Honeywell True HEPA Air Filter Review

Raise your hand if you’re skeptical about Hepa filters? Since you can’t see what I’m doing, I’m literally raising my hand, or use to.  That is until I had the chance to test out Honeywell’s True HEPA Compact Tower air purifier.

In terms of the gadgets we review it’s relatively unremarkable.  It’s body is crafted from plastic, there is a dial on the top to control 3 fans speeds and the back flap opens up allowing you to change out the HEPA filters, which needs to happen once a year.  Honeywell includes a carbon filter in the box that is designed to filter out odors and smells.  Since my bedroom has a scented oil therapy thingee – the chicks dig it – I opted to not use this.

So why am I now a card carrying HEPA air filter fan?  Before I tested out Honeywell’s True HEPA air filter I vacuumed my room once a week.  And every week I collected a fair amount of dust.  Now, keep in mind that I leaving my windows closed 90% of the year, if not more.  Crazy, I know, but since I have a fairly strong allergy to mold I figure better to play it safe  than not (plus I live in Santa Monica and it doesn’t get above 75 degrees even during the summer).  After installing Honeywell’s True HEPA air filter and letting it run for a week’s time I could notice not only a reduction in dust on my nightstands and the edge of my LED TV, but even in the vacuum after completing a solid sweep.  But it gets better than that.  I also noticed that I now wake up feeling far less congested, which leads me to the only logical conclusion; the Honeywell Hepa filter actually does work to improve the air quality of a room.

In terms of effectiveness, my room is about 15×15 at the most and that doesn’t include my bathroom or closets.  Nonetheless, it’s designed to work in room’s up to 300 sq feet, but since I can only attest to my room and my experience I can stay it’s effective.  Throughout my testing I kept the fan at 1, which is the lowest setting, though on certain days, say after I had the windows open, I’d crank it to the highest setting, 3, and let it filter out all the toxins that had been collected in my room’s air.  However, at this setting the fan can be a bit intrusive, especially if you watch TV or listen to music close by, but the lowest setting didn’t impede upon my movie watching experience.

So what more can I say.  The Honeywell True HEPA  works.  It cleans the air, isn’t too loud and is easy to setup.  It’s not the coolest looking of Hepafilters, but it’s not the worst.

Freecycle network grows globally in bad economy

With those three words, Deron Beal of Tucson, Ariz., helped move the yard sale online, only with no money changing hands.

Beal is the founder of The Freecycle Network, or Freecycle.org. It's a grassroots gifting network that — thanks to the sour economy and a growing commitment to the environment — has transformed into a global movement of millions offering, wanting and taking all manner of stuff.

Staffed by volunteer moderators and loosely overseen by Beal, Freecycle aims to let you share your old TVs, clothes, broken blenders, tire chains and moving boxes with people nearby, using e-mail groups at Yahoo! and on the network's website.

There are nearly 5,000 Freecycle groups with about 9 million members in more than 70 countries. Not bad for a guy who was simply trying to keep perfectly good stuff out of landfills, or find homes for stuff charities don't take, in his own community.

"It's a win, win, win, win," Beal said. "Everybody feels good."

Freecycle can be effortless for people who can leave their old magazines, kitchenware or larger items on a porch for pick up, but it can generate a lot of e-mail and suck up more time in larger locales as giver and taker try to untangle their schedules and decide where and when to make an exchange.

There's no real navigation at Freecycle. You sign up, wait in some cases to be approved by a moderator, and decide whether to take individual e-mails, daily digests of offerings or read the list online only.

Beal got the idea for Freecycle while working as a recycling coordinator for a nonprofit in Tucson. The organization offered jobs to men in shelters to do concierge recycling by picking up things like old computers and office tables at shops, restaurants and other companies, then trying to find homes for them at other nonprofits.

"We had this old beat-up pickup truck, and would load up the pickup and drive from one nonprofit to the next to see who could use this stuff. It was crazy, and taking way too much work to find new homes for perfectly good stuff," he said. "So I set up an e-mail group, where anybody interested could join and they could pick it up themselves."

Beal clearly struck a nerve. On the New York list, in e-mail after e-mail, posters are following the network's instructions and carefully writing subject fields providing their locations and the words "offer," ''wanted" and — hopefully — "taken" for things like "2 very broken laptops: Bronx Morris Park and Hering" or "Kraft Grated Romano Cheese (East Harlem)."

And there's the recent: "OFFER: 21" Sony Trinitron TV - UWS," for Manhattan's Upper West Side, in an e-mail that promises the set is in "fine working condition. Picture quality is excellent."

Beds, garment bags, hangers, aquarium pumps, coffee makers, bicycles, toys, cribs, toasters, those paper wrappers for coins, air purifiers — the variety is endless. Some of it works, some of it doesn't. Some of it goes quickly and some might not go at all.

Alexandria Tristram, 42, in Manhattan had no luck with a box of old computer cables during her first attempt at freecycling, thinking "someone who tinkers with old computer parts will want it." She ended up recycling them herself.

Donna Goodhue, a moderator of the Freecycle group in St. Johnsbury, Vt., got involved in 2004 after seeing a TV news story about the network. At the time, there was a Vermont group near Burlington, but none in her area.

While browsing through the list of a nearby county about three years ago, Goodhue found a car that didn't run, at a time when she really needed one.

"My son drove over and got it. We boosted the battery and it started right up. It needed brakes and the sun roof leaked, so I would drive down the road with this umbrella open in my car when it rained. I didn't have a car at the time. It got me to work for eight months and it cost about $300 to fix the brakes."

It was a little black Saturn that she traded in for a second-hand Mercury when the time came for a new car, she said.

Other finds for Goodhue: a nearly brand-new sewing machine, when somebody upgraded to a digital model. "And my son got an 18-foot boat. It was somebody in New York, because the seat cushions were ripped and they didn't want to bother repairing them. He drove there and got it. They just didn't want it anymore."

That would be the point, Beal noted.

While some people never get rid of their stuff, "If you post an item today you'll usually have 10 responses within a minute" on any given list, he said.

Beal encourages people to wait a day before choosing a recipient to be fair to those who don't hover over e-mail moment to moment. He also thinks it's nice when people "pick their stories," seeing how the giftee approaches the moneyless transaction.

Are they brusque, businesslike, friendly? Do they plan to distribute your bag of clothes to homeless shelters?

"Pick the story you like best," he said. "'My son's going off to college.' 'We're helping with a nonprofit and could use that bed.' It's just people helping people."

Fireshop offers great range of fire extinguishers with power backup

They have got every specific type of fire extinguishers along with various fire alarm systems and air purifiers as well as water purifiers.

India, September 15, 2011 – Fire is having tremendous potential for destruction. If used properly this energy burning system can come as a great help for civilization. Once we become a little unconscious, fire can cause a lot of devastation. Fire is the worst form of calamity caused by nature and sometimes due to human negligence and some other accidental factors. However, control of this great natural force is in the hand of humans. And people have developed numerous mechanisms to fight fire and control it prior to devastation.

Fire hazards do not come with single damage to the normal system. It has various side effects as well. Fire cuts down electricity, damages the drinking water system and pollutes the air as well as polluting the normal atmosphere with fire carbon and ashes. So while speaking about the fire control mechanism, all these systems should be in focus so as to find an alternative remedy to the fire hazard post consequences.

Fireshop is a professional fire control solution provider with a comprehensive solution to all such problems. They have got every specific type of fire extinguishers along with various fire alarm systems and air purifiers as well as water purifiers. They also offer competent power backup systems with online UPS systems and different alternative sources of power generation. They have tied up with prominent manufactures of water purification systems as well as power generation and backup systems.

Fireshop offers comprehensive range of fire extinguishers for all forms of fire. They also offer diversified Kent water purifiers with Kent tap guard to fight against pollution spread by fire accident. They also offer Mahindra Powerrol along with Mahindra UPS systems for an uninterrupted power supply. They also offer Mahindra inverters to be used in case of power circuit damage due to fire hazard. Their fire extinguishers are branded products from reputed manufacturers, which come as a handy help for the victims under fire.

Speaking about their multi-faceted solution a spokesperson from Fireshop enunciates, -“We offer comprehensive solution regarding fire protection and fire prevention systems. We also include backup support for fire hazards and offer an admirable range of solution for every type of fire related occurrences.

We have a wide network spread across India. If you want our products in your desired city, you can simply cal our numbers or mail us with your order. We take prompt action to offer you your solution within specific predefined time period. If you want emergency next day delivery we can even do that for you if you order us before 2 PM any day. We offer our services round the clock as per the suitability of our esteemed customers. Our products are from different industry majors, which offer you an unmatched reliability with trust on our products and services.”

Ecomajik Corporation To Offer Air Purifiers to Texas Wildfire Victims

Locally based Ecomajik Corporation announced today it will try to do it's part to help neighbors dealing with smoke damage and health concerns after the wildfires across the Austin, Texas area. The company distributes Air Purifiers with technology designed for NASA for use in the Space Shuttle. These air purifiers have long been used by the Red Cross and were employed by the Defense Department to clean the air in the Pentagon after the 911 attack.

Ecomajik will provide air purifiers to residents on a loan basis without charge. Additionally if residents are interested in purchasing units they have established a special program to help fire victims.

"My husband and I survived the wildfires in San Diego several years back. We know what challenges families have to deal with, even when your home makes it through the crisis untouched. Sometimes smoke damage can linger for weeks or months and is very unhealthy for inhabitants. Our Air Purifiers eliminate smoke and mitigate smoke damage from fires killing all odors and removing contaminants from the air." noted Susan Braun Ecomajik Corporation President. "Breathing this contaminated air can be very hazardous to your health, especially if your are an "at risk" individual." she added.

Residents in Bastrop, Moonglow, Steiner Ranch, Pedernales, Union Chapel, Luther Hill, and surrounding areas qualify for the free loan of equipment while supplies last. The air purifiers remove all contaminants from the air in homes and sanitize exposed surfaces as well. About the size of a bookshelf speaker they can clean a home up to 3,000 sq feet.

Pedder Road flyover to get air purifiers: MSRDC

MUMBAI: Under pressure from Pedder Road residents to ensure reduction in air and noise pollution after building a flyover between Haji Ali and Girgaum Chowpatty, the state has come out with a novel promise.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has proposed to install solar-powered air purifiers on the 4.3-km flyover at an interval of 200 metres in addition to advanced noise barriers and view cutters.

MSRDC officials say purifiers will not only improve air circulation, but also reduce toxic oxides of sulphur and nitrogen by infusing ozone in the area below the via-duct. During overcast days, purifiers will run on electricity. The purifier will absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release "oxygenated air".

Similarly, the noise level of 60 decibels will be reduced to 40 decibels due to noise barriers, which will last for nearly 30 years. MSRDC officials claim that view cutters will virtually leave no scope for outsiders to peep into apartments.

These promises to the residents have come in the wake of a public hearing organized by the MSRDC and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) at the Institution of Engineers' Hall at Haji Ali on July 18 at 3 pm.

The flyover will start near Rajni Patel chowk near Lala Lajpat Rai college at Haji Ali and then terminate beyond G B Pant square near Wilson College on Marine Drive.

The via-duct will pass through Haji Ali junction, Cadbury junction, Kemps Corner, Prempuriji Square, Babulnath temple, Tambe Square and Wilson College near Nana Nani Park. The flyover will help motorists cut down on travel time by over 40 minutes.

MSRDC officials said the flyover will be ready in 18 months. "We will carry out construction work during night hours and monitor air and noise pollution due to construction activities. We will barricade the area and will ensure that work is done within this area. We will keep tabs on the debris," said a senior MSRDC official.

"Temporary traffic disruption while demolishing Kemps Corner flyover and construction of a via-duct will be taken care of by diversion of traffic towards Bhulabhai Desai Road and Tardeo Road in consultation with the traffic police," the official added.

Avon Rubber mixes defence with dairy to engineer growth

It's been a busy couple of years for Avon Rubber, the engineering group which issued half-yearly results last week. Once known for making tyres, today the company bills itself as leader in the design and manufacture of hi-tech gas masks and related accessories to buyers from the military, law enforcement agencies and the like.

The tough image is tempered by the company's dairy – yes, dairy – business, which supplies liners and tubing that come in handy for milking cows. Last week's results showed that revenues at the dairy arm were up a healthy 16 per cent over the six months to March, with the business benefiting from improving market trends, although it did have to deal with rising raw material costs.

Defence and protection revenues were lower, with the figures being hit by the timing of filter spares shipments and lower revenues at its Avon Engineered Fabrications arm in the US, which makes flexible storage tanks and skirt systems for hovercraft. Things should improve over the second half, however, as the recently agreed US defence budget is expected to support activity.

John Cummins, an analyst at Altium Securities, dates the change in Avon's fortunes to 2000, when it secured a development contract with the US Department of Defence (DoD) to design and manufacture gas masks for the army, navy, air force and the special forces.

"This was the first time all the US armed forces came under a single contract," he said. "After a number of false starts, in 2008, Avon secured a full rate production contract with the DoD worth $112m (£68.4m) over a five-year period for 100,000 masks per annum, with an option for this to rise to a total of 300,000 masks over a 10-year period. This option was invoked in 2009, meaning that a significant proportion of the currently forecast protection and defence revenue is underpinned to at least 2017."

Not bad. But while the defence business is more eye-catching, Mr Cummins said investors should also take note of the potential for the company's dairy arm, which he suggests is "more than just a cash cow". Indeed.

"The new dairy lines brought to market provides farmers with the ability to increase milk production, and has been proved to reduce the infection rate in cows from the milking processes," he explained.

"This not only attracts a higher selling price, but also subsequent margin improvement for Avon." Besides, the company has ample scope for growth, with three quarters of the world's cows still being milked manually.

The picture is a good one, and should support sentiment as the company gears up to welcome a new chairman. David Evans, the former chief executive of Chemring, will shortly step up to take over from Sir Richard Needham, who is to stand down at the next annual meeting. Given the positive buzz around Avon he seems to have found an opportune time to move in.

HaloSource strikes another India deal

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at Origo Partners, the China-focused private equity firm whose investments span everything from electric batteries to mining to clean water technologies of the kind promoted by HaloSource, the AIM-listed group which unveiled a major deal with India's Bajaj Electricals last week. Origo owns 4.3 per cent of HaloSource, which has invested heavily in ways to purify drinking water. And although that business currently accounts for a relatively small proportion of overall revenues, the company's finance chief James Thompson says HaloSource is focused on growing its activities in the area to capitalise on the opportunities in emerging markets such as India and China.

The rationale is straightforward. Countries like India boast an increasingly affluent urban middle class which is often wary of drinking water straight from the tap. Urban households often install water filters, and in many cases boil tap water before drinking.

HaloSource offers what it calls a breakthrough technology that doesn't simply filter out visible impurities but also purifies the water of harmful viruses and bacteria without depending on electricity. Its gravity-driven HaloPure cartridges cleanse the water of micro-organisms such as poliovirus and rotavirus, all the while boasting low operating costs.

"Purifying drinking water at very low cost has been identified by many consumer appliance OEMS [original equipment manufacturers] around the world as a major growth market opportunity," Liberum Capital said in a report ahead of the company's listing on AIM in October last year.

The technology meets both the safety and disinfection guidelines laid down by the World Health Organisation, and the standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency. The latter is notable, as it leaves HaloPure well placed to meet rising regulatory standards in its target markets.

"Outside of HaloPure, the principal appliances that address waterborne diseases are categorised as ultraviolet light and reverse osmosis devices," Liberum explained. "However, these devices commonly cost several hundred US dollars."

HaloPure devices, in contrast, are available in the $40 (£24) to $50 range, according to Mr Thompson, with replacement cartridges costing around $7 apiece, making them far more affordable than the alternatives. The group has made significant inroads in India, forging agreements with Bajaj and Eureka Forbes, both of whom are major players and know the local market extremely well.

The Bajaj relationship began last year, and last week's announcement marks HaloSource's second supply agreement with the group.

HaloSource will supply Bajaj with its HaloPure Waterbird gravity water purifiers, which will be branded the Bajaj XTP 21 and XTP 21 DX. The company will also supply replacement cartridges for the devices, which are expected to be launched later this month.

Although India dominates for now, the company is also targeting Brazil and is set to sell its products in China, where it is awaiting regulatory approval. Once it has all the requisite clearances, Mr Thompson says HaloSource has a number of partners in mind to roll out the products across the country.