That chart is very interesting! Made me wonder where they'd put the noise at a rock concert... It has to be deafening level
Thank you Tielfan, you are a constant source of knowledge.
Is the UV light completely innocuous? Do you know what is that Tio2 filter? I never heard of that before.
I was also wondering if 60W is ok. There is a similar model with 45W but has slightly less features and against any logic it costs more.

I'm glad you asked that question. At first I thought TiO2 was a brand name but it isn't. It stands for Titanium Oxide, and these filters are used to create super-oxide ions. This description is supposed to make it sound good: https://www.peakpureair.com/how-tio2-uv ... -pco-works but it sounds pretty scary to me. I wouldn't want to use this filter around humans or birds. Ionizers in general aren't considered safe for birds and their safety for humans is questionable too. This one sounds like it might be worse than average. It would probably be cheaper to buy a true HEPA air purifier that didn't have all this extra stuff added to it.

That article ends with "Nonetheless, one should keep in mind that minute levels of ozone are created during the catalytic free radical generation process, but most PCO purifiers only produce ozone levels in the 0.01 - 0.04 ppm range (0.05 ppm is the maximum level allowed by federal law for medical devices)."

Now, I am a complete ignoramus, but aren't free radicals bad? And if so why this technology is proud to create them?
I don't even want to eliminate anything from the air! I don't believe in sanitising stuff. I open windows every day. I don't use household chemicals, well, very few. I only want a machine that sucks up the dander
This is getting so complicated, maybe the other machine doesn't have all this stuff. I mean this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delonghi-AC100-Compact-Purifier-Filtration/dp/B009DFZIUK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kh_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DB8A0PMEJ6JQWX7J85W
I think it's one model down in the time scale.

Otherwise there is this model
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fellowes-PlasmaTrue-Medium-Size-Purifier/dp/B006DZ2H2A/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kh_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1VJR11THV2GJ6X03T2Y5

It uses a different technology, explained here
http://www.air-purifier-power.com/fellowesap300phap230phreview.html

It's supposed to be safer than the previous one:

"Other oxidizing technologies, notably the photocatalytic methods, can leave partially oxidized byproducts when surface dwell time is too short.
So the two safety strengths of the plasma ion streamer are the ability to permeate the air near the air cleaner and the very short half-lives of the hydroxyls generated.
This local and easily-terminated action makes plasma streamers much safer than the ozone generating "ionizers" (actually electrostatic precipitators, led by Ionic Breeze and Oreck XL) of yesteryear."

At this point I'd like to buy an older model but the older models don't have the ioniser on/off switch independent from the rest.
With everyone molting right now, you wouldn't believe the amount of dust in the bird room, otherwise I would avoid those machines completely. The more I read the least I like them.

Personally I would stay away from all ionizers, oxidizers, and ozone generators and get something that just sucks the dust out of the air. A true-HEPA or HEPA-type air purifier will do that. With true HEPA you'll have to replace the filters periodically, but with HEPA type you might be able to find something with a washable filter. It won't get the super-tiny particles, but tiel dust isn't super tiny anyway.

I ended up buying a Fellowes Aeramax DX55.
I called Fellowes and they assured me that the plasma action could be switched off so I was reassured.
It's got carbon filter and true hepa filter, a sensor that regulates the fans level, and a booster that increases the times air gets filtered per hour.
And the price was decent! Also the sensor has a light that changes colour depending on the quality of the air.

Choosing this bloody machine was such a chore, I hope it will last years and years!
Thank you tielfan for the constant support much appreciated!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Your new air purifier sounds nice! It's been several years since I bought mine and it sounds like a lot of snazzy new features have been added. Now I'm almost hoping for mine to break so I have to get a new one lol. I'm surprised it hasn't choked to death already from all the tiel dust it's sucked in. I vacuum the prefilter a couple of times a week and should really do it more often.

Wow twice a week? When I had the HoMedics air purifier I'd check constantly the dust gathered inside but it wasn't half that bad. That makes me think that it wasn't a good one

I received the DX55 the day after I ordered (thank you Amazon!), and tested it in the living room, which is also my bedroom and Bubu's home.
Immediately checked if the plasma button was there, and indeed it was! So I was able to switch it off and it will stay that way. For what I understand, the older plasma models don't have a switch. More people like me must have requested it because the newer models include it, but it's worth checking first.
On automatic, it chose the lowest fan level but immediately went up when the birds were flying around and when I cooked something in the oven... I guess the smell triggered it.
After a few hours the air in the room was definitely nicer.
I had my doubts about the sensor, but it seems to be testing the air quality pretty accurately.

Yesterday I had a major bird room steam cleaning up, then I moved the purifier there. I was surprised because it chose fan level 1, but as soon as the air started moving it went up to 3 and is still going, with the air sensor light on red. I am not surprised lol, 7 molting birds!
At fan level 1 you don't even hear it, seriously it's that quiet; the higher fan levels are a lot noisier though.

I know this is a boring subject for most people, but I am writing all this just in case someone needs to buy a purifier; there aren't many reviews around that target bird keepers' needs, plus in the UK we don't have as much choice as in the US, unless you are prepared to spend £250+.
All in all this machine seems to be doing its work well, fingers crossed it won't break down within a month

Ive followed all these posts and found it very helpful and interesting..
Thank you both.
I don't use a purifier at all, why I don't know...
Im now thinking should I invest in one?
Watch this space!

If you have multiple cockatiels indoors it's definitely worthwhile having an air purifier to help save yourself from getting birdkeeper's lung, which could force you to get rid of your birds. Cockatoos (including cockatiels) and African greys have powder down so they're extra-dusty birds and it's not healthy for you to breathe too much of that. Other species aren't as bad but they'll have some dander too. The more birds you have, the better it is to get an air purifier.