IQAir HealthPro Plus Review

Here at Freshairguide, we like to go back over and check up on some of the air purifiers we reviewed a few years ago, in order to make sure the information we provided is still relavent today.

I originally chose to make this IQAir HealthPro Plus air purifier review as it’s been around for a while and won more awards and high praise than you can shake a stick at!

These are not just some phoney awards the company paid for either. They include:

I also liked the 4-stage filtration system, extensive electronic controls, interesting design, and it’s special noise reduction technology.

The only major downside I could see regarding this air purifier was the price. The unit is exceptionally good, but it’s also one of the most expensive. If you need to filter the air in large rooms, prices of machines that can handle that much work tend to be on the higher side.

Lets see if the hefty price tag of the IQAir HealthPro Plus is justified.

4-Stage Filtrations System

In the past year, IQAir have upgraded the hyper hepa filter inside their machines. They were already among the best out there. Now they suggest that new technologies have allowed them to improve their Hepa filters dramatically. The leading benefit of this is that this new filter can pickup ‘ultrafine’ particles that can measure just 0.003 microns in diameter. Some viruses are incredibly small and this filter is designed to catch them, whilst other cheaper Hepa filters may not manage to eradicate them. This is one of the main reasons we decided this was the top virus air purifier of 2020.

While the filtration technology used in this unit seems impressive, the cost you’ll need to pay for the filter replacement is rather significant. Let’s do some rough calculations (based on heavy use):

Accordingly, you need to get ready to pay at least $153 a year to keep the air purifier running if you’re going to be using it 24/7, 365 days a year. You could reduce this number by only using it selectively.

Households with smokers or offices with a big number of people would need to change the filters more often and incur higher costs.

If you want to give your air purifier additional filtration capabilities, you can buy an optional IQAir Coarse Dust kit. I would highly recommend purchasing this filter kit to people who live in areas with high levels of pollution. Besides giving extra protection, this optional filter also lengthens the life of other filters. The kit will cost you an additional $139.

Design

This IQAir purifier is rather large. The dimensions are 16’’ x 15’’ x 28’’ and the weight exceeds 35 pounds.

Thankfully, it’s equipped with caster wheels so moving it around the house is easy. However, lifting it up to the upper floors can be a hassle.

I tend to prefer a simple design and the Healthpro plus certainly fits the bill. There are no special colors or futuristic-looking add-ons that might not suit your décor.

The caster wheels are optional so you can choose not to install them and the unit will look just as good without them.

The air intake is done from the bottom of the air purifier and the clean air flows out of the top part. Theoretically, you could place the unit against the wall. However, in the instructions, you’ll read that you need to move it at least 12 inches away from any obstacles. For those so inclined, you can also opt to mount it to the wall with the help of a separately purchased mounting kit, which will cost you approximately $265.

A nice digital display is located on top of the unit together with easy press buttons. The air purifier also comes with a remote control which makes the operation more convenient.

Noise

This air purifier has a unique system that reduces the noise level. The fan is installed between the filters which significantly reduces the sound.

The fan has 6 different settings and the first three are nearly silent.

After browsing through various reviews, I learned that most users had no problem running this air purifier on the first three settings in their bedroom. The fourth fan setting produces a moderately loud sound and the two highest settings are rather loud. Here are the noise indications in decibels:

Anything over 60 dB I consider to be rather loud and it might interfere with working, reading a book, or even watching TV.

However, the unique positioning of the fan makes the noise somewhat hushed. I think if you are not a light sleeper, you could even use this air purifier at the 4th fan speed during the night.

Since this powerful unit does a good job cleaning the air in your room, running it 24/7 doesn’t seem necessary. That’s why the noise shouldn’t be a problem unless you are a heavy smoker and need to turn the highest setting on after each cigarette to get the air clean.

Coverage Area

If you use the IQAir HealthPro Plus on the third fan setting, it can clean a room of about 500 square feet in just 12 – 13 hours.

A room of 700 – 800 sq. feet should be cleaned in about 24 hours. So it makes a pretty good air purifier for large spaces in the home

The smaller the room, the less often you’ll need to turn the air purifier on. I personally wouldn’t recommend using this unit in a room larger than 600 – 650 square feet.

If you are planning to use it for a larger space, get ready to replace the filters more often. This air purifier does a proper job cleaning the air in large rooms so it’s a good choice for large living rooms or even an entire apartment or house floor.

Larger air purifiers do usually cost a lot more than smaller ones, but the IQAir healthpro plus is definitely one of the more expensive models. So, if you’re looking for a slightly cheaper option (but equally as good) for large rooms, then I can highly recommend the Coway airmega

The manufacturer recommends using the HealthPro Plus in a room up to 1100 square feet, but I don’t believe that the air cleaning will be efficient over such a large area. After all, the CADR for this unit is actually only 450.

Sensors

I was a bit disappointed to learn that this unit is not equipped with air quality sensors. Most of the air purifiers I reviewed at this price range have such an option.

Since there is no sensor, I’ve searched for recommendations and found that the for the best air cleaning results, the unit must be run at least 10 hours a day with at least the third fan speed.

Since our noses and lungs are not always the best air quality sensors, these recommendations should be followed. When you just bring the unit home, I would recommend running it at 5th fan setting for at least 5 -6 hours and then switch to the lower speeds.

The air purifier is equipped with a filter life monitor. Each one of the three filters has a separate monitor that will tell you when it’s time to get it replaced. This is a useful feature since not many people are organized enough to replace the filters on time.

There is also an advanced timer option. You can program different fan speeds for 2 time periods. This is a great feature for people who are always busy and forget to run their purifiers on a daily basis at certain hours.

Warranty

IQAir offers 10-year limited warranty on its HealthPro product line. This is a solid warranty which is valid only for products purchased in North America from authorized dealers.

I always appreciate a long-term warranty since it means that the manufacturer is sure of the product’s quality.

Pros:

Cons:

IQAir Health Pro Plus Review Conclusion

After going back over this review – many of the benefits are still true to this day.

It’s still the air purifier of choice for medical facilities and people with extreme respiratory system complaints.

With the upgraded ‘Hyper Hepa’ filter the advantage IQAir have over it’s competitors in this field have only been increased. However, like most things in like, the better something is, the more it costs unfortunately.

It’s hard to get past the expense of this machine and it’s yearly filter replacements. So when it comes down to who should buy one, I tend to only recommend it to people with severe allergies or respiratory problems. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I would look for a cheaper option.

The other reason this machine has a large price tag is that it can handle very large rooms and basements. The machines that can work on this scale are usually more expensive also, but bargains can be found. Check out our post on air purifiers for basements to learn about some of these models

I wouldn’t recommend this air purifier to heavy smokers or people living in the areas prone to fires since the activated carbon filter is not designed to deal with them.

The only two disadvantages I found are the cost of the unit and the replacement filters as well as the absence of the air quality sensor.

Overall, this is a high-quality air purifier which is worth the money the manufacturer is asking for it.

This article was written by Fin Tatello – check out his author bio here