Ionic air filters- useful or myth?

[daniel_kim4]

I did not know where to post this question but I have been considering

buying a air filter to elimate as much dust as possible first. And

secondly to reduce chemical odor as much as possible too. I'm sure

many of you have seen several infomercials regarding air filters these

days. Ranging from ionic breeze quadra by sharper image, the new oreck

air filter etc. I don't know too much so I don't know if I can trust

these so called miracle cleaners with ionization. I have no experience

with Ionizations. Does it really reduce dust in the air? They are so

expensive too! I have found a couple kenmore ones with the ionic

button option at Sears for like 50 dollars. I would love to hear if

these product really do work and if anyone knows any better ones too

thanks.

[tim_curry]

Daniel,

 

I think this is one of those topics in which there is a chain of causation and a weakest link. I would first check to see if the air handler in the room has a decent filtration system. What good is an ionic filter if, every time the air conditioning or heat kicks in, a cloud of dust is blasted into the room. An ionic filter will work well, but try to look at the room as a system and see where the majority of dust is actually being tossed into the air before you get an additional filter.

[john_shriver]

The ones that emit Ozone -- forget them. Ozone is not good for many photo materials. Like the plastics in resin-coated printing paper!

[lwg]

Look <a href="http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/ABSTRACTS/Fails_Twice.shtml">here.</a>

[jim_malone]

Tim Curry's point is a good one. I've been looking at this issue for my darkroom and have developed the following approach.

 

1. Consider all the sources of dust. You will always bring dust into the darkroom on your clothes, hair, etc. However, the more sources of dust you can eliminate the less dust will be a problem.

 

2. Avoid stirring up dust. Look at your paper and film handling procedures. (I found that I was using a cardboard burning tool that contributed a lot of dust - replaced it with a metal tool.) Even if dust is in your darkroom, if you don't disturb it, it won't be a problem.

 

3. Clean your darkroom. (I hate this one!) However, if you wipe surfaces with a damp cloth, you will pick up a lot of dust and remove it from the area.

 

4. Dust is only a problem if it's on your negative or your paper. Negatives are big generators of static electricity, so look at ways to reduce this. An blast of canned air actually makes the problem worse as it increases the static charge (in a dry darkroom) and blows around more dust. I've had no luck with ionized brushes, but I have found that a small grounded copper strip works pretty well to remove static electricity.

 

5. Increase the humidity in the darkroom. Most tend to be fairly dry which increases static electricity. A small increase in humidity bleeds off static charges from negatives and makes them less likely to attract dust. (However, if you do wet chemistry in your darkroom, this may not be much of a problem.)

 

6. Look at your enlarger. Having a negative in place while you change grade filters runs the risk of stirring up particles inside the enlarger where they fall to (drumroll please) The Negative!

 

Although I have no proof, I think the only worthwhile dust removal systems are HEPA filters. Ionizers generally make things worse and as John pointed out are bad for your materials. Also avoid ones with a UV light - you will quickly learn how sensitive paper is to UV light!

 

Sorry for the long post - hope this helps.

[lex_jenkins]

I've been using a potent HEPA filter, designed for a room three or four times the size of my darkroom. It works extremely well. It's a GE brand, cost maybe $100 at most at Wal-wart.

 

I like this model because I'm not restricted to using only the filters designed for the unit. I can cut multiple layer filters made from different filter types for greater efficiency (a little trick I learned from studying respiratory protection technology as a former OSHA safety and health inspector).

 

We've tried many other similar filters around the house and none of 'em held up for more than a year before squealing and motor burnout set in. The GE is going strong after something like three years of continuous use.

 

Also helps my negatives dry faster through indirect airflow across the ceiling and downward.

[daniel_kim4]

Don't mention it your post was very helpful actually. Some filters i saw had all of the above. UV/Ionic/etc...It would have done major damage or would have been as valuable as a rock. Glad I asked you guys. PS. DOes IONIC equate OZONE? or is OZONE a separate function?

[johndc]

Ionic filters emit ozone. The "ionic filter" is little more than a parallel plate capacitor, which is basically saying that it "cleans" the air by passing it through an electrostatic field. Wherever there is oxygen and static electricity, there will inevitably be ozone.

 

that "clean air" scent you smell after an intense lightning storm is ozone. you can also smell it around the vents on power drills as well as when playing with slot cars (if you can get past the smell of the oil!) :)

[michael_young3]

Lex, which one wins: the open tray of fixer? or the HEPA filter? Does it remove odors from the air? Probably a dumb question...

[lex_jenkins]

Michael, it probably does *some* good but that's not why I put a filter in. The filter is to keep the dust under control, which it does very well.

 

Anyway, as I've said before, I think the hazards of most darkroom chemicals are overrated and there's no need for an exotic whole-room ventilation-filtration system.

[michael_young3]

Understood, Lex. I'm putting in a darkroom, closet really, a few feet from the furnace. I'm using a simple heavy drape as the door, and as yet haven't figured out what to do about ventilation. Come to think of it, the woodshop is on the other side of the utility room. Dust hasn't been a problem in this corner, no doubt thanks to the furnace scavenging everything. Hmmm... That would explain a lot of things, like the fine pervasive dust everywhere else. All the more reason to be concerned about the odors. Any ideas there?

[bill crookston]

As has been stated above - the main time that dust is an issue is when the negive is in the enlarger or scanner.

A technique used in industry is 'just in time' cleaning where the product is cleaned only when it needs to be spotless in the [porduction line.

A product that I use is a tacky roller film cleaner that does just that. Have a look at <a href="http://www.boofey.com/">Tacky Roller System</a> and you see the concept.