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Re: Plasmaclusters Downunder: Sydney Air Purifier

A Reader writes:

Hi, have come across your site and have spent the morning reading it in detail.

Congratulations for having a no-nonsense no-advertising fact finding website, and thank you for sharing your insights!

On my way back from Japan last year, I discovered and purchased just before I left an IG-B20 Sharp Plasmacluster generator.

It is TINY, has no filter (just a course one on the back) but already has been instrumental in reducing my allergies and allowing me to sing.

My house is full of dust from poor insulation (I rent, and the owners will not replace it), some musty areas, a dog (that I am not allergic to, but who brings in dust that I am allergic to), indoor gas heaters (although I am not yet convinced that they are bad for me, do you have more information for me to read?) and dust mites from my bedding (which is my primary allergy, I turn red just from lying on carpet).

I live in Sydney, Australia, and it can get dry over here, so I have been considering purchasing a KC-C150U. I am aware that it may not work on our 220-240V power system, but I can buy a converter. I also have been offered a second hand FP-N40CX for cheap.

So I have a few questions:

1) You talked about building more effective carbon filters for these units, how do you do that?
2) How much more effective is the KC-C150U to the FP-N40CX or even the IG-B20 do you think?
3) Different sharp units have different sensors. How important is it to have all odour/particle detecting sensors, or is this redundant if you just run it on 'max' all the time anyway?
4) I notice that the KC-C150U has been discontinued on many sites, and is no longer offered by 'Fry's electronics' (at least online), does this mean there is now a better model?
5) Where is the cheapest place (in America, I have a company who can purchase and mail it to me) to buy a sharp humidifier/plasmacluster-er?
6) Why do you not run these devices while you are in the room, do you think they do damage to you? (I was made nervous by Sharp's claims that the OH- radicals penetrate and destroy cells... what about my lungs? But then again, surely they would test/mention this in their literature?)

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this email!

A Reader.

Ed's Reply

Hey Reader;

GAS APPLIANCES

If you study the problem, you'll find that indoor burning is the biggest health threat in indoor air. While cigarettes and fireplaces are the worst, any open gas flame is a very serious health hazard.

Over 70% percent of US homes have gas appliances. I am not focusing on carbon monoxide poisoning, which would involve improper venting, but on VOC combustion byproducts - ultra-fine particles, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and sulfur dioxide, for instance.

First I suggest reading my page Candle Soot Damage for info on indoor combustion. While the particles are smaller in a gas flame, the principle is the same. All visible flame is nothing but very hot carbon particles.

And see Gas Appliance Pollutants at www.sixwise.com for an intro.

FILTER-LESS SHARP IONIZERS

There are several small ionizers which are very popular in Japan, where negative ion technologies are not suppressed by the medical/industrial complex as effectively as in the US. I like ionizers, but have no experience with these products.

CARBON FILTERS

I have not claimed to make more efficient carbon filters than manufacturers. Adsorbent (chemical) filtration efficiency is a complex issue unrelated to HEPA (particle) standards.

What I have done is build filters to save money or replace out-of-stock units. I refill my Sharp washable carbon filter bags and make bags for machines like the Winix 5300, which has lots of empty space and little chemical capacity to start with.

My main emphasis in this area has been on additional or more effective particle pre-filtering, which extends the life of HEPA filters. Most Sharp models have washable fiberglass screens that are adequate - I partially seal the HEPA edges to reduce bypassing on Sharps, but don't add filter material.

KCC SERIES VS FPN40CX

KC-C150U's chief, and most confusing, feature, is the humidifier tank.

The Sharp KCC series are humidifier/purifiers, designed to overcome the air drying tendency of plasma ions.

Plasmaclusters work by splitting airborne water vapor molecules. This tends to dry the air when the machine is used continuously, or in less humid climes like Las Vegas/Phoenix. I have never been to Australia, but US media depicts it as bone dry and getting worse, especially in the outback. If Sydney is arid, that would be a plus for the "wet" Plasmacluster design.

Dry air substantially reduces the effectiveness of the plasma ion system, so Sharp engineers added a humidifier to part of their product line. Many consumers were setting cups of water atop their Sharps before that.

But the downside is almost a gallon of water goes through the machine every day and the user must refill the tank to use the humidifier aspect. KCC150 works perfectly well without the extra water, and the wet feature is redundant for those in high humidity environments.

My KCC150 runs 24/7 and rarely do I add water, I just run it on the dry setting. Notable is the metal mesh permanent prefilter on the back which can be vacuumed without dis-assembly, making the dry-running of this machine near maintenance free.

For the deal on the used FPN40 model, look a gift horse in the mouth.

N-series Sharps are the earliest, and best, although newer models have more and better plasma-ion emitters. My favorite air cleaner, a 6 year old FPN60cx, still runs flawlessly by my side as I write. It has run 24/7 for almost 6 years without requiring any new filters. I did refill the carbon bag as detailed in the Contact-Mail column.

But the N40 may have filter replacement issues - there are several Mail posts where users have worked up substitutions;

see Re: Sharp FZN60HFU filter set for FP-P60CX and FP-P40CX

Look at the HEPA on your used N40. Is it dark colored? A little-used model will have a cream color, not dark. Was the previous environment toxic? Sniff the carbon bag, any odor?

Many used air cleaners are sold when the filters are spent, and the owner realizes a new air purifier can be had for just a bit more cash than new filters.

Open the machine and run the fan - N series has no cutoff switch - look and listen for vibration or friction.

If the filters seem fresh and there are no signs of wear, an N-series Sharp could still provide many months of service.

SENSORS

The principal benefit of the sensor-driven model is user feedback, rather than energy savings or noise reduction. Most Asian-built machines are quiet and frugal enough anyway.

After some time, the smart user learns to be more sensitive to the impact of their own activities on indoor air quality. After that the sensor is mainly a conversation piece. But, in my opinion, the majority of buyers NEED this training.

DISCONTINUED? New Sharps

As far as I know, KCC-150u is not discontinued. But Sharp has always had a rolling product line, and many regional specialty products. This marketing pattern, which they were stuck with due to their other appliance business channels, is their main weakness. The best companies, like IQAir, use modular designs where every product can use filters from other versions.

Sharp has several new Plasmaclusters out. However, these do a fraction of the sales volume of new products introduced just a couple seasons back - the air cleaner market can be compared to the auto market, where more downsizing and consolidation will yet occur.

Among the new Sharps, the KC860U, retailing in the very pricey mid $500 area, may be the new flagship. Every Asian manufacturer is trapped in the middle market, lusting for the higher margins in the premium market. Like their counterparts inn the car business, they try to open a "luxury" division, while Korean and Chinese designs nip at the under-$300 commodity appliance sector.

KC860U, with 230 CADR, is very similar to KCC150U, for which I paid $339.

There are also the KC850U, with 165 CADR, retailing in the mid $400 range, and KC830U, weak at around 100 CADR, selling in the near $300 area.

Historically, new Sharp models carry initial high retail markups which decay once the market is saturated. Then deals abound on the "obsolete" models as newer styles appear.

Again, the US auto industry of the 1950's "tailfin era" comes to mind.

These new models are selling slow, as the market shrinks and the planned obsolesce play peters out.

Despite the above, I still like Sharp, I just like the older ones best.

CHEAPEST US VENDOR?

I cannot recommend a "cheap" vendor. Many are less than honest. Shipping charge add-ons, high return restocking fees, open box, refurbished, misrepresented products, and other scams are very common in air cleaner land.

The air cleaner business was a boom in the mid 1990's, but the product is becoming a low margin commodity, with back end costs like warranty claims heavy on management's mind. Web vendors lure buyers with bait and switch tactics.

Since you are overseas, your recourse against such a deal would be very difficult.

PLASMA ION SAFETY

Sharp brags that they have sold 25 million plasma ion machines globally without a single lawsuit related to plasma ion safety.

But I still do not use the Plasma while sleeping or sitting near the machine. I recommend that all users with health issues do the same. That does not mean the Plasmacluster can never be used, just that close proximity to the oxidizers should be avoided.

The key to plasma ion safety is that the clusters are short lived, unlike the ozone generated by previously popular air cleaners. It is fine to use them for short term issues like cooking odor, but where there is a chronic emission, like mold, source remediation is a far better idea.

Best wishes,

Ed

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