Austin Air Purifier FAQs
Here are the questions we hear most about Austin Air purifiers. Don\'t see yours? Email us at contactus@usairpurifiers.com, and we\'ll be glad to help.
Choosing and Setting Up Your Austin
Which Austin Air purifier is right for me?
It depends on what\'s in your air and how much space you need to clean. Every Austin has medical-grade HEPA, an all-steel housing and a 360° intake. What changes from model to model is the filter media inside and the size of the unit. Our Which is Best for Me? tab compares every model side by side, or email us your room size and what you\'d like to filter, and we\'ll help you choose.
I just received my Austin. What now?
Take it out of the box and plastic bag, unwind the power cord and set the unit on a flat, dry, stable surface at least 4 inches from the wall, with the air vent facing away from the wall. The filter is already in place. Plug it in, run it on high for at least an hour, then turn it down to a speed you\'re comfortable with. Be sure to register your purifier with Austin Air, since the warranty calls for it.
Where should I put it?
Full-size units and Juniors go on the floor, anywhere in the room, corners included, as long as they sit at least 4 inches from the wall. The "it" goes on a tabletop or desk. The cleanest air is closest to the unit, so place it near where you spend the most time. If you have just one, Austin recommends the bedroom, and keeping the door closed helps it keep up.
Should I leave it on all the time?
Yes. Austin purifiers are built to run 24/7, even while you\'re away, so contaminants don\'t have a chance to build back up. Most people run theirs on low or medium day to day and turn it up to high when they want to clean the air faster.
Which fan speed should I use?
Low and medium are quieter and work well for everyday use, and high moves the most air. When odors or chemicals are your main concern, medium gives the carbon more time with the air passing through it, as long as the unit still cleans faster than new contaminants come in.
How much space will it cover?
Full-size Austins (the HealthMate, HealthMate Plus, Bedroom Machine and Immunity Machine) are rated for up to 1,500 sq. ft., and the Juniors and the "it" for up to 750 sq. ft., based on an 8 ft. ceiling. The "it" does its best work close to you, on a desk or nightstand. Think of these ratings as the most a unit can cover for general air cleaning: higher ceilings, open floor plans, heavier contaminants and how sensitive you are all change the picture. Allergy and asthma clients often aim for 3–7 air changes per hour, and heavy VOC or smoke areas may even call for 10–12. It\'s best not to undersize, since a unit can always run slower but can\'t go past its top speed. Our Air Changes per Hour Calculator is a good place to start.
How loud is it?
On low, every Austin runs below 50 dB. Full-size units are 52 dB on medium and 62 dB on high, and the Juniors and the "it" are 60 dB on medium and 67 dB on high. On the higher speeds, the sound is a steady white noise that some people like to sleep with.
How much electricity does it use?
On the high setting, a full-size Austin uses up to 147 watts, and a Junior or the "it" up to 82 watts. The 120V units plug into a standard wall outlet. Plug it straight into the wall, since Austin says not to use an extension cord.
Is there an app or Wi-Fi?
No. Austin keeps it simple, with a 3-speed switch and nothing to program or update. Since the units are made to run around the clock, there\'s no schedule to set.
Filters and Care
How long does the filter last?
The main filter is designed to last up to 5 years with normal residential use. Heavier loads use it up sooner, such as many pets, new carpet, fresh paint, heavy smoking, sawdust, soot, city pollution or a fume-heavy space like a photo studio. On the "it" with VOC Carbon Wrap, the wrap lasts about 3 months.
How do I know it\'s time for a new filter?
An unpleasant odor coming from the unit\'s air vent usually means the carbon is full, and a big drop in airflow usually means the HEPA is full. Sign up for our free Filter Reminder Program, and we\'ll email you when your filter is due.
How do I change the filter?
All you need is a Phillips screwdriver, a pair of work gloves and a large trash bag. Turn the unit off, unplug it and set it upside down on a soft surface. Remove the four screws on the bottom cover, lift out the old filter and pre-filter and bag them. Put on the new pre-filter with its seam lined up with the power cord, set in the new filter with the "top (motor side)" label down, then screw the cover back on tightly. Turn the unit right side up and run it on high for at least an hour. The same steps work for every Austin, and you\'ll find a filter change video on our Video tab.
What upkeep does it need?
Very little. With the unit unplugged, vacuum the outside screen with your vacuum\'s brush attachment about once a month, and wipe the other surfaces with a soft, damp cloth. A new pre-filter comes with each replacement filter, and pre-filters are also sold separately if you\'d like a fresh one in between.
Can I wash the filter?
No. Austin says washing or cleaning the filter voids the warranty and can cause injury, so replace it instead. The "it" VOC Carbon Wrap isn\'t washable either.
Can I switch to a different Austin filter?
Yes. All standard-size Austin filters fit all standard-size units made in 1996 or later, and all Junior filters fit all Junior units. So when it\'s time for a new filter, you can choose the one that fits your needs now, such as moving a HealthMate up to a HealthMate Plus filter for chemicals. Filters for the "it" fit only the "it." See all of our Austin Air replacement filters.
I have an Allergy Machine or Pet Machine. Can I still get filters?
Yes. Austin doesn\'t make those units anymore, but it still offers the Allergy Machine, Pet Machine and Allergy Machine Jr. filters as replacement filters. And since standard-size filters fit all standard-size units and Junior filters fit all Juniors, you can also move to any current filter of the same size, such as the HealthMate, HealthMate Plus or Bedroom Machine filter, or the HealthMate Jr. or HealthMate Plus Jr. filter for a Junior. For a unit made before 1996, Austin recommends the Allergy Machine filter. Email us your model and what you\'d like to filter, and we\'ll help you pick.
Why does the label on my unit say HM400 or HM200?
That label is for the electrical certification (CSA and UL), which covers the unit\'s body and electrical parts. Every standard-size Austin reads HM400 and every Junior reads HM200, because the bodies are the same within each size. The filter inside is what makes a unit a HealthMate, a HealthMate Plus, a Bedroom Machine or another model.
What\'s Inside
What makes it medical-grade HEPA?
HEPA is a dense, pleated filter material made to capture very small particles. Austin rates its HEPA to capture 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.3 microns and 99% down to 0.1 microns. Full-size units have 60 sq. ft. of it, the Juniors 30 sq. ft. and the "it" about 10 sq. ft.
What do the carbon and zeolite do?
HEPA traps particles, but gases, odors and chemicals pass right through it. That\'s the job of the carbon bed. Austin starts with coconut shell activated carbon, whose porous surface adsorbs gases and odors, and blends in zeolite, a natural mineral. The HealthMate Plus models mix in potassium iodide-impregnated carbon for formaldehyde, benzene and other VOCs, and the Immunity Machine adds impregnated carbon and impregnated zeolite for the widest range of gases.
What is HEGA?
HEGA stands for High Efficiency Gas Adsorption. It\'s a military-grade carbon cloth, with carbon woven into the fabric for a very large surface area. Austin uses it in the Bedroom Machine and the Immunity Machine for extra help with chemicals and gases.
Do Austin purifiers produce ozone or ions?
No. The filtration is purely mechanical, so nothing is added to your air: no ozone, no ions and no other byproducts.
Are they a good fit if I\'m sensitive to chemicals?
The housing is steel with a baked-on powder coat finish, so there\'s no plastic housing to off-gas. Austin says its only plastic parts are the fan blade, wheels and control knob, and that no varnish is used on the motor windings. The HealthMate Plus models do contain potassium iodide in their carbon, so if you have multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), email us before you choose, and we\'ll talk it through.
Why doesn\'t Austin use UV lights?
Some air purifiers add ultraviolet (UV-C) lamps to help disinfect the air. Austin Air took a different approach: a large medical-grade HEPA filter paired with a deep bed of carbon and minerals, all inside a steel housing. An environmental specialist engineer explained the reasoning in a letter to Austin Air. Here\'s a summary of the points.
- UV needs the right dose: UV-C lamps are many times stronger than sunlight and can disinfect when they\'re used properly, but it depends on the dose, meaning the lamp\'s intensity multiplied by how long the air is exposed. That takes slow enough airflow and enough bulbs.
- Bulbs fade: UV output drops over time, and bulbs can fail early. They need regular monitoring and replacement to stay effective, which adds cost and potential repairs.
- Even coverage: lamps need metal reflectors to spread the light evenly.
- Wear on materials: high-intensity UV-C can break down plastics, wiring, filter media and other non-metal parts, and it can create chemical by-products, including unstable free radicals. Exposed surfaces have to be designed to resist that damage and to keep people from being exposed to the light, with far-UVC bulbs as the exception.
- Cost and care: UV adds to both the purchase price and the upkeep, and the delicate bulbs have to be handled carefully and never touched with bare hands.
- HEPA does the capturing: HEPA filters are built to trap airborne particles, including the hardest-to-catch 0.3-micron size (99.97% in DOP testing), and to hold on to what they trap.
The engineer\'s conclusion was that adding UV lights to HEPA air purifiers like Austin\'s isn\'t warranted. UV can still play a useful role in purifiers designed around it, where air moves slowly past the lamps for longer exposure. If you\'re weighing a UV purifier against Austin\'s HEPA-and-carbon approach, contact us and we\'ll help you compare what fits your space and your needs.
Why don\'t Austin units show a CADR rating?
Austin doesn\'t take part in the AHAM CADR program. It publishes airflow and filter details instead, which is why our pages list estimated CFM. Austin\'s view is that a short test in a small room doesn\'t reflect a purifier running around the clock in a real home.
Warranty, Shipping and Ordering
What\'s the warranty?
Austin backs every unit with a 30-day money-back guarantee, a 5-year limited warranty on the motor, fan and other working parts (register your unit with Austin and keep your proof of purchase) and a 5-year pro-rated filter warranty. If a filter is used up before 5 years, Austin discounts a new one based on how long the used filter was in service: 40% off the retail price for up to 2 years of use (35% for the "it" HEPA filter), 30% for 2 to 3 years, 20% for 3 to 4 years and 10% for 4 to 5 years, plus shipping. Call Austin Air directly at 1-800-724-8403 (not US Air Purifiers LLC) for your pro-rated price. Each replacement filter comes with its own pro-rated warranty, too. The "it" VOC Carbon Wrap isn\'t covered, and warranties apply in North America only.
How long will my Austin last?
With regular care, for many years. Austin reports that some of its earliest units are still running after more than 30 years.
Do you carry 220V models?
Yes. The HealthMate, HealthMate Plus, Bedroom Machine, HealthMate Jr. and HealthMate Plus Jr. come in 220V versions. Type the plug type you need in the ordering instructions at checkout, and we\'ll contact you if it\'s missing. Warranties apply in North America only, so overseas orders have no warranties or returns.
Do the units have wheels?
Full-size Austins roll on casters. The Juniors don\'t come with casters, but an optional caster set is available in their options, and the "it" is a tabletop unit.
Where are Austin purifiers made?
Austin Air has handcrafted its purifiers in Buffalo, New York, since 1990.
Still have a question?
Email us at contactus@usairpurifiers.com with your question, room size and what you\'d like to filter, and we\'ll get back to you. Email is the quickest way to reach us, or you can call (888) 231-1463.
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