Air Cleaner by Whirlpool: AP250Whirlpool Air Purifier, AP25030H $142.00 to $199.00
2-Pack Pre-Filters $9.99
True HEPA Filter $64.99 to $89.00
Whirlpool AP250: Low Cost, Quiet Air Cleaning
If you need to remove airborne dust and pollen from a small room on a limited budget, "250" air purifiers from Whirlpool might be what you are looking for. These are the lowest powered Whirlpool air cleaners Air-Purifier-Power reviews. For the bigger brothers, see my reviews; Whirlpool air cleaner AP250 provides a lot of plain vanilla HEPA air purifier for a reasonable price. When you get into the below $200 price range, it gets harder to find any real data to review. The few ap250 consumer reviews on the web are positive, but they appear on a vendor website.
The Whispure air purifiers Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 160 dust, 150 smoke, and 170 pollen place it about as low as I recommend an air purifier. Less airflow would mean a very small bedroom. AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) room size rating is 235, but is based of high speed operation. I recommend this air cleaner for 170 square feet, a medium bedroom. HEPA air purifiersThe Whirlpool Whispure Air Cleaners use 3M Filtrete True HEPA filter technology. It delivers good HEPA level (99.97% of particles to .3 micron size) air purification in my recommended room size, on its quiet second speed.
Whirlpool air purifiers have a filter change indicator light for both filter and prefilter. Both filter indicator lights will flash once when the air purifier is powered up. If the air purifying device is operated full time as recommended, the main 3M HEPA filter needs replacement once a year. The frequent filter changes can be annoying, many complain about the costs. I estimate a filter cost to original purchase price ratio of about .55, meaning filter replacement equal to purchase price in just under two years. This is not that bad, many air purification products in the lower price range will have ratios near 1.0 A ratio over 1.0 means you might as well just go out and buy a new air purifier instead of replacing the filter. I call this the cheap air purifier loss leader for overpriced filters rip-off. The AP250 air cleaners by Whirlpool are not in that category. Many users will run filters beyond the stated change intervals. The word is that whirlpool air purifiers will begin to vibrate a bit when a clogged HEPA needs changing. Whirlpool pre-filterA charcoal pre-filter catches larger particles ahead of the main filter. Pre-filter change is recommended 4 times annually. Each pre-filter will last for about 3 months depending upon the environment and are sold in two packs. Users report that replacement can be delayed beyond the "red light" time by watching the color. When new, prefilters are black, and they change to a light gray when dirty. I am in the habit of using polyester-carbon prefilters beyond their life as "odor" filters, since I don't rely on these for chemical or odor protection. Whirlpool warns not to wash out and reuse prefilters, but at least they are cheap, $5 for 3 months. The hardest part is remembering to order them ahead of time. Watch out for marked up prices on replacement filters.
The main drawback is the lack of chemical and odor cleaning capacity.
Three manual fan speeds allow for noise control, since Whirlpool AP25030R is a bit loud for normal conversation on high. Users report low noise levels on the first two speeds.
Using only 39 watts of electricity on high yields a frugal dust CADR/watt ratio of 3.46. This earns these air purifiers an EPA Energy star rating.
Whirlpool AP250 is a bit boxy at 19" high by 14" wide by 10" deep. It reminds me of the radiator of a 1932 Ford "Deuce Coupe." The Whirlpool Whispure air purifier is designed with air intake through the front, and exhaust at the top, allowing placement against a wall. The 6 foot cord could be longer. Weighing 17 lbs, it is an easily portable middleweight.
A one year limited warranty applies, with the motor guaranteed against burnout for an additional four years. The company guarantees you won't find a quieter HEPA air purifier than the Whirlpool AP25030H within 30 days.
Many vendors drop-ship from the factory, and Whirlpool generally ships within 2-3 weeks. Make sure your seller actually has its own inventory if delivery time is important. This air cleaner should be brand new factory sealed. Watch for low-price-hidden-shipping-charge rip-offs when shopping for Whirlpools.
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: 8 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: 4 of 10, users report weak odor removal. 3. Quality construction; case, gaskets, seals, and precision fitting eliminate bypassing and assure high efficiency at filtering sub-micron particles. Score: 8 of 10, Whirlpool purifiers well built for price area. 4. The air cleaner design maximizes the lifespan of each air filter stage by allowing independent filter replacement. Ideally this is combined with electronic filter monitoring. Score: 8 of 10 5. Cleaners have long filter life, low maintenance requirements, and reasonable operating costs. Score: 7 of 10, customers gripes about filter change a weakness 6. Purifier produces low noise levels and meaningful air flow rates relative to noise. Score: 8 of 10, no sound citations published, users say it's quiet. 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, warranty good 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: 8 of 10, good value in lower end of price range, around $160 or less. This yields about 1.0 CADR/$. For comparison, Honeywell 50250 gets 1.42 CADR/$, priced in the same range. 9. No dirt; unit and manufacturer should be devoid of class-action suits, high returns, recalls, consumer complaints, and legitimate negative consumer reviews. Score: 8 of 10, manufacturer not air quality specific 10. Unit is stylish, portable, comfortable, and convenient for consumer use. Score: 8 of 10, boxy, no electronics. Air-Purifier-Power Numeric Rating; 75, good value at $160 and less.
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