IQAir’s Whole-House Air Cleaning System Named “Product of the Year”

Reprinted from Reviewboard Magazine

Editor’s Note: Reviewboard Magazine is one of the world’s largest consumer product review publications. Their reviews are read by over 110 million people in 54 countries worldwide, and Alexa lists Reviewboard.com as the number user ranked online consumer publication in the world. Their reviews can be found at www.reviewboard.com. In this article, Reviewboard discusses IQAir’s Perfect 16.

This year we’ve chosen as Reviewboard’s 2006 Product of the Year a truly remarkable indoor air quality (IAQ) product -- the aptly named Perfect 16. IAQ is not just a buzzword. It’s very important to your health, and so is air cleaning. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists poor indoor air quality as one of the top health risks today. What is even more frightening is that the EPA tells us the air in our homes is often two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. We as a society tend to think our homes are clean because we scrub the surfaces of the counters, floors, dust the ceiling fans, scrub the windows, and wipe down the walls and doors, etc. When we smell that wonderful clean floor, we feel satisfied that our job is done and our family is safe. The reality is, though, that most homes have a hidden form of grime: air pollution. The American Lung Association tells us that 50 percent of all illnesses are caused by poor indoor air quality. The American Heart Association lists airborne particles
as a leading contributor to heart disease and strokes. It’s the air we breathe in our homes that is making us sick. That’s where the Perfect 16 comes in.

The Perfect 16 is manufactured by IQAir. We have talked before about IQAir and their room air filtration products. IQAir’s medical air cleaners are the top systems used in hospitals all over the world to filter particles as small as the SARS virus, and IQAir’s residential air cleaners won Reviewboard’s 2004 and 2005 Editor’s Choice Awards. This year they introduced the Perfect 16, their first whole-house cleaning system, and Reviewboard was given the opportunity to be the very first product review organization to test the system.

IQAir Perfect 16--
The First MERV 16 Rated
Whole-House Air Cleaning System
The Perfect 16 is the first MERV 16 rated whole-house air purifier for the home. MERV is a rating system designed to allow independent testing and establish a universal standard for how well an air filter system works. The higher the MERV rating, the better the air filter. Those pesky furnace filters we are supposed to change every month, but most of us forget to do, rate a MERV 1, which means they essentially do not remove any air pollutants. MERV 16 is the highest possible MERV rating. This means that the Perfect 16 is the most effective air cleaning system available for getting rid of pollutants and allergens (such as pollen, pet dander, bacteria, dust, name it).

The Perfect 16 features four separate filters, which are arranged into a double “V” shape for maximum air flow. IQAir tells us that spread out the filters would cover a surface area of 170 square feet, which is about 50 times more than that of a conventional furnace filter. More surface area and more filter material adds up to more air cleaning power.

The Perfect 16 can clean the air in any size house from small to large. The systems can accommodate homes as small as 1,000 square feet or mansions that are over 20,000 square feet. The Perfect 16 is made out of a virtually indestructible galvanized steel frame with white powder coated panels. It is emblazoned with a red Swiss cross. All IQAir products are Swiss made.

IQAir Perfect 16--
Installation & Operation
The installation has to be done professionally. We contacted an IQAir authorized installer and arranged to have the system installed. The Perfect 16 retrofits into your existing furnace, HVAC/ Central Air system. The installation went smoothly and took the installer team of two HVAC professionals less than a day.

Once installed, the Perfect 16 works silently with your heating and cooling system. It doesn’t require any electricity to operate since it operates on the airflow generated by the existing furnace blower. With the Perfect 16 installed, it’s recommended to set the thermostat to the “Fan” mode. This keeps the fan on and clean air moving through the home even when the heating or cooling is off. This saves you money on your electric bill.

IQAir Perfect 16--Testing Results
The average readings taken inside the home with our Fluke 983 Particle Counter read 535,203 particles 0.3 microns or larger. 0.3 microns is the particle size of something as small as bacteria. One day after the Perfect 16 installation the average mean reading went to 28,150. This was about a 94.7 percent improvement in indoor air quality. (IQAir’s marketing literature states that the average home will experience a 90-95 percent improvement in indoor air quality after installation of a Perfect 16.) That is a big difference everywhere in the house. And we took measurements in every room, the bathrooms, the closets -- everywhere.

The home the Perfect 16 was installed in was immaculate. It looked as scrubbed and clean as a home could be. The hidden element was 535,203 particles per cubic foot floating around the house. Thanks to the Perfect 16 there are now only 28,150. Our instrument was able to verify the filtration process of the Perfect 16 down to the size of particles as small as bacteria. Since larger particles like dust, pollen, and mold were included in the measurement, the Perfect 16 is going to be a big boon for allergy sufferers. This improvement in indoor air quality is absolutely unprecedented. It’s the kind of improvement that can make a real difference in your health and comfort. And we didn’t just see the results on the laser particle counter. We were literally able to feel the difference. The air in the house felt fresh, healthy, and clean.

IQAir Perfect 16--How does it do it?
The Perfect 16 is the first whole-house air filtration system to use Advanced Micro-Fiber Filtration Technology in its filters. These are microscopic threads that are 10 times thinner than the threads used in regular air filters. This lets air pass more easily through the filter mesh, and at the same time the ultra-fine fibers create an almost impenetrable trap for particles such as dust, pollen, and mold spores. And unlike many electrical/electronic whole-house air purifiers, the Perfect 16 produces absolutely no ozone.

IQAir Perfect 16--Cost
So what does all this cost? Around $2,500 USD for the system including installation. In our opinion, well worth the price to keep your family healthy and safe from the pathogens mentioned previously. 

A big plus for the Perfect 16 is that the filters last for three years. That means no pesky filter changes or maintenance for three full years. The cost of a replacement filter set is $295, which averages out to about $100 a year.

IQAir Perfect 16--The Bottom Line
The Perfect 16 is a product that truly deserves its name. In our judgment, it is the best whole-house air purification system on the market. The Perfect 16 is exceptional in its air cleaning effectiveness, ultra-low maintenance, and that it uses no electricity and produces no ozone. It’s a true winner and deserving of Reviewboard’s 2006 Product of the Year.