Pionair Ultraviolet Air Purifiers

The Pionair air purifier is made in the US by HealthQuest Technologies, LLC, McDonough, GA.

This is a crowded internet word space; there is another Healthquest Technologies, Inc., selling a distinctly different product (not an air cleaner).

Due to the similarity to the word pioneer, several small airlinesin remote areas of the world use the name "Pionair."

You will get numerous spurious search results, ignore the airlines and other irrelevant listings.

Many people struggle with air purification problems where a source is impractical to remove.

A humid environment is very difficult for conventional HEPA and carbon air purifiers to work in.

Mold spores and odors can accumulate in baths, kitchens, basements, and other damp areas.

Putting big carbon filtration in these areas can be a disaster.

This is especially true when zeolite clay is added to the carbon. These conventional air filters cannot remove the musty mold smell or negate mold colonizationof every cranny.

Pionair ion air cleaner may be the application specific answer.

Filterless Air Purifier

The Pionair air purifier is filterless, it does not purge airborne particulate impurities. It cannot filter large particles, hair, or pet dander. It is most fairly compared to dedicated air sterilizers like the Airfrees.

It uses photocatalysis and negative ionization to create hydroxyl radicals and super oxide ions that oxidize organicchemicals and microorganisms, cleaning air outside the machine itself.

There is a complete explanation of the photocatalyticair purifier under the Technologies navbar. Pionair air purifiers use a titanium dioxide (TiO2) catalyst andan ultraviolet bulb to generate the hydroxyl oxidizers. There is substantial material on this emergingtechnology, and it's potential to displace ozone as the oxidizer of choice, under the Sharp Air Purifier navbar button.

Fanless

This air purifier has no fan, air is drawn through the air cleaner slowly.

The manufacturer's literature credits the uv light with generation of something spuriously called "inductive warmth." This draws moist air to the air purifier.

I think the proper term here is "convection", it looks to me like a simple chimney effect from heat generated by the UV bulb. This is probably similar airflo-wise to typical fanless ionizer competition like Ionic Breeze, but don't expect production of a large clean air delivery rate.

This makes the Pionair very quiet.

An innovation pioneered by Pionair is the interchangeable UV lamp modules.

The initial purchase includes a standard base unit paired with your choice of lamp module.

Available in three sizes, the ultraviolet lamp module is the core of the Pionair.

UV lamp systems are affected negatively by constant illumination, and willneed replacement in about a year.

The light will still come on, but there is a reduction in correct wavelength generation.

When it is time to reorder, lamp modules are interchangeable, users can upgrade or downgrade the lamp.

While the "filterless" air purifier does lack filters to replace, annual replacement of this core air sanitization technology does raise cost of ownership.

However, 3.5 years for lamp module replacement costs to equal the original purchase price is better than most HEPA filtered air cleaning competition.

Three coverage areas are offered; 350 sq. ft., 750 sq. ft., and 1500 sq. ft. These are rough guidelines, home interior air purity has wide variations.

As with other air purification devices, residences with significant airborne impurities should downsize the room or upgrade the uv ionization module. Gas appliances, fireplaces, candles, and smoking environments are especially challenging for air purifiers.

Price and Safety Issues

Anion (negative ion) production is enhanced with the air purifiers "Smart Pointe" ionization option.

These are conventional negative ionizer air cleaners for improved flocculation of smaller sized airborne particulate impurities.

Larger particles like hair and skin flakes are not affected. This is standard ion air purification: particles are not "cleaned", they fall to the floor, and will be subject to redistribution. The negative ionizer feature adds $100 to an already hefty price.

The second negative about Pionair (price the first) is ozone output. The company claims less than .04 ppm maximum. While this is lower than some ionizers and electrostatic air purifiers, it is borderline high.

This is due to the too-wide distribution of wavelengths, which include both the 254 nm germicidal and 185 nm ozone generation frequencies. Pure germicidal uv, focused specifically at 253.7 nm, is more costly.

The larger Commercial model is advertised for "unoccupied space 3000 sq ft", suggesting fairly high ozone output.

Third, UV light should be contained within an air purifier, Pionair allows considerable leakage. While some users like the "night-light" feature, eye damage is a possibility.

At 4" wide, 11" high, and 5" deep, and weighing only 3 pounds, the Pionairs offer unimpaired access, including up and down stairs.

Using standard household AC current and pulling 25 watts, Pionair purifies air with reasonable energy consumption.

Warranty and Repair

Pionair air purifiers come with 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee, plus a warranty whichcovers the base for 3 years and lamp for one year.

For returns and repaired air purifiers, transportation charges and shipping expenses are the consumer's responsibility.

The company has earned the Better Business Bureau's "BBBOnLine Reliability seal."

I dislike the use of nature marketing, thunderstorm and blue sky analogies, and the lack of hard dataused by this manufacturer. These purifiers are sold through health food stores and natural healthcenters. The company is also in the vitamin supplement business.

A very similar air purifier, Airwise purifier, uses Pionairs photocatalysis technology, but is packaged in a lateral lying bookshelf configuration. Airwise has similar oxidation air purification at a somewhat lower price.

Air-Purifier-Power 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: 5 of 10 .04ppm ozone, uv emissions.

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, hydroxyl radical oxidation gets after vapors.

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

Score: 3 of 10, filterless air purifying means no particles are removed.

4. Air cleaning design maximizes the lifespan of each filter stage by allowing independent filter replacement. Ideally this is in combination with electronic filter monitoring.

Score: 8 of 10, only one replaceable part.

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

Score: 7 of 10, 3.5 operation cost ratio is based on high purchase price.

6. Air purifier produces low noise levels and meaningful airflow rates relative to noise.

Score: 10 of 10, silent air cleaners.

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, low sales volume, 3-year warranty could be longer.

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: 6 of 10, priced high enough to compete with premium air cleaners.

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: 8 of 10, simple on-off switch.

Air-Purifier-Power Numeric Rating; 73