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BlueAir 501 Air Purifier

 

The blue air cleaner is quite a revolutionary air purifier if you are knowledgeable about the market. It puts together a series of technologies that work together almost seamlessly. The best part is they use quality products that are top of the line, which leaves little margin for error when it comes to consumer air purifiers. I believe it is a great air purifier that is hard to improve on, but could be done with a few more additions, but that would lead to a change in construction.

The blueair 501 air purifier is the mid-level product for blue Air air purifiers. They have the blue air 402 air purifier, which is part of the 400 series and the blue air 601 air purifier, which is part of the 600 series. The 400 series is the quietest of the three only loses a bit in CADR, and many people love it because of this. The 600 series is the super powerful version with a massive CADR rating. You have to have a need for its pure power. 500 series is of course right in the middle, but the fan speed and noise level are similar to the 600 series, which is loud, and that is a problem for some.

Specifications

In this section, I will go over the specific technologies and performance information about the blue air 501 air purifier. I will give you the information you need to know whether this is the type and size of air purifier you need for your home. Personally, this unit is expensive, but very powerful and should only be used by people that have a high need for allergy relief or medical issues. If you just want to get the dust out of your house, cheaper companies like Whirlpool air purifier and Honeywell air purifiers sell products that will fit your needs and budget.

-Construction

-Electrostatic Technology

-BlueAir HEPA Air Filters

-BlueAir SmokeStop Air Filters

BlueAir Construction

It is funny how much the Blueair 501 air purifier looks like a desktop computer that you would have in your office. I believe that is the feel they wanted so it didn’t look so out of place within your home. Fortunately, it is much easier to use and replace parts within when you need to than a modern computer. The construction of the blue air 501 air purifier is just like the rest and helps to keep the bad air from going around the air filters once inside the air purifier. The importance of this is evident, but it is something that is hard to see just from looking at the outside. The best part is the multi-stage process makes sure every particle is put under stress to be captured once it enters the blue air cleaner.

As you might know, this is developed in Sweden. Operating with the speed settings is simple. You don’t have too many options so you can’t make too many mistakes. I love simple designs on products. One thing that I think they could have done better is the grill’s exterior that air comes through. It is capable of clogging up with large particles, which you will see around 4-6 months in if you don’t wipe the outside of the machine down. It can slow down the efficiency of the device because it is not able to suck in as much air.

One of the easiest ways to tell if you have a good air purifier is by looking at the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). It is on every air purifier now. In the local stores, you will see many that are around 100 and that simply isn’t good enough unless you are trying to clean a small office or a closet. The CADR rating refers to room size it can clean. The blue air 501 air purifier can clean around 500 square feet. This comes out in three different levels (Smoke: 380 CADR) (Dust: 390 CADR) (Pollen: 390 CADR). These are the three top things they rate it on. As you see, 390 is WAY higher than 100. I will tell you why it is so high below when I talk about the technologies.

If you were wondering about the sound problem I mentioned earlier with the 500 and 600 series, let me give you this easy to understand information. The fastest fan speed for the blue air 501 air purifier is 450 cubic feet per minute, which makes 70.5 decibels of sound. The 600 series runs at 500 cubic feet per minute, which makes 71 decibels of sound. In contrast, the quiet 400 series runs at 240 cubic feet per minute, which makes 58 decibels of sound. Obviously, this is a bit difference in sound, which is why people like the 400 series when they have to be around it all the time.

Electrostatic Technology

The electrostatic technology in this blue air 501 air purifier is relatively straightforward. The air is sucked in from the bottom of the blue air cleaner and then comes into contact with the ionic brushes that charged the particles within the air purifier. At this point, the electrostatic air filters come into play. They attract the particles with their charge. The non-quality blue fiberglass air filters you have in your home ventilation system do a similar thing. If you still have those I suggest you upgrade to a high-quality Honeywell HEPA air purifier filter. This is one of the stages of air filtration that blue air cleaners make you go through.

BlueAir HEPA Air Filters

Now I must first say that these air filters are “HEPA-like”, but with the other technologies, they can do the job. With all three technologies working at peak performance, it is capable of removing 99.97% of particles down to 0.1 microns, which is better than “True HEPA” alone. Of course, it takes three technologies to beat the real thing. It is made of polypropylene, which is better plastic than the stuff you read about that is leaking from your food storage containers into your food. It is non-toxic and will not harm humans. Best of all it is not capable of being infiltrated by mold, viruses, and bacteria. If you have ever overused a humidifier filter and seen the growth on it, then you know what I am talking about.

BlueAir SmokeStop Air Filters

These smoke stop air filters are charcoal air filters made specifically for the blue air 501 air purifier. They have activated carbon built into the air cleaner to prevent odors and smells. I believe that the amount of carbon media is not enough to stop odors and smells because it would not last as long as the HEPA-like filter media. Nobody wants to buy another air filter just because the carbon air filter part has run out. In this case, you can try purchasing a separate carbon air filter sleeve and slapping it on the front of the air filter, but it would slow down the air flow a bit. This would weaken the CADR slightly. You can also just buy an air filter without carbon within it, but the price isn’t much different.

BlueAir 501 Air Purifier Conclusion

In the end, this is a great air purifier with lots of technology within it. Between the HEPA-like air filter, activated carbon air filter and the electrostatic technology you have one active air purifier. The construction backs this all up with a tight concealment. Blueair even gives you a ten-year warranty on the product because they believe in that much. I just wish that they had up air filter within it to stop bacteria and viruses cold instead of just letting them get stuck if they are attached to something else. At this point, I could contemplate purchasing this for a genuinely sick person. Otherwise, I would have to push them in the direction of the IQAir air purifier and its quality and performance.