Air purifier

jlmarta

Has anyone tried a Csonka Smoker Cloaker or any other Csonka air purifier? And, if so, what's your opinion of them?

I just looked at a Smoker Cloaker on Amazon.com and saw that they're not legal for shipping into California. Wonder what's up with that.?

J.S.

I had looked at them a while back. I did not get one because I smoke outside and the need is just not that great for the price. I did not know that they could not be shipped to CA that is intersting. However, I went with a Lampe Berger which also purifies the air and leaves a fragrance that the wife likes. It does purify not just cover which was what I wanted and sounds like what you are looking for to.

jlmarta

J.S.:

I had looked at them a while back. I did not get one because I smoke outside and the need is just not that great for the price. I did not know that they could not be shipped to CA that is intersting. However, I went with a Lampe Berger which also purifies the air and leaves a fragrance that the wife likes. It does purify not just cover which was what I wanted and sounds like what you are looking for to.

Thanks for the input. I'm still researching this and it appears that some or all of the fruitcakes in our state legislature have decided that ozone is dangerous to our health and have banned ozone-producing devices. At least that's my take on it at the moment. I may learn more that may change that opinion - we'll see.

Tell me more about the Lampe Berger....

90+ Irishman

jlmarta:

J.S.:

I had looked at them a while back. I did not get one because I smoke outside and the need is just not that great for the price. I did not know that they could not be shipped to CA that is intersting. However, I went with a Lampe Berger which also purifies the air and leaves a fragrance that the wife likes. It does purify not just cover which was what I wanted and sounds like what you are looking for to.

Thanks for the input. I'm still researching this and it appears that some or all of the fruitcakes in our state legislature have decided that ozone is dangerous to our health and have banned ozone-producing devices. At least that's my take on it at the moment. I may learn more that may change that opinion - we'll see.

Marty, thanks for making a thread of this, it is something I am currently researching for the (hopefully) soon to be built lounge come this summer. Very great idea and thread, thanks for doing this! Great info too, and keep me updated my friend

J.S.

Here is what I have found after reading a lot on it.

Berger was a pharmaceutical dispenser in the 1890's and he hated the smells of the hospital and morgues. The molecules that cause foul odors are inherently unstable and the Berger fragrance lamp's speeds up the decomposition process, converting odor molecules into harmless substances (such as carbon dioxide and water).

Some research later seems to argue that the catalytic process can also effectively eliminate up to 85% of bacteria in a room for up to 30 hours, after initial operation has stopped.

This information is not well documented but even so the point is that this guy realized that bad smells (e.g., old tobacco) have unstable molecules that can be broken down quickly. It works great. I have even smoked inside with an aromatic pipe tobacco and got away with it (I should say only once)!

jlmarta

Hmmmm! That's interesting. I'll look into it a little further as an adjunct to my Csonka research. Thanks very much, J.S.

laker1963

jlmarta:

J.S.:

I had looked at them a while back. I did not get one because I smoke outside and the need is just not that great for the price. I did not know that they could not be shipped to CA that is intersting. However, I went with a Lampe Berger which also purifies the air and leaves a fragrance that the wife likes. It does purify not just cover which was what I wanted and sounds like what you are looking for to.

Thanks for the input. I'm still researching this and it appears that some or all of the fruitcakes in our state legislature have decided that ozone is dangerous to our health and have banned ozone-producing devices. At least that's my take on it at the moment. I may learn more that may change that opinion - we'll see.

Tell me more about the Lampe Berger....

Ozone is harmful to your health in high levels. There is Ozone in the air all around us but purposely introducing it into an area at levels higher then background levels can be harmful if the levels raise too much. You need to regulate how much you use and be able to determine how much is present in the room you are smoking in. It isn't that it can't be done safely, but you do need to learn about safe limits and how to regulate it in the air to use this method safely.

JDH

After about a month or two of research, I chose to use a blueair air purifier: http://www.airpurifiers.com/products/blueair/403.htm They are pricey, but for something like this, you get what you pay for.

jlmarta

JDH:

After about a month or two of research, I chose to use a blueair air purifier: http://www.airpurifiers.com/products/blueair/403.htm They are pricey, but for something like this, you get what you pay for.

Thanks for this. You're right, they are a little pricey but not unrealistically. But isn't 27 - 51 dBA a tad noisy?? where do you keep yours in relation to where you're smoking? Can you watch tv comfortably at the same time?

JDH

jlmarta:

JDH:

After about a month or two of research, I chose to use a blueair air purifier: http://www.airpurifiers.com/products/blueair/403.htm They are pricey, but for something like this, you get what you pay for.

Thanks for this. You're right, they are a little pricey but not unrealistically. But isn't 27 - 51 dBA a tad noisy?? where do you keep yours in relation to where you're smoking? Can you watch tv comfortably at the same time?

I've taken over a spare upstairs bedroom. The air purifier sits on a shelf about 4.5' off the ground in the opposite corner from where I sit, on the same wall with the TV. The room is about 10' x 12', so the air purifier is about 11' away from the TV. It's acceptable, considering that I also have a window exhaust fan right next to my chair, at my right hand, going at the same time, and in the dead of winter, when the temp falls below 20 degrees I'll also have a portable electric space heater going, because I will shut off the heat vent to that room, and isolate it from the central heating/cold air return for the rest of the house.

Granted, I'd much prefer to just be able to freely stroll around the house, but that aint happening any time soon. This beats the alternative, which is going out to the garage when it's 4 degrees outside. No thanks.

JDH

http://www.air-purifiers-america.com/default.asp This is a pretty good resource for researching air purifiers.

jlmarta

JDH:

Granted, I'd much prefer to just be able to freely stroll around the house, but that aint happening any time soon. This beats the alternative, which is going out to the garage when it's 4 degrees outside. No thanks.

Right! I hear ya. We don't get that cold out here and I have a recliner, heater, lamp, coffee table, and an electric warming plate out in the garage to keep my coffee warm but my ultimate goal is to be able to sit in the living room with my toddy, my stogie, and the evening news on the tv. I may not achieve that, but that's what would make me a happy camper in the winter. And an air purifier might be the answer.

JDH

Correction

I've got the Blueair 203, not the 403.

My bad.

JDH

jlmarta:

JDH:

Granted, I'd much prefer to just be able to freely stroll around the house, but that aint happening any time soon. This beats the alternative, which is going out to the garage when it's 4 degrees outside. No thanks.

Right! I hear ya. We don't get that cold out here and I have a recliner, heater, lamp, coffee table, and an electric warming plate out in the garage to keep my coffee warm but my ultimate goal is to be able to sit in the living room with my toddy, my stogie, and the evening news on the tv. I may not achieve that, but that's what would make me a happy camper in the winter. And an air purifier might be the answer.

You might want to talk to a reliable HVAC contractor. It's amazing what the right amount of money can do.

Krieger

I use an air purifier that has 2 filters that sit in the front to pull out dust and stuff... so i replaced said filters with charcoal and baking soda filters, and have a small bowl of baking soda sitting in front of the intake vent, and another near my ash tray.

I cant remember the brand name, but ill have a look when Im home. I used to use an ozonator, but ozone is TERRIBLE for you and I began having insane headaches and my lungs burned when I first walked into the room... sure, you couldnt smell smoke any more, but you could smell ozonated death... I prefer my current setup. After about a day, you dont smell much of anything, and if you burn a candle or have those wax cubes that melt above a heater source, you cant catch a trace of smoke at all, and it smells like whatever you used.

I have also been smoking inside daily for about 4 months now, and have found a nice trick to get any lingering smells off the walls and floors. Get a bucket of warm water, add a touch of soap, and like a cup of ammonia. Mix it all up and use a soft sponge to gently wipe the walls and surfaces. Work in sections, maybe doing a 4'x4' section at time. Let it soak for a minute or two, then towel dry. The slight bit of ammonia seems to bind to the smoke and nicotine smell and the soap makes the whole solution cling to the wall much easier, thus allowing it to get work done without scrubbing and possibly messing up the pain.

Thats just what I do every few months. I found out this solution when we first moved into this house. The previous owners were chain cigarette smokers and the walls were YELLOW. We first tried water and soap and it didnt do anything. Then I just dumped some ammonia based cleaner into my soapy water bucket and scrubbed away. Within about a minute, the soap was dripping down the wall... and it was a goopy, brownish yellow. After two passes my walls went from a deep dark yellow to white with no trace of smoke smell any more.

Of course I painted over the walls anyways with some KILLZ, then latex paint, but it seems to still work incredibly well, and its cheap as crap.

JDH

Krieger:

I use an air purifier that has 2 filters that sit in the front to pull out dust and stuff... so i replaced said filters with charcoal and baking soda filters, and have a small bowl of baking soda sitting in front of the intake vent, and another near my ash tray.

I cant remember the brand name, but ill have a look when Im home. I used to use an ozonator, but ozone is TERRIBLE for you and I began having insane headaches and my lungs burned when I first walked into the room... sure, you couldnt smell smoke any more, but you could smell ozonated death... I prefer my current setup. After about a day, you dont smell much of anything, and if you burn a candle or have those wax cubes that melt above a heater source, you cant catch a trace of smoke at all, and it smells like whatever you used.

I have also been smoking inside daily for about 4 months now, and have found a nice trick to get any lingering smells off the walls and floors. Get a bucket of warm water, add a touch of soap, and like a cup of ammonia. Mix it all up and use a soft sponge to gently wipe the walls and surfaces. Work in sections, maybe doing a 4'x4' section at time. Let it soak for a minute or two, then towel dry. The slight bit of ammonia seems to bind to the smoke and nicotine smell and the soap makes the whole solution cling to the wall much easier, thus allowing it to get work done without scrubbing and possibly messing up the pain.

Thats just what I do every few months. I found out this solution when we first moved into this house. The previous owners were chain cigarette smokers and the walls were YELLOW. We first tried water and soap and it didnt do anything. Then I just dumped some ammonia based cleaner into my soapy water bucket and scrubbed away. Within about a minute, the soap was dripping down the wall... and it was a goopy, brownish yellow. After two passes my walls went from a deep dark yellow to white with no trace of smoke smell any more.

Of course I painted over the walls anyways with some KILLZ, then latex paint, but it seems to still work incredibly well, and its cheap as crap.

Make sure whatever soap you are mixing the ammonia with has NO BLEACH or bleach products in it, as that will produce mustard gas, the same poison gas used in WWI.

Krieger

I was assuming most people would know this already, but yes, If your soap for whatever reason has bleach... you probably shouldn't even be using it anyways. lmao

jlmarta

J.S.:

Here is what I have found after reading a lot on it. Berger was a pharmaceutical dispenser in the 1890's and he hated the smells of the hospital and morgues. The molecules that cause foul odors are inherently unstable and the Berger fragrance lamp's speeds up the decomposition process, converting odor molecules into harmless substances (such as carbon dioxide and water). Some research later seems to argue that the catalytic process can also effectively eliminate up to 85% of bacteria in a room for up to 30 hours, after initial operation has stopped. This information is not well documented but even so the point is that this guy realized that bad smells (e.g., old tobacco) have unstable molecules that can be broken down quickly. It works great. I have even smoked inside with an aromatic pipe tobacco and got away with it (I should say only once)!

So, if I understand correctly, you've used this in smoking a pipe once only but not with smoking any cigars - is this right? How well do you think it would work smoking cigars regularly - say, once per day?

kuzi16

JDH:

Correction

I've got the Blueair 203, not the 403.

My bad.

is the 403 not able to be seen because it violates the terms of service or by user request ?








an invisible air purifier would be sweet.

jlmarta

kuzi16:

an invisible air purifier would be sweet.

The Csonka Original Air Care Purifier (500+ sq.ft.) is small enough to be almost invisible, though. It could sit on the table next to my chair and do its thing. Just wondering about the negative effects of the ozone that I've been running across. Still, according to Csonka, the output of ozone has been tested and measured at well below OSHA standards. Anything you can tell me about this aspect, Kuzi? Even opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

J.S.

jlmarta:

J.S.:

Here is what I have found after reading a lot on it.

Berger was a pharmaceutical dispenser in the 1890's and he hated the smells of the hospital and morgues. The molecules that cause foul odors are inherently unstable and the Berger fragrance lamp's speeds up the decomposition process, converting odor molecules into harmless substances (such as carbon dioxide and water).

Some research later seems to argue that the catalytic process can also effectively eliminate up to 85% of bacteria in a room for up to 30 hours, after initial operation has stopped.

This information is not well documented but even so the point is that this guy realized that bad smells (e.g., old tobacco) have unstable molecules that can be broken down quickly. It works great. I have even smoked inside with an aromatic pipe tobacco and got away with it (I should say only once)!

So, if I understand correctly, you've used this in smoking a pipe once only but not with smoking any cigars - is this right? How well do you think it would work smoking cigars regularly - say, once per day?

Yes, I smoked once in the house while the wife was out. She has a nose that will pick tobacco out but I thought it would be worth the headache to know. She never said a word so I know she never picked it up. Now a cigar is very different from a pipe to be sure but the key is that you will light the Lampe after you are done. I don't know how well it would work to be honest but it will kill just about anything that is not chemical. I used it in the closet after smoking a cigar with the wind in my face, the smell remained on my shirt and I thought it would be an issue if the wife caught wind. Anyway, long story short a 20 min. run time in our walk in closet and not a word about it. Still different from smoking the whole thing in the house and then lighting the Lampe (I don't have the desire to do that yet it is just not worth the hassle if she could pick it out) but it has kept the "so you smoked last night" down completely.

JDH

kuzi16:

JDH:

Correction

I've got the Blueair 203, not the 403.

My bad.

is the 403 not able to be seen because it violates the terms of service or by user request ?








an invisible air purifier would be sweet.

Well, for the price they want it shouldn't be seen! But my 203 does a very good job.

J.S.

OK, so I thought, why not try a stronger tobacco inside? So I have just finished a large bowl of straight VA. I smoked in my office, widows down no vents until it was nothing but a thick blue haze. Then I walked from there to the living room where the Lampe was already running. Smoked there for the rest of the bowl. I also walked to the kitchen and made a small pot of coffee in the process. After the smoke I made a cup of tea and went outside to let my head clear. When I came back in I could smell nothing but the Lampe, except in my office. I have the Lampe now in the office. We will see what the wife says when she gets home. If this goes unnoticed I might step it up and try a full lat. blend. I will let you know the outcome later tonight.

jlmarta

Cool. I'll be watching for progress updates. Thanks very much.

J.S.

Not one word! Sometimes you never know, if she had caught the faintest little whiff she would have waited until the kids went to bed but nothing. She was even in my office for a few minutes tonight. So it worked great. Now, I have to admit that I had the Lampe burning for about an hour and 45 min. so it was a longer burn time then I would normally do but she is none the wiser.