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Re: How to Clean Ionic Pro

A Reader writes:

I am looking for expert advice as how to clean the Ionic Pro!

I bought two of these Ionic Pros a few years ago, when I was smoking a lot in the apartment.

I have since stopped smoking, but would like to make the machine functional again!

Thank you,

A Reader.

Ed's Reply

Hey Reader;

First off, Ionic Pro was rated "61" here - below 70 is unacceptable and not recommended.

You face a difficult task, probably not worth the $35 a used, working Ionic Pro brings on Craigslist now-days.

Ebay is loaded with new Ionic Pros, from $60 plus shipping.

Back in 2005, prior to the emergence of the Ionic Pro air purifier, when the air cleaner boom was peaking, sales were dominated by electrostatic air cleaners (not properly called "ionic"), led by Sharper Image Ionic Breeze and Oreck.

This entire group of (electrostatic) air cleaners have inherent performance issues which naive consumers are willing to overlook for the presumed convenience of having "no filters to replace."

Consumer Reports attacked Sharper Image's main product, the very popular infomercial-marketed Ionic Breeze. Ionic Breeze and its cohort were found to rely primarily on ozone, hence the addition of various forms of oxygen catalysts as the fad wore down and criticism grew.

Falling sales forced Sharper Image into bankruptcy in February of 2008.

Oreck survived, partially due' to its far less generous customer service policies.

Sharper Image sold millions of it's Breeze for very high markups, but had excellent customer service. The Image would graciously accept returns of the frequently-failing Ionic Breeze. My estimate is that 25% of all Breezes sold were "refurbished," and resold as such, at least once.

A large group of outsourced Ionic Breeze imitators, lookalikes, and knockoffs evolved to ride the wave.

Ionic Pro was one of these reverse-engineered imitators, introduced near the end of the period.

Retail market penetration included Wal-Mart and Target.

Electrostatic air cleaners use high voltage fields to trap pollutants, and are badly prone to electrical arcing when collector plates are even a little dirty.

The key here is to notice where the arc occurs - mostly in the bottom of the unit, where the collector grid snaps into the base.

Many of these air cleaners have melted the plastic at the base and started house fires.

Users MUST clean the Ionic Pro EVERY THREE DAYS, including the feet which insert into the base sockets, and the base sockets themselves. Failure to do this even once can accelerate the erosion/pitting of the base sockets and grid connection points.

But unlike its expensive mentor Ionic Breeze, Ionic Pro is built of very cheap materials - softer metal alloys erode much faster. Engineers wisely equipped these units with circuit breakers which turn on a red "clean me" light and shut down the air cleaner when the voltage exceeds threshold values.

Many thousands of buyers discovered too late that Ionic Pro was a throw away item, with a product life expectancy of just a few months. The red clean light begins to stay lit even after the blades are cleaned, and the Pro shuts down.

The company was soon deluged with overwhelming and unsustainable warranty and support requests, so they just stonewalled, with reps often hanging up on callers.

The design flaw - after all this was a very low budget product aimed at a shrinking marketing target - may have been the fire-prevention motive. They let the voltage build up too high before turning on the red light and shutting down.

The result was loud buzzing, snapping, and arcing noises once the blades were dirty, but before the red light came on.

Some users discovered that holding in the power button for several seconds would reset the circuit, but this just delays the inevitable degradation.

Many users began cleaning the Pro when it made noise, without waiting for the light/circuit breaker to kick in.

These folks experienced longer service lives - often over a year - than those who waited for the light. There are even reports of Pros lasting 3 years in light service.

Electrical arcing creates high levels of ozone, which accelerate the oxidation of electrical components. For instance, ozone generator plates for the now defunct Ecoquest air cleaners wore out very quickly, and a cottage industry of knockoff ozone plate sellers sprang up.

Another aspect is the level of pollutant in the space the Ionic Pro was cleaning.

In smoking, fireplace, candle burning, and freeway-close environments, oxidized residues will accumulate on the blades and ionizing wires. Fine dust and oxidation builds up inside the body and clogs the base sockets, accelerating the connection arcing.

In order to resuscitate your Ionic Pro, it will need complete dis-assembly, careful inspection, and complete cleaning.

Always turn off and unplug any air cleaner before cleaning. This is especially true for the Ionic Pro, whose collection grid will maintain a charge - an unpleasant shock to the unwary - for some time after the unit is turned off. Handle the grid by the plastic until touching the blades to a metal surface to ground the charge.

The user should lay this unit horizontally on its back to remove/replace collector blades - incorrect reinsertion could contribute to the base socket/electrode decay process.

Now you should inspect both the connectors and sockets for electrical damage - erosion, pitting, bent or misaligned connections... Broken ionizing wires are a frequent cause of failure, arcing, and fires.

The entire interior of an electrostatic air cleaner can become a reservoir of fine particles, making the "air purifier" an air polluter.

This accumulated stuff inside the case is one cause of the red light phenomenon - as soon as the Pro is turned on, particles from inside flock to the grid.

Some users report interior cleaning success with compressed air.

If you are not among the air compressor owning class, try a can of compressed air for cleaning, (at computer or music stores) and blast away at the Ionic Pro's interior after the blades are out.

A brave few (not me) have disassembled the Ionic Pro by removing the screws which hold two halves of the body together, then washing the front half, which houses no electronics, in the bath tub. Vacuum and air blow the back half to remove fine particulate.

Many Pro pros use q-tips for the hard to reach areas and the ionizing wires.

Reassembly requires care not to damage the ionizing wires or their cleaner and careful tab alignment.

Obviously, in your case, a damp sponge or rag has failed to restore the collection blades - the inexpensive metal chosen for the blades may be yellow with nicotine stains.

But the problem is most likely with the 3 base contacts, which may have a film on them. Clean these with q-tips or toothbrush and household iso-propyl (rubbing) alcohol.

When the case, grid, and contacts are clean and intact (pitted contacts are junk), clean the ionizing wires with the q-tips. Some report doing this through the grill, without splitting the cases.

Carefully slide the wire cleaner up and down, using a flashlight to inspect it for accumulation.

"Oxygen Plus" catalysts, added to later models to reduce ozone output, can be vacuumed rather than scrubbing, they are electrically passive and not part of the problem.

When every aspect of the Ionic Pro is clean, shiny, and undamaged, it's time to test it.

If it does come on check for noise, vibration, and electrical arcing.

Looking carefully in the dark, you can locate any arcing/sparking and focus on the affected parts.

I do not recommend attempts to file or otherwise repair pitted contacts or other worn parts.

I also do not promise your Ionic Pro will return to life, or that this arduous process will not need frequent repetition to keep it working.

Congratulations on your courage and willpower in quitting smoking, you have reversed one of the biggest mistakes a person can make in life.

But if your labor is worth more than $5/hr, I'd take the ozone and fire-hazard-prone Ionic Pro to the nearest dumpster.

Best wishes,

Ed

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