The BlueAir Filter Problem 

Given BlueAir's position in the industry and their extensive marketing, and now the negative coverage from multiple people, you'd think they'd want to get to the bottom of this. I still haven't had a single issue with mine, but I don't run them all day, and I'm in the middle of the burbs with clean air.

Really like the new opening sequence. Let’s hope blue air comes around...

Here is an idea: take one of the sour filters, a cheap 20x20 inch fan, and duct-tape the filter to the fan. This will force air through the filter. If the sour odour persists, then the issue is exclusively with the filter; otherwise it could be the motor in the filter generating ozone or overheating due to poor airflow.

Ignoring your messages is not acceptable. I'd bundle the whole lot back to the company for a full refund.

After reviewing your video's regarding the BlueAir Carbon Filters; I firmly believe the manufacture has a major problem with their product design. From your description and other complaint posting it indicates the filters are not up to standard and should last at least six months to a year depending on use. BlueAir know they have a problem and refuse to address the situation, "personally I would not invest in such deceptive advertisement".

Hi Fran. I can't comment on your filters as I don't know anything about them, but I would like to say that it's terrific to see you in an "up" mood and 'Franting'. I was worried about you after your previous video in that you seemed so "down". This video is the Fran we know and love! I hope you are able to get some resolution to your filter problems - and soon. We want you healthy and enjoying working in the lab, not feeling 'blue and having to chase down solutions to problems that you shouldn't be having in the first place! Hang in there and best of luck and good wishes to you.

I have an original 600 model, purchased back in 2006. I have never used the smoke filters, and I've never had any issues. The model I have doesn't have any kind of ionization ability: Air in, Filter, Air Out. I purchased mine when I found out that they were used by the hospitals in New Orleans to clean the air after the hurricane flooding. I've been very happy, and have considered getting a newer version for the ionization features. I think I will be waiting another year or two until this gets resolved. Thank you for the videos, and hope all goes well!

Since you suspect this smell is acidic, if you had some pH indicator paper in your lab, you could tape a tiny strip over an outlet, and another as a control on top of the fan unit say, and _just maybe_ in a few days/weeks it may show some signs - I know it's liable to be very weak, but if you could show more positive evidence of low pH, that might raise the interest from BlueAir a bit, up to 'level 1' say ? :o) Just brainstorming here Fran :o)

Motor windings getting hot? You mention low air flow so back pressure on the motor will be high.

Can you team up with a university lab or something to analyse the saturation of the carbon pellets in some way?

So happy to see a back to normal video! I’m so excited for more rants

I bought a 605 based on your recommendation and my own requirements. Bearing in mind I'm using the standard filters and not the activated carbon ones, it had a bit of a smell to it to begin with which I chalked up to manufacturing processes. It wasn't pleasant but it eventually went away. I'm glad I didn't spend the extra cash on the carbon filters! At present it seems the biggest problem is that I'm now a lot more sensitive to allergens when I go outside as just getting groceries yesterday was enough to really irritate my throat.

I would hazard a guess that BlueAir was inundated with thousands of complaints around the time of their offer to replace your filters for free, so they decide to just ignore all the complaints and pretend everything is fine with their product.

When you and Dave were discussing these filters way back when I had my doubts. Fast forward to today I'm sorry to hear that you're having all these issues. I was going to buy 6 of these machines for my place and I am so relived I didn't. I've never really had good luck with these Hepa machines, regardless of manufacturer, my most recent one pumps ozone into the air and I ended up tossing it in the trash.

Please considering reporting your problem with Blue Air to Consumer Reports. They have evaluated air purifiers and posted ratings on their website. Many of the CR's reader and subscriber comments mention a terrible smell coming from the filters. Heck, you could even submit this video to them for reference.

I bought a Blueair classic 605 last fall and had to return it because it was producing a strong odor. To me it smelled like ozone, or metallic. I didn't buy the fancy carbon filters, just used the standard particle filter. So Fran, you are having a better experience than I did - I couldn't stand the smell even with the regular filters. I was disappointed that I couldn't own a magical machine that makes the air clean (especially given that neighboring towns tend to burn down and pollute the air, in the summer, here in northern California, lately), but I was happy that I could return it and get my money back. I would so much love to have an air purifier with only washable filters. When fire season comes around this year, maybe I'll buy a box fan and slap a HEPA filter on the intake side.

Thanks very much for the info, I was just about to pull the trigger on 2 units, I will be researching an alternative. I hope you are on the mend. Keep up the great work.

Sooo glad I searched and found this. Ironically, I watched one of your videos prior to me purchasing my blue air classic 280 and the smaller room version. I too, had filter with funny smell..I too got replacements and had same smell. I was told it might be the carbon. I too....have has respiratory irritation. I think that these machines are emitting ozone or other vocs....I placed my air quality montior on it and it WENT CRAZY. Shot right up to over 2000ppb. Turned the machine off and it started to go down. I think they need to be looked into.

Hi Fran - the timing of your video is perfect. I had mentioned in your previous video comments that in my lab the activated carbon filters also become sour. Today I installed a fresh filter, and within an 8hr work day (with very little solvent use), it started to smell sour. At this point I am certain this is a quality issue with the activated carbon. All of my filters are manufactured in China. I suspect most of the world sources their activated carbon from China for cost reasons. It is possible that BlueAir is using this carbon as well and thus you are experiencing the same problems that I am.

I was just about to buy 2 bluer machines and you talked me out of it LOL Customer service is a must for me! I really love the no ozone and I love the look but cannot afford no service. thank you so much:)

Thanks for the update. I was strongly considering buying a BlueAir because of pollen, but I really can't be bothered dealing with a company who can't offer good support. I'll pass and keep an eye out for another brand.

I got some activated bamboo carbon fiber bean bags last year. Instructions are to place them in direct sunlight for a day or 2 once a month to reactivate them. Suggest you try that, what have you got to lose. If it works you'll be back in business. Love your videos, keep it up.

I noticed the same type of smell with a set of BlueAir Smoke Shop filters. Shame on BlueAir for ignoring your complaint. Thanks for the great video.

Designed for a Lead Guitarist. Fan Speed: 00=Off, 01=Low, 10=High, “11=ELEVEN” Smell: New filter= Bar/Smoking Lounge, Used filter= Bar/Smoking Lounge.

Thank you! I was on the verge of buying from them. I started developing pollen allergies last year at 30 and thought these could be a solution...not now, I'll wait and see how this plays out.

Every avenue I can imagine has been covered by others in the comments. I just want to say I'm pleased to see you looking and sounding much healthier and composed. Some recent videos were quite alarming for how laid low you were. You're cool, you're clever, and you're sweet. Please hang in there Also that was some impressive tongue action in the outtake! 😊

Wow! You are definitely feeling better. Big difference in your energy level and your outlook. Hang in there, baby! We all love ya!

I have seen green algae growth on an activated carbon filter from a car! I don't know how or why but it was definitely there, I was considering the use of Automotive activated carbon filters for a DIY setup because they are inexpensive and available everywhere. Definitely much cheaper than what blue air are asking for! Shouldn't be too hard to make, just a box with a fan (could possibly use the thermo fan which is used to cool the radiator with a speed controller because those things can really move air around LoL) and lastly the filters! If timber is used for the enclosure, you can paint it or give it a few coats of high gloss polyurethane to bring out the beautiful timber grain... You could probably even use the intake filter as a particle block just before the activated carbon filters.. they are also cheap and come in various sizes and shapes... And it would cost you less for the complete DIY setup than what you paid for just one filter!

The groove, she is back! Yeah!

Spending all my time now working from home, I've been interested in a filter for my home office. Was looking at Blue Air, as I trust you and Dave -- I still trust you and Dave, but not Blue Air! I'll keep looking. Hang in there and stay safe!

Thanks so much for this video. Not am I only having this problem. But it’s actually dangerous. I’ve noticed bad tinnitus since getting this purifier, and other symptoms that have resided since I stopped using the air purifier.

What will you bet that the filters are being made under contract in China using cheaper materials than the company specs require.

What a fabulous simple intro to the video Fran. Keep that - its good :)

I was wondering if their "no-ozone" was possibly depending on the activated carbon eliminating the ozone? The other thing worth trying to check is the plastic materials in the units, including any frame of the filters. If the ions and/or ozone attack them, the plasizisers might suffer. THEN, and maybe even more -- do they have some silicone RTV in their seals. There are the two kinds, as you probably know. One is humidity curing and the other one uses some sort of acetic acid reaction...Some polyurethane also can "de-cure", turning into nearly a fluid. I have had two unpleasant experiences of that, although I don't recall any acidic smell. But the acetic acid curing smell of silicone RTV is unmistakable.

I am sure you looked into this but if not any way to turn of the electrostatic part to see if that is causing a reaction?

Do the carbon filters come in a vacuum sealed bag? I'm thinking, if the vacuum is gone, the carbon might already be spent, so to speak, if they for example have been sitting on a shelf for a few months.

I would highly recommend assembling a carbon filter system from generic components, preferably with a carbon filter that can be refilled with loose carbon. Any product that uses proprietary filters and where you cannot replace a failed component will be substantially more expensive to buy and maintain, and may simply become useless if any part of it is no longer suitable for your needs. The Blueair systems appear to be designed for basic domestic, low-demand applications. I find the integration of wi-fi connectivity on such a basic product to be quite telling about their priorities. I would recommend foregoing the electrostatic filter and just getting a cylindrical HEPA filter, an inline centrifugal fan that can accept speed control, and a cylindrical carbon filter with some thickness to it. Such a setup is easy to assemble since it is all inline cylindrical fittings and having a filter on both sides of the fan dampens the noise, if the fan is still noisy you can wrap some acoustic foam around it covering up to the filters. Most large carbon filters can be refilled even if they were closed with rivets, just be sure the carbon you are getting is appropriate for efficient air filtration, there is little difference between different carbons other than the efficiency, the fine extruded carbon tends to be appropriate. If you still want electrostatic filtration I believe a dedicated unit would be a better choice than a combined unit, there is little benefit to operating a carbon filter in series with an electrostatic type, and the benefit of any sort of filter after an electrostatic filter is not massive unless the machine is actually using the filter material as the electrostatic precipitation plate which I doubt is the case here.

Any mileage in sharing carbon filter part nos/datecodes/place of manufacture/other data with Dave Jones' and the Dutch blogger's versions ? They may be different filters from yours of course, but maybe some telltale fact might drop out of the data bucket ?

I’ve had my for about 6 months and haven’t had any issues as of yet . This is very interesting to me

I use activated carbon to filter laser cut PVC fumes, it works very well and filters out the muriatic acid produced in the process perfectly. The activated carbon will have a different odor profile with the time, however, it does not mean is producing acid or something of that sort. It will be interesting to see the usual composition of the air inside your lab to see if there is anything specific that is causing the problem, but it's not something activated carbon usually does.

Hi Fran, Jessica here from the Blueair team. Very sorry to see that we've made your problem video series. I've connected with our Customer Experience team, and they will reach out to you shortly if they haven't gotten in touch already. I want to reassure you (and your viewers) that our intension was not to ignore your emails. Our Customer Experience team has experienced a huge influx of calls and emails over the last few months. While we've taken steps to ensure all customer inquiries get addressed in a timely manner, it appears that was not the case with your emails. I completely understand your frustration here, and I'm very sorry for that.

I've had problems before with mold or fungus growing on or in industrial activated carbon air filters. I do not know if this was caused by a contaminated filter or just the environment.

Well, my purchase decision has been delayed (or deleted)...thanks Fran!

I do hope that BlueAir does the right thing here. If they don’t, you might want to look into the IQAir products. I’ve been using them for about a decade and have had good experiences. Filter replacement cost is a hefty (factor that into your decision, certainly), but they work well and are certified for air exchange volume. Good luck!

Hi, I've worked a lot with AC, and can tell you that 1. it might simply be growth of bacteria in the media it self. 2. You can purchase loose AC granulates and fill them in your self, the media is very cheap. 3. It is expected for these consumer based products not to be up to commercial standard, a 6 week run time of the AC is expected, i can run it for a 2 week period with 2kg of granulates at 80m3/h and get smell to penetrate the AC bed around that time. Big beds of AC is recommended and consumer based filters rarely have that.

Back in the 80's I worked for General Air a well known filtration company in Darby Boro outside of South West Philadelphia. We serviced many large companies and facilities such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The HEPA style pleated filter with a carbon filter built in will reduce flow on any system due to the tighter air restriction. Activated carbon filters have been known to produce strange smells when new but this generally goes away, usually if an activated carbon filter is emitting a foul Oder continuously, it's a sign that it is in need of replacement. Since your filters are rather new you may have a batch of bad activated carbon. You can remove the carbon in these filters and still use them as HEPA filters minus the carbon function. It's very hard to cheat on manufacturing a HEPA pleated filter, but very easy to cheat on the carbon portion. They could be using improperly treated carbon or even mixing used carbon with new. When preparing carbon filters they simply remove old carbon and replace with new, so it's possible something dodgy took place in the manufacturing.

I bought a Blue Air 411 when my husband had covid. Dr. friend suggested it and told me where to place in the room and open the window. This was in July, in Arizona. Very hot! I had it six months, worked great and bought a new carbon filter from Amazon, but it was a Blue Air, and replaced it and it quit working. Since it was Covid, when I reached a guy there, he said he would just send me a new machine and normally,, I would have to return the first machine, but to not worry about it. I received the new machine and it has been working great. I run it 24/7. I replaced the first filter in December, then at the end of May. Within two weeks, my filter Indicator turned orange. I tried contacting them to no avail. I purchased a new filter from Amazon and installed it yesterday. It is working great. So....I did receiving great customer service during covid, but now, no one has reached out to my email. The filters are now $79.00 from 59.00 and I am wondering if it is worth keeping the machine or replacing with a different brand.....advice would be welcome. Thanks!

These filters are in some way similar to car air conditioning filters: you can find standard or carbon activated ones, from different sources and different origins. Smell source can be first associated with mold, but it's also a common problem with glue used to assemble it, or other chemicals that may compromise integrity. You could choose a local (US) supplier of filters for industrial use, you can always find one that will be pleased to sell you some stuff, and their high performance materials are not that expensive. Best filters are not necessary carbon based, and can integrate a lot of different technologies, from HEPA to diatomea, to silver coated glass beads to extra fine cellulose... Anyway, you can also fight bad smells and PH air balance with the old trick of baking soda, aka sodium bicarbonate, you can dispose in little containers like dishes in front of all ventilator or air filtering machine. It's a pH neutralizer and adsorbant that costs nothing if you buy it in quantity, a 25kg bag top quality can be ordered from Amazon for a few bucks. This works well in fridges, cars, and has many other uses as mild sanding agent, disinfectant, toothpaste, bleaching agent,...and baking powder! You can measure the air pH with a glass of distilled water that will catch contaminants (and check it with swimming pool pH tips), but your nose is best detector: if it stinks, there's a problem! Another point to check is correct grounding of these air filters, as static charges, ionizing agents or ozone can only be neutralized if an adequate discharging plate or grid is correctly grounded. You can notice such things as contact springs in air conditioner filters, and check if present. Most serious air filters also need a special maintenance, and a simple filter change is not sufficient. It's also difficult to find a sustainable system that mix high performance and cheap engine and filters. The sole fact that you loose a great amount of initial air flux with these "bad" filters also means both are not correctly calculated, as you must keep a minimal cfm flux to be efficient! A bad filter lot or a change in the supply policy of a company is always a bad sign. The way these are treating the problem is also indicative of a failed business plan: sounds no good if they face a boycott! The ideal is to find something integrating generic industrial filters... Or at least some alternate solution like car air venting filters (cheap and made by specialists), or filters from other manufacturers you can modify! There's no risk of guarantee loss if your nose tells it works...

i know one blueair 215 is not a problem for ozone..but what if i have 2 units in one room ? I asked Blueair.. but didnt really get an answer

I’ll be very honest. I have 3 units and they are awesome. I had an issue with one and customer service responded to my email in one day and had a replacement at my house in less than a week. Im going to buy one more Thai week

I've bought a Blueair 405 because of Dave. I'm using a huge amount of Isopropanol here and don't have this problem with my Smokestop-Filter yet.

I agree with the comments pointing to the overloaded motors. One question: Is this a duel voltage appliance, either with an input switch or able to automatically handle 115 to 250 volts?

If it is ozone, it will be the "electric" smell you find around old style photocopiers. In some places, it is the smell after a thunderstorm. Run the machine, then take out the filter and smell the duct upstream from the filter. If you smell it there it might not be from the filter itself. Maybe, let the filter sit out for a while (15 min+) and smell it. If you can't smell anything, that might rule out mold. Reducing the amount of ozone in the air is a reasonable claim. 2O(3) + 3C -> 3CO(2) is the likely reaction. If there is ozone being generated and there is a leak, the ozone might not be destroyed in the filter. If that happens, you won't smell anything in the filter after waiting. It's possible that this a defect from the filter manufacturer.

Your experience is very interesting, and very informative.thank you! Especially between particules and active charcoal ( anti smoke) since I am in uk, who’s reducing the air flow. What’s make the machine inefficient! We thought to buy the blue air 411 as we have quiet a big space and carpet in a room. It’s is a appartement rent so not much solution. But know it make me want make more research as it cost quite a bit. I am very curious now to know what’s is the different between particules and active charcoal. And amazingly the miss leading information or non information with all these ozone machine or oil machine who’s supposed to be healthy we’re it’s not at all! In huge city like London , New York , who’s very high pollution. These information are still today lacking transparency, to allowed corporate to make money despite of the health of user! Thank you

My first night using BAir 211 with reg filter I thought I might need the ER. Starting with intense sneezing right away and progressed to burning sensation in my lungs. I thought I might have COVID but no I did not. Immediately returned unit to Best Buy. Still coughing 48 hours later. I did smell something like electrical right from the start and was a bit concerned but decided to try it in my bedroom that first night. One review on Amazon thought it might be Ozone although company prides itself on educating public on the dangers of that. This product recommended by Good House Keeping and has won every award there is. Now I'm concerned if lungs are permanently injured. I am feeling better today than yesterday. I would love someone to take machine and filters apart and let us know what's going on. This machine is dangerous. PS I don't have respiratory issues. Thank you for this video.

I couldn't sort out the BlueAir story so excluded it in my search, ending up with an Austin Air. Impressive performance overall.

So far I've been happy with the Holmes (WalMart) "large room" filters...they have a basic foam large-particle filter, an oder pre-filter, and HEPA main filter, I've not noticed any significant smell and they have 4 speeds (plus off) so you can find a balance of flow vs noise. Originally got them for an apartment with heavy smokers below us and now use them in a rental home for dog/allergy elimination. As far as I know, they don't have any ionizer/ozone generator stuff, just a motor and plastic squirrel cage fan and enough of a PCB to show a "quality" LED graph which I think is really just an hour-counter. I have occasionally noticed the Filtrete carbon oder filters leave an odd smell (used on box fans or in the central air) but it isn't consistent which makes me wonder if it's something to do with a reaction of "stuff" in the air and the filters? In my case it's infrequent and mild enough I don't worry about it.

Thanks Fran for this info. Because of my COPD I am considering an air filtration system. With the way they responded to you, ( and the absence of ) this company is off the list.

WOW Fran I love the new intro!!

Thank you for making this video.

Excellent info Fran !

It used to be smoke stop in the US as well. Just recently they changed it to the dual protection.

I worked in carbon for filters company once. Buy the tons. I say that worker or in shipping to filter factory had something spilled or strong chemicals place near the carbon. So they where made and no one knew about it. So corporate has COVID problems with money and can’t afford a loss as big as this. So denial is not just river in Egypt.

I bought a 200 series machine several years ago and did not experience any issues with the initial filter. Then I purchased replacement filters which emitted the most foul chemical odor upon opening the package. I left the filters to “breathe” thinking maybe the packaging had caused the odor. The chemical smell took on a life of it’s own over the course of a week- growing to the point of filling a 1200 square foot area and causing severe migraines. I repackaged the filters and contacted BluAir after seeing others had reported the same issue. I never received a response from BluAir and was forced to discard the rather pricey filters after the stench continued to overpower the space and I could no longer bear the discomfort. I now have an expensive machine which I cannot use and I would certainly never recommend BluAir to anyone.

Do not worry about a messy lab, you should see my lab, spent half an hour looking for a bobbin of solder which was right in front of me, oh and to make matters worse the lab is also a temporary kitchen where I have to try to cook my food.

This is really interesting - I bought two BlueAir filters about two years ago and had no trouble with them, but about six months ago I bought new filters and they immediately started pumping out a stale sweaty smell. BlueAir has replaced the filters twice at their own expense but they still stink. They must have changed something because the filters I used to buy didn’t have this issue. Bummer. For what it’s worth to anyone reading this now, I’ve had terrible luck with their customer service via email but have had great luck with calling them.

I don't know if this will help I had the same situation with 2 activated carbon filters for my furnace that gave off a really sour smell the first time was the carbon filter was old is apparently it was old stock and because of that they activated carbon filter was used up just sitting around the second time it happened I had a furnace repair guy come out and it turned out my fan speed was not fast enough to push the air through the carbon filter I don't know if it'll help

i've used the Blueair Blue 211+ and two 411 for a few years now. I've never had a single problem from either model.

I wanted to buy an "air washer" for my bedroom, to try and address brutally-low humidity in the winter months (and dust). Then, I saw the prices... I ended up getting separate units: a large-reservoir cool-air humidifier (with humidistat) and a Honeywell "medium room" HEPA filter. Granted, my bedroom is 8' X 10', but MAN can I breathe so much better when I sleep! I change the activated carbon pre-filters every 6 weeks, despite being rated for 3 months, because they clog up too quickly. (The carbon is still effective and the room's air still smells fresh at this point.) I know this doesn't exactly relate to the BlueAir, as obviously a $60 "medium bedroom" consumer unit is nothing compared to a high-end machine - but the Honeywell filters don't get a sour smell, and when paying for a premium product at a premium price, the consumer should get premium performance. If my filters don't stink, yours shouldn't either. In your position, I would not be pleased at all with the product, OR their customer service.

Having a combination HEPA - activated charcoal filter doesn't seem such a great idea to me as one could last longer than the other. I don't know about activated charcoal air filters but when used for water filtration if not replaced when spent they can dump everything they've collected. In this case though I'm thinking it's a problem with the glue being used. Maybe just take the filter out and use the HEPA only for a while then try the combo filter again.

I guess there is a sensitivity component: some people smell it and some don't. I recently visited a company who builds industrial size activated carbon filters, so the stuff was lying everywhere. I didn't notice it until I entered the small office which was kept at a slight overpressure to keep dust out; the air was filtered as well and there the same sour smell was immediately apparent, to the point I had to leave after a few hours. The owner and co-workers didn't seem to be bothered by it.

The negative reviews and discussion I've seen on this topic appear to point the finger at badly processed 'coconut carbon' in the filter. The only way to know for sure what is happening to the filter is to get some testing done to see exactly what it's out-gassing.

I just bought a blueair and it works perfectly with the HEPA filters with carbon granules + there are no odors. In fact, the rooms smells fresh and clean after a few minutes, unfortunate that you went through this experience.

Excellent working

Glad to hear this about BluAir because they are the most expensive of room/house air cleaners. Not getting my business-I went with Winix.

Hi Fran long time lurker on your channel did finally get around to subscribing, love your content and your different take on things not full of marketing product placement crap like so many bloody other channels. such a breath of fresh air excuse the pun lol. from reading the comments etc a couple of things stick out, because it appears the filters are made in different countries the problem could be the manufacturing source . If the filters are genuine ones then as you did sending the manufacturing batch numbers etc should allow the company to locate the source etc. The problem i see here is maybe you alerted the bean counters / higher miss management to a serious problem that would cost the company a large amount of money to re-call and replacement. standard practice is to fob off ignore and give you the marketing merry go around. Blame every one else for the issue usually the end user, and currently the wonderful human malware, as the problem for lack of response etc .Lots of folks have suggested buying filters from other countries to try and narrow down the issue, that great if the components are relatively cheap but in this case the prices seem over the top. Why not put your large amount of skills and expertise to use and make your own version of the filters that way you would have complete control over every thing, If successful you could sell them with the FranAir label lol. sorry for the long winded message look forward to following the trails and tribulations further

Do you have the facility or lab to send a part of a soured filter to to figure out possibly what the sour smell is coming from?

I have the experience with 'humidifying' air filters and coolers, that they will take in dust, and that will over time make them smell sour. The carbon filters should themselves not form a smell, but once they get a certain level of moisture, they will be a good breeding-ground for mold an fungus. A sour smell would indicate an acidic component, but that might be part of the filter material. I would hypothesise that the air-flow through the filter is uneven and that you have an AC close by, that cycles on/off. That would allow the filter to cool down when the AC runs, accumulate water when the AC is off and the humidity rises, and store some of the accumulated water in the regions of the filter that does not get good circulation. I daresay that the carbon filters were an afterthought of BlueAir, not a part of the base design. A simple test would be to place a filter in direct sunlight to dry completely and see if the situation improves.

I'm probably wrong. I'm completely guessing it's humidity and mold. Curious if the problem clears up when used with a dehumidifier or in the winter. Good luck, Fran.

Oh no... I have a philips air cleaner and I recently stood over the exhaust vent and noticed a weird smell and remembered your video, it is that vinegar like smell... but I only notice it if I stand right above the exhaust vent, don't notice the smell in the room itself, I just took out the pre filter for cleaning again and sniffed on the activated carbon filter and it has a very noticable vinegar-like odor to it... now I don't know if I should change it or not as I do not notice any smell in the room as such.

I love the opening title

Could it be the glue or the bleaching liquid they use on the filter material

Hi we work with carbon filtering one problem is moisture level and the sour level sounds like it. The ozone before carbon filter bacteria on the input side and carbon filter will neutralise the ozone if grounded. So if you have a humidifier this will cause a problem. Tell me about it

According to the EPA, "ozone may also increase indoor concentrations of formic acid (Zhang and Lioy, 1994)", if the manufacturer is falsely claiming no ozone is produced, this may be your odor source.

I have been running air purifiers of multiple brands for many many years, I think the problem you are having is that with the dual filters with active carbon are causing the motors to pull much harder, and as these filters begin to filter out particles they begin to pull much harder making the motors run warm, I think the smell is coming from the insulation in the fan motor. I experienced this same sort of problem a few years ago with another brand purifier. My fall back is always to my tried and true whirlpool whisper, kenmore progressive air purifiers - filters are reasonable and the darn things just keep going and going and going.

I can't find any images of the actual electrostatic precipitation grid of these anywhere, is there any chance you could get some images of the inside of it? I know a lot of ionisation air purifiers have a grossly ineffective or even non-functional system and I would be interested to see what this one looks like.

Glad I found your video, I was considering purchasing this product but their response (or lack of) is a real turn off. I'd be ok if they owned up to it and made it right, every company has it's hiccups but to just ghost you, nope, I won't buy their product.

have you tried IQ air ? they seem to do a great job . but the first units i got i had a smell like what you have but when i changed out the carbon filters everything is fine now it seems that the filters that come in the IQ air are not sealed and had all the Wearhouse smells but the replacements are sealed and have no smell i even tested my room air with a laser particle counter to see if they work like IQ air says and they do

Also, make sure that all plumbing vents are well sealed and that the plumbing vent to the roof is not blocked. That’s a classic. If sinks or toilets drain slowly or gargle a lot, that’s a good sign somethings wrong with the vent.

Have the 605. No smells, but had the same problem with the 50% less airflow with the charcoal filters and I was pissed. Now I use one charcoal on top and the particle filters on both sides. Not optimum, but I can live with it.

They used to call it the smoke stop filter in the US. I've had my 203 a number of years and it wasnt until then last couple years did they start calling it dual protection

The air purification business is full of companies making junk. I would stick to Honeywell or 3M.

I recently bought a Pure hepa filter. I have experienced an increase in headaches right away. I've limited the ues of the filter to a couple hours during the day. I'm thinking the uv-c is to blame. Fewer and less intense headaches so far.

I've got an smartair blast, no issues, little noise, even at max power. Abd you should always use air quality meters, to actually monitor the efficacy

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, activated charcoal was originally steamed. Is there a chemical process for activation?

If you haven't already, you might consider pursuing a charge dispute via your credit card issuer. Some allow disputes two years or more after the fact for things like product quality and warranty issues, etc. Good luck!

Is there an update to this issue? Thinking about buying one D:

One possibility is the filters have removed and are holding something like a mold inside the filter. As a test, place one of your filters in an oven say 150 to 275 degF for an hour. this should kill any plant growth or mold infestation. If the smell goes away, this could indicate the problem. Good luck!

Really good work

Fine carbon particles (as small as soot from diesel exhaust) have a distinct sour smell. I'm wondering if what you're smelling is carbon particles coming from a defect in the filter manufacturing...