Whirlpool AP51030K Whispure Air Purifier Review

Post date: August 28th, 2011

The Whirlpool AP51030K Whispure Air Purifier has a two stage cleaning process which is suitable for large sized room up to 490 square feet. It has a carbon pre-filter and a true HEPA filter which will filter particles of 0.3 microns and larger. This means it will clean up airborne particles such as dust, pet dander, pollen, tobacco smoke, fabric fibers and mold spores.

It has indicator lights to tell you when each filter needs replacing which means you can forget about them until the light shows the time has come.

Of course, it makes sense to have a more powerful air purifier like this in a smaller room also if you want very efficient filtering and especially if you want to keep it on a lower setting most of the time. Bear in mind that the quoted room size from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers is for the high setting.

The model has four fan speeds plus a sleep setting. For the most efficiency, it’s best to keep it on the highest setting wherever possible.

This unit was recommended by Consumer Reports and has received overwhelmingly good reviews on the Amazon website.

Read the rest of the Whirlpool AP51030K Whispure Air Purifier review below:

Table of Contents (click ahead!)
Filter Type     Coverage Area        Clean Air Delivery Rate
Features        Noise Level          Dimensions
Fan Speeds     Customer Reviews  Pros & Cons

Whirlpool AP51030K Whispure Air Purifier Filter Type

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The Whirlpool AP51030K has a two stage filtering process which includes a pre-filter and a true HEPA filter. The pre-filter is charcoal which traps odors and prevents the more coarse particles reaching the HEPA filter and clogging it up.

The true HEPA filter removes 99.97% of all particles of 0.3 microns or greater. This filter generally needs replacing annually so you need to be aware of that as part of the cost of running this model. The filter will remove airborne particles such as pollen, tobacco smoke, dust, pet dander, fabric fibers and mold spores.

The pre-filter may need replacing up to four times per year.

One great feature is that there are two sets of status lights which tell you when each of the filters needs replacing.

Whirlpool AP51030K Whispure Air Purifier Fan Speed

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The fan has four speeds: low, medium, high and turbo. There is also a sleep mode. When the sleep mode is set it runs for eight hours on the lowest fan speed and then returns to the previous setting. This means that if you get up in the morning and rush to work, the air purifier will return to the day-time setting you had it on before you went to bed without you having to remember to reset it.

Another useful feature is that you can lock the speed setting to prevent someone changing it accidentally.

Coverage Area

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The Whirlpool AP51030K Whispure air purifier is suitable for large rooms up to 490 square feet. With that size of room it will filter the air up to 4.8 times per hour. This is using the highest fan speed.

The room sizes quoted are generally for using the air purifier at the top speed which is, of course, the noisiest setting. If you want to use lower settings then this model would also be suitable for smaller rooms.

Clean Air Delivery Rate

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The Clean Air Delivery Rate is certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers after testing in independent third party laboratories. For the Whirlpool AP51030K model the results are :

Type of Particle	CADR
Dust	325
Tobacco Smoke	315
Pollen	401

AHAM specify that the tobacco smoke rating should be at least two thirds of the room size in square feet. This means this purifier is rated for a room of 490 square feet.

Features

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The Whirlpool AP51030K has a great set of features:

one of the quieter air purifiers
easy to use electronic controls
has a true HEPA filter
has four fan speeds plus a sleep mode
has a 5 year limited warranty (2nd to 5th year only guaranteed for motor failure only)
built in handles for carrying the unit.

Noise Level

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The AP51030 uses the Quiet Partner system which is the quietist high efficiency air purifier technology. On low and medium speed settings the unit is very quiet. One user says that on the high setting it has a quiet hum.

Noise levels with air purifiers are a very subjective area and there is always at least one person who finds a unit too noisy. The fact is that to be effective a lot of air needs to be drawn through the unit and that’s not possible without some level of noise.

Dimensions

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The dimensions are 12.3 by 22.1 by 27.2 inches. The air purifier weighs 25 pounds. You can see an overhead view of the unit on the left.

Customer Reviews

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As of this date, there are 66 reviews on Amazon. 59 reviews are 4 or 5 star and only 7 reviews are 3 or 4 star. The reviews confirm that this is a very efficient and quiet air purifier.
“When this device is active I do not have an allergy at all and I didn’t have to take my medicine … (read more here: Whirlpool AP51030K Review)”

“Since the air purifier has been running, my great room smells fresh and clean. So happy with the results. I have it running on turbo and can’t believe how quiet it is. We have it in our great room and… (read more here: Whirlpool AP51030K Review)”
“Its been running 24/7 for three years now, and is still going. It pulls a lot of parrot dander out of the air, in a room with three birds. The total size of the room is a bit over 600 feet… (read more here: Whirlpool AP51030K Review)”

Average Amazon Rating: 4.6