Q. Can Biozone Air Purifiers be run 24 hours a day?
A. Biozone Air Purifiers are designed to be run continually, 24 hours a day, with no need to monitor them. In many instances the pollutants in your indoor space can be adequately addressed by running the unit part time.
Q. What kind of maintenance is involved on Biozone Air Cleaners?
A. Biozone Air Purifiers are virtually maintenance-free. On the smaller units (models 500, 1000) there is nothing to maintain unless the device is located in a very dusty or smoky area, then we recommend opening the unit up once in a while and wiping off the ultraviolet lamp with a soft cloth. Some accumulations on the bulb (i.e., chemicals from tobacco smoke) may require rubbing alcohol to remove. On our larger units (models 2000, 3000, etc.) the small stainless steel mesh filter on the back of the unit may accumulate dust and may need to be rinsed under the faucet occasionally.
Q. Are there filters that need to be replaced?
A. There are no expensive filters to be replaced on Biozone Air Purifiers. By comparison, HEPA filters can cost from $60 to $120 a year to replace. In Biozone units, all that ever needs replacement is a special ultraviolet lamp that should be replaced annually, at a cost of approximately $36, depending upon unit size
Q. How expensive are the units to operate?
A. The average operating costs for a Biozone Air Purifier are about 3 to 4 cents per day. Our unique SafeVolt Technology is efficient and economical; by comparison, some air filters can cost $10 - $30 a month to operate, plus the cost of replacement filters.
Q. Since Biozone Air Purifiers do not rely on air filters, how do they clean the air?
A. Biozone Air Purifiers clean the air in 2 ways, inside and outside of the unit. Air inside the purification chamber is exposed to intense germicidal UV (UVGI) light that produces a purifying plasma. This destroys bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other pollutants (including unpleasant odors). This 'ultra-pure' air then carries the purifying plasma and its purifying results to the air and surfaces throughout your home or office. See the Technology section for more details on the synergistic components of this purification process.
Q. How effective are Biozone Air Purifiers on tobacco or cigarette smoke?
A. There are two components to tobacco smoke: 1) The smoke itself, which is actually an airborne particulate mass; and 2) the chemical fumes and odors. Biozone's negative ions and photoelectrons help remove the smoke particulate from the air, while the highly active oxygen atoms and purifying hydroxyls that make up the Biozone Purifying Plasma actually neutralize the chemical fumes and destroy the odors. There should be a noticeable improvement if the right sized unit is employed. It should be noted that a more powerful or larger unit is recommended for use in dwellings with cigarette or cigar smokers.
Q. Will the unit remove smoke and other odors from clothing furniture?
A. Yes, but depending upon how saturated the fabric is, it may take anywhere from 1 to 48 hours.
Q. Do the units work to get rid of mold and mildew?
A. Yes. The ultraviolet light will kill mold spores that enter the unit, and the purifying plasma that is circulated by the unit is also fungicidal, meaning it will kill fungi like mold and mildew.
Q. Do these units produce nitric oxide?
A. Since Biozone units use UV light to produce ozone, and not the corona discharge method, no nitric oxides or contingent substances are produced.
Q. How does ozone work?
A. Nature creates ozone (O3) with lightning or UV light from the sun. Our Biozone Air Purifiers use a patented UV lamp. Naturally occurring or generated, ozone is possibly the greatest purification element we have available to deal with man-made pollutants.
Q. How do negative ions work?
A. Negative ions have been linked directly and indirectly to better health. Negative ions have been shown to increase oxygenation of the lungs and lower complaints of general aches, pains, lethargy and depression. Additionally, investigators at the EPA have shown how particles charged by combining with negative ions tend to attach to grounded surfaces such as ceilings, walls, and floors. This electro-static attraction effectively removes otherwise inhalable airborne toxins (nitrates, sulfates, auto emissions and more) from your breathable air.
Q. Are some people over-sensitive to ozone?
A. About 2% of the population do exhibit hypersensitivity to ozone, to varying degrees. Even the extremely low levels of ozone present in our purifying plasma may produce symptoms of over-ozonization in these individuals.
Q. How will a Biozone Air Purifier work with other filtration or air cleaning devices I already use?
A. It is a great idea. The different units will only compliment each other, reducing the contaminant load on each unit and making each more effective than if used alone.
Q. Is there any research supporting the effectiveness of Biozone Air Purifiers?
A. In addition to volumes of research supporting the use of ultraviolet light, ozone and other active oxygen atoms, hydroxyl radicals, negative ions, and plasmas in air and surface purification, Biozone has independent test results to support the effectiveness of its units.
Q. How can I tell if the Biozone Air Purifier is really working?
A. This depends on your individual circumstances. Concerning the elimination of unpleasant odors, improvement could be noticeable within minutes - or results could take several hours. People with allergies and hay fever should see a marked improvement in a very short period of time. People with animals in their homes should also be able to notice a dramatic reduction in pet odors within hours. Many health benefits, however, are less overt and can only be noticed and evaluated over longer periods of time. Sometimes, though, people do not report a difference in their air when using one of our purifiers. In these instances, what happens is that people become so accustomed to an odor or quality of air that they don't even realize that their home or office has an odor - they've simply gotten used to it. With these people, there is often no 'shock' of immediate improvement that they can ascertain. And, as the unit begins to work, they also adjust to the steady improvement in air quality.
Q. Since Biozone Air Purifiers do not rely on air filters, how do they clean the air?
A. Biozone Air Purifiers clean the air in 2 ways, inside and outside of the unit. Air inside the purification chamber is exposed to intense germicidal UV (UVGI) light that produces a purifying plasma. This destroys bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other pollutants (including unpleasant odors). This 'ultra-pure' air then carries the purifying plasma and its purifying results to the air and surfaces throughout your home or office.
Q. What makes Biozone's Air Purification Technology better than others?
A. Biozone has developed an exciting technology we call PureWave, the unique synergy created by combining germicidal ultraviolet light, purifying hydroxyls, activated oxygen, and photo-ionization purification technologies.
Q. What's a purifying hydroxyl or hydroxyl radical?
A. Hydroxyl radicals occur naturally in our atmosphere. They are formed when an oxygen atom (O1, usually released from the ultraviolet breakdown of ozone, O3) pulls a hydrogen atom (H) from water vapor (H2O) to form the radical (OH). This hydroxyl radical is 1,000,000 times faster at oxidizing pollutants in the air than ozone, which is 3000 times faster than chlorine, making them the most effective method of destroying mold, bacteria, and viruses available. Biozone's proprietary process produces large volumes of these powerful air cleaning agents with only a very small amount of ozone.
Q. How do Biozone air purifiers compare to other ozone generators / negative ion generators?
A. Biozone air purifiers do not use glass plates like other negative ion and ozone generators. As a result, they do not require maintenance, and do not produce nitrogen oxides like air cleaners that do use glass plates. Nitrogen oxides can result in a "metallic" or "bleach-like" odor. These oxides can also serve as a minor lung irritant if occurring in high enough concentrations. Biozone Air Purifiers, instead, use a safe, regulated, low voltage control system to power a highly tuned ultraviolet lamp. The energy emitted from the lamp, both induces and naturally limits the creation of ozone, generates purifying hydroxyls, negative ions, and a cold gas plasma.
Q. Is a Biozone air purifier better than a HEPA air filter?
A. First and foremost, a HEPA air filter is simply that, a filter. It can only remove particles as small as 0.3 microns from the air that passes through it, while Biozone® units can remove particles as small as 0.01 microns from the air in the purifying chamber as well as the air and surfaces outside the chamber. HEPA filters are fragile glass-fiber filters that must be replaced when dirty. Maintenance on the Biozone Air Purifiers is as simple as rinsing the air intake screen and wiping the bulb with a soft cloth when needed.
Q. How long is the warranty for your Biozone Air Purifiers?
A. All units come with a 1-year limited warranty.