Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier Review

This Levoit LV-Pur131 Review was updated on the 13th April 2020.

We decided to update this review as it’s been two years since we made our initial review and in the fast changing world of air purifiers, it might not be as fantastic of a buy as it once was.

We chose to write this Levoit LV-Pur131 Review as Spring in full swing, so we turned our attention to air purifiers that can deal with allergies. The Levoit LV-PUR131 as it promises to get rid of all the unpleasant allergy triggers, including pollen and dust mites. It has a three-stage filtration system and comes with a two-year warranty.

The air purifier is the larger brother of the extremely popular Levoit LVH132 and can service rooms up to 322 square feet. Which would make it the ideal size for most rooms in the house.

By taking a quick look at the model, I appreciate the design, the timer, and the sleep mode. The rest I’ll describe when we go deeper into the review which I hope can help you make the right decision about this air purifier.

Filtration System

This air purifier has a standard three-stage filtration system, which should take care of most contaminants, including allergens.

Pre-filter – This physical pre-filter gets rid of large particles which are drawn inside the air purifier which in turn helps the other filters function longer. This filter doesn’t need to be replaced and you can wash and vacuum it once every 3 months depending on how often you use the unit.

Activated carbon filter – This filter takes care of the odors. If you live on a busy street, have a smoker in the household or enjoy the company of pets, you’ll appreciate this high-quality carbon filter. It takes care of about 85 % of all the unpleasant odors in your household. The filter needs to be replaced once every 6 months. I haven’t found a store where this filter is sold separately, so you have to purchase it together with the TrueHEPA filter for about $29.

TrueHEPA filter – This filter takes care of 99.7% of particles 0.3 microns in diameter. It’s a good heavy-duty filter, which is a must-have for an average household. The HEPA technology takes care of allergens, dust, pollen, mold spores, and many other unpleasant contaminants. This filter needs to be replaced once every 6 months (depending on the usage frequency). It comes in one package with the carbon filter and costs about $29.

Overall, the filtration system of this unit is highly satisfactory.

In just about one hour of operation in a room under 322 square feet in size, it should remove 99.97% of all declared contaminants. As long as you don’t exceed the room size, you can get a quick and high quality filtration with this air purifier.

The yearly filter replacement cost is about $57, which is marginally higher compared to similar models.

 Design

When it comes to the design, Levoit did a great job creating a sleek yet simple unit.

It’s not heavy (about 11 pounds) so you can easily carry it around your house when you need to switch rooms. The size is reasonable as well (14.5 x 7.2 x 18.5 inches).

You need to place the unit away from the wall or other obstacles in order to allow proper air circulation. The purifier is equipped with a convenient handle for transportation.

The unit has a touch-button interface, which is straightforward but hard to operate in the dark. There aren’t any offensive lights, which can interfere with your sleep.

The LCD display has all the necessary information on it. You can make all the adjustments with a couple of buttons.

The unit doesn’t come with a remote control and can’t be synchronized with your smartphone, however that it doesn’t seem to be a big problem, especially when the auto mode is on.

Since the unit is fairly light, it’s better to put it away from the places you are usually walking through in order not to tip it over. You can place the unit on a table or any other elevated surface.

Overall, this air purifier is well designed and can easily fit into any room’s décor, especially with it’s neutral white color.

Smart Options and Sensors

The LV-Pur131 has a fairly standard set of smart options. Even though it’s not overly high-tech, the features it does have should be satisfactory for an average user.

Timer

You can set the timer to turn your air purifier off at any time you wish. The timer allows one-hour increments up to 12 hours which is a convenient option for people who want to minimize the power consumption when they are away from home.

Air quality indicator

You can check out the air quality in your room by looking at the LCD display.

Sleep Mode

When you turn on the sleep mode, the fan starts working at its lowest setting. The sleep mode doesn’t turn the blue light on the panel off, which may be a problem for some light sleepers, who prefer to be fully in the dark.

The sleep mode doesn’t allow the auto mode to pump up the fan setting even if the air quality changes.

Auto Mode

The cleaner sensors constantly check the air quality in your room. When they are worse than ideal, the unit turns the higher fan setting on. Once the air quality is normal, the purifier stays at the lowest setting. This is a great mode for people who don’t want to worry about adjusting the unit to their liking. However, some owners report that sometimes the auto mode doesn’t switch to the high settings fast enough.

Filter Change Indicator

The filter replacement indicator helps you forget about checking up on the filter condition. As soon as the light goes on, it’s time to check the filter. However, if the unit seems to be working properly even when the light is on, you can delay the filter replacement for a while.

Please note that there is no indicator for the pre-filter. You have to remember to keep it clean on your own. You also have to remember to clean the dust sensor under the cover. Otherwise, the indications may be wrong. The cleaning procedure is described in the manual.

Noise Levels

This air purifier is described as a fairly quiet unit. At its lowest setting, the purifier produces less than 52 dB.

I’ve reviewed a lot of purifiers in my time and know that many can be even quieter than this one. However, 52dB is sufficient for a good night sleep unless you are an extremely light sleeper. The other two settings are substantially louder.

If you are sensitive to the noise, you may be uncomfortable working or reading when the air purifier is at its highest setting. However, the majority of people I’ve talked to found the noise levels satisfactory for their bedrooms and living rooms.

Power Consumption

The air purifier is rather energy efficient. At the highest setting, it uses 40W. When on standby, it consumes only 0.8W. These parameters are lower than in many air purifiers on the market. Such low energy consumption means you can save quite a bit on energy bills.

Coverage Area

Levoit declares that the air purifier can service an area up to 322 square feet (about 30 m²). Let’s take a look at the CADR ratings.

When we use our simple formula (CADR x 1.5) we get 202 square feet. This means the manufacturer’s information is inaccurate. If you have a room, which is about 200 – 250 square feet, then this air purifier will do an excellent job. However, for a room of about 300 – 320 square feet, it will have to struggle to clean the entire space in one hour as declared earlier.

However, if you are not out for speed, this air purifier can do a good job in rooms of about 300 square feet in size. You just have to wait longer for it to do the initial cleaning.

Warranty

This air purifier comes with an excellent 2-year warranty. Of course, some manufacturers offer longer warranties, but two years is good enough for an air purifier and Levoit have a good track record of building quality products.

If upon purchase, you register the unit on the manufacturer’s official website, you can get an additional one year of warranty. Just make sure you use the product according to the manual. Otherwise, the warranty will become invalid.

Within the first 30 days of purchase, you can get a full refund.

Pros: Cons:

Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier Review Conclusion

In 2020, this air purifier is still one of the best medium sized units on the market today. It is extremely well built, still looks great and comes from a company with stellar customer support.

The price has actually been reduced by $15 since we first wrote this review, which means it comes in well under $200 – A steal for this level of air purification tech.

After digging deeper into the details of this air purifier, I can say that it’s a great medium sized model for any household and will suit most rooms. It has a reasonable price tag, deals with the majority of contaminants and odors, and has a 2-year warranty. If you are looking for an air purifier with a sleek design and an ability to clean a room up to about 230 square meters, you will struggle to find better value than the LV-Pur131.

This article was written by Julia Montague – check out her author bio here