REME HALO Air Purifier Review

In our REME HALO air purifier review, we let you know how it stacks up to similar products.

Note: This article was updated in March 2020 due to many requests from clients concerned about the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Coronavirus – COVID-19 health crisis has increased demand from Phoenix homeowners for air purifiers, air scrubbers & air filtration systems. Use the search tool on the homepage of this website for the term “air scrubber” for more information. The Air Scrubber Plus is a similar air purifier that’s very effective in killing pathogens as well.

 

We Install REME HALO Air Purifiers in Phoenix, AZ Area

Full disclosure, Magic Touch Mechanical sells & installs the REME HALO Air Purifier. However, we sell competing air purifier brands as well, so each of them gets a fair shake. It’s important to me that we only sell products we currently, or would, use in our own homes. The REME HALO Air Purifier makes the list.  Frankly, we recommend home air purifiers because the technology is proven to destroy contaminants in the air and on surfaces. It’s important to state that none of the air purifiers we install provide 100% protection from every contaminant. However, as you’ll see in this article, they are 99% effective in destroying many deadly contaminants. Combined with good filtration, sealed ductwork and clean ducts, you and your family will have a cleaner & healthier home.

 

Air Scrubber’s Installed in Magic Touch’s Offices in Mesa, AZ

If you’re a regular reader, you know we’re not only fans of air scrubbers (purifiers), we use them ourselves personally. We have multiple air purifiers in use at Magic Touch’s offices in Mesa, AZ as well as in our training room. In fact, I have both air purifiers & HEPA filtration systems in my own home. In my previous home, I used both the Air Scrubber Plus and MERV 11 hospital-grade filtration. Recently, I installed 2 Lennox Pure Air Purifier Systems in my new home. The Lennox Pure Air Purifier combines both the UVC Light air purifier & MERV 16, 4” HEPA air filter in one.

 

I’m in the “High Risk” Group for COVID-19

Part of the reason I’m passionate about clean indoor air is; I have lung disease. My lung disease is part of a larger group of lung diseases known as Interstitial Lung Disease. Anyone with asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis or similar respiratory issues understands respiratory infections are especially dangerous to us. Most people who are unlucky enough to contract the Coronavirus would just feel “blah” for a couple of weeks. However, for people in the high-risk category, we’re learning it could actually prove fatal!

 

Will an Air Purifier Kill COVID-19?

To be clear: I cannot and am not claiming that the REME HALO, Air Scrubber Plus, or another air purifier kills COVID-19. I updated this article during this time to educate people on how these products CAN help keep us stay healthier. While these products have been proven to kill some very deadly viruses, COVID-19 is too new and not one of them. More studies need to be conducted. However, one study suggests concentrated ozone treatment could eliminate SARS which is in the Coronavirus family of viruses.

“Given the advantages of strong oxidizing power, good penetration capacity and no harmful residues left after the treatment, ozone is recommended to be used in disinfection of SARS-contaminated environments.” *

Do Air Purifiers Produce Ozone?

Not all air purifiers produce ozone. In fact, some air purifiers, like the Lennox Pure Air Purification System, actually destroy ozone. Only air purifiers that use “charged ionizers” produce ozone. Some air purifiers are available in both ozone producing and non-ozone producing models.

While all charged ionizers produce ozone, they produce low-level amounts. Magic Touch Mechanical uses specialty ozone-generators that produce high concentrations of ozone – mostly to remove smoke odors from homes. When we do one of these ozone “shock” treatments, all occupants and pets must be out of the house. Whereas, charged ionizers release relatively low levels as mandated by government guidelines.

These devices basically trickle ozone into the air at levels deemed safe according to US regulations and guidelines. Most advertise that you’re exposed to similar amounts of ozone when you’re outdoors as ozone is naturally occurring. The smell after a rainstorm is actually ozone. In fact, many say people say their air purifiers produce the same smell, while others don’t smell anything.

Bottom line: Don’t consider an air purifier to kill COVID-19, consider it to help keep your immune system from further compromise. I use air filtration and air purification personally to help my immune system be as strong as possible all the time. This way, if I contract a virus of any kind, my immune system is stronger when I need it most!

 

How the REME HALO Air Purifier Works

The REME HALO air purifier is installed into your home’s air conditioning or heating system ductwork. Through a process known as oxidation, the REME HALO produces Hydroperoxides that are circulated through your ductwork and into your home. As children, when we were sick with a respiratory infection, our mothers would put a vaporizer in our room to help us breathe. It was common for her to put a spoonful of Hydrogen-Peroxide in the vaporizer to disinfect the air. The REME HALO works similarly but using the HVAC ducts for circulation – can work in every room in the house.

In technical terms, oxidation is defined as the losing or the giving up of an electron. In this case, it’s the chemical reaction between molecules and the oxidizers that are produced by the REME HALO purifier. Oxidation is a proven method to attack and destroy VOC’s, bacteria, mold, & viruses, however it must be controlled. Moderation is the key. Think of the REME HALO as the Commander and the Hydroperoxides as the soldiers. The Commander controls the soldier’s movements.

Additionally, the charged plasma found in the REME HALO prompts particles to stick to each other making them bigger, so they get stuck in your air filter. Many contaminants, such as viruses & bacteria are much smaller than the particulates that your air filter can trap. Even the best air filters on the market only catch particulates as small as 0.3 – 0.5 microns. For this reason, air purifiers such as REME HALO work best when combined with a high MERV, hospital grade HEPA filtration system.

 

Does the REME HALO Work?

People write me and ask if the REME HALO really works. Before I answer, I must establish my credibility on the matter. I have three decades of experience specifying, designing, and installing ventilation, purification, and filtration systems in Arizona homes. I hold a multitude of licenses and certifications in HVAC, Indoor Air Quality, and Building Science.

Under my leadership, Magic Touch Mechanical has become a nationally recognized and awarded HVAC & Home Improvement Contractor. We (Magic Touch) do not manufacture a product. What we “sell” is our knowledge, experience, and service. The products we install are merely a recommended part of a solution for our clients’ needs or wants. Our recommendations come from a culmination of our experience and knowledge in comfort, air quality and home efficiency. For that reason, I won’t sacrifice our brand or reputation by installing products I don’t believe in.

Lastly, if you look around our website or other materials, you’ll see the following all over it:

“Improved Comfort. Lower Bills. Cleaner Air.” It’s right there on our home page because it’s our specialty. Providing “cleaner air” in homes is 1/3 of what we do!

So, all of that said, yes, I’m more than comfortable saying the REME HALO works!

 

Which Air Purifier is Best?

First, portable or room air purifiers aren’t even in the same league as duct-mounted, aka whole home air purifiers. In fact, if you remember the Ionic Breeze by Sharper Image, you probably remember they went bankrupt because of it. Numerous state Attorney Generals filed suits for false advertising and misleading claims about the Ionic Breeze. Without the power of the HVAC ductwork, room air purifiers are like adding one drop of water to an ocean. I always feel bad for people who have $1,500 invested in air purifiers in each room of their home. I know they wasted their money and aren’t getting the results they’d hoped for or that the marketing department promised.

 

REME HALO vs. AIR SCRUBBER by AERUS

We like both. While both the REME HALO and Air Scrubber by Aerus take a slightly different approach, both are solid contenders. What we really like about both is the fact that they’re both well suited for existing duct systems. Neither the REME HALO or Air Scrubber by Aerus require duct modifications and will work on most homes. Magic Touch Mechanical uses the Air Scrubber Plus in our Mesa, AZ offices. However, not out of preference, simply because the Air Scrubber Plus was around first. Frankly, you can’t go wrong either way.

 

 

REME HALO vs. Lennox Pure Air

The term apples vs. oranges comes to mind when comparing the REME HALO to the Lennox Pure Air Purification System. The REME HALO is only an air purifier, whereas the Lennox Pure Air is both a filtration and purification system in one.

The REME HALO installs easily into any existing duct system, whereas the Lennox Pure Air usually requires duct modifications. Lennox’s system is best suited when installing a new HVAC system. That’s not to say it can’t be added to an existing system as we do it regularly, however there are added costs. As the Pure Air is both hospital-grade filtration and UVC Light purification in one, it’s a better all-purpose air cleaner.

I chose the Lennox Pure Air Purifiers for my newest home as I was already replacing my air conditioning systems. My furnaces are located in the attic and my ductwork was already being modified. Had that not been the case, and I’d been keeping the existing equipment, I’d have gladly installed the REME HALO’s.

 

Air Purifiers in Mesa & Phoenix 

If you live within a 35-mile radius of Mesa, AZ. and would like to install an air purifier – contact us. Providing “Cleaner Air” is what we’ve been doing for almost a ¼ century!

 

 

 

*SOURCE:Ozone disinfection of SARS Contaminated Areas.pdf