many HEPA air purifiers on high.

Freidrich C90A makes crackling sounds, which worsen if the air purifier's plates are not kept clean. Some users report minor, but irritating, vibrations of the housing. I have seen two C90A's with things stacked on top, possiblyto quiet these vibrations.

Air flow into the front and from the rear grilles must not be blocked. This forces the Freidrich air cleaner to sit sideways along the wall. The required eight inch wall clearance would have the cleaner sticking out pretty far if installed at a right angle.

Drafts could be a problem with a bedroom installation. On low, the large front discharge area makes for gentle airflow

Weighing 28 pounds and measuring 19" by 15" by 21.5", the Friedrich air purifier is large, and boxy. C90A's heavy duty, almost military appearance, distinguishes it from its elegantly-styled target.

Friedrich Air Cleaner Ozone

Ozone is produced at "safe levels" as a by-product of ionization and the smell may be quite noticeable. Friedrich C90A produces .014 parts per million (ppm) of ozone, well below the FDA limit of .050 ppm for medical devices. There are reports of returned units, due to a minority who dislikethe odor of ozone. Many people are fooled by the "fresh" smell ofozone. Please don't join them: stroll to your favorite mall and go tothe Sharper Image store, where multiple Ionic Breezes are runningto demonstrate their silence. Lean close and sniff, that's ozone.

I have applied the sniff test to a Friedrich air cleaner running on lowand couldn't smell anything. Of course, sniffing is subjective, and Friedrich'sscientifically measured ozone output is pretty low.

The ozone smell lasts about an hour after the Friedrich air cleaner is turned off, but ozone will persist much longer. Air-Purifiers-America rated C-90a only 3 stars due to the ozone smell and higher than average product returns.

Some electrostatic air cleaners have increased ozone emissions after abouta year, as electrical junctions arc increasingly. One user review suggested Friedrich customer service denied this could even happen. They are wrong.

Does Friedrich C-90a air cleaner do VOC?

This air cleaner does a good job at removing allergens. Like most AHAM certified units, the C90 is less effective with odors and gaseous chemicals.It will purify the air of many larger side stream smoke particles, but not the invisible small particles and toxic gasses which accompany them. No air purification system has been created that can fully protect against secondhand smoke.

Although the Friedrich has a carbon post-filter, it does not have sufficient carbon for serious chemical or heavy odor removal. Some user reviews have reported removal of odors with fresh filters. The ozone byproduct is a potent odor oxidizer, probably removing more VOC and odor than the carbon filter.

At least the carbon filter is inexpensive. Three to six months is the typical replacement interval. I would lean toward the short side for odor removal.

Got EMF?

The high voltage used in an ionizer may create strong electromagnetic fields. Multiple users report TV (Radio Frequency) RF interference up to 20 feet from the C90. The “90” in Friedrich C90A refers to the 90 watt energy use on high, which earns an EPA Energy Star rating.

A one year warranty is short for a $400 air cleaner. Friedrich is a San Antonio based air conditioning company founded in 1883.

I have seen a couple Friedrich workshop air cleaner installations, they fit right in; heavy duty construction and appearance, fast, efficient particle removal. In a workshop air cleaner, the need for fast toxic particle removal outweighs the ozone problem.

I have a "76" (good) rating on the Friedrich C90a due to ozone emissions and lack of VOC gas capability. For residential use I prefer Blueair 601, 501 and 402 for ozone free particulate removal. Some dislike the shrill pitch of the Blueairs: Friedrich C90A is fairly quiet, and very strong, on low.

Does the Friedrich air cleaner deserve number one status? No. Not a chance:the air purifier business is a marketing battle, and AHAM and their bypass hidingCADRs are a big player. But if you have been considering less powerful electronic air cleaners including top selling, marketing machine driven, ozone emitting, Oreck XL and Sharper Image Ionic Breeze, the Friedrich air purifiers are a very good alternative.

Don't pay retail for the discontinued Friedrich c90a air cleaner, and realize you are taking a risk.

Friedrich C90A Air-Purifier-Power Rating: 76 "good" 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: 6 of 10, .014 ppm ozone is low, but not "safe".

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

Score: 5 of 10

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

Score: 9 of 10, excellent filter when cleaned.

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

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

Score: 8 of 10, I don’t agree with the “low maintenance”label for any electrostatic purifier.

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

Score: 9 of 10, a bit loud on high, but real airflow to match.

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: 8 of 10, one year warranty too short for price range.

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: 7 of 10, look for big discounts.

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

Score: 9 of 10, some vendors report returns.

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

Score: 7 of 10, boxy, no electronics

Friedrich Air Cleaner Numeric Rating; 76

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