The world is changing fast in terms of technology. There is a newer model of every device, including air purifiers, released to the market daily. In this regard, it is very challenging to choose a product that is latest and built to last for a long time. To help you out, I decided to write this Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier review. It is the latest air purifier by Winix and promised to remain in fashion for many years to come.
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Specifications overview:
- True-HEPA filter
- Coverage: 360sq. Ft
- Plasma Wave filter
- Smart Sensors
- Power: 70W
- CADR:
- Smoke: 232 CFM
- Dust: 243 CFM
- Pollen: 246 CFM
- Noise level: 27.8 dB
- Weight: 15.4 lb.
- 2 years warranty
In a hurry?
Don’t have the time to read the whole article? Read this small paragraph to understand the important points about Winix 5500-2:
- Powerful air purifier, suitable for medium rooms and halls. (60 Sq. Ft in under 30 minutes).
- Plasma Wave filter ionizes the air pollutants and makes your air safe and healthy.
- An active carbon filter absorbs smoke and odor from the air to make it fresh.
- The air quality sensor constantly monitors the room air and adjusts the air purifier’s performance accordingly.
- Other smart features include auto mode, light sensor, filter indicator LED, and sleep mode.
- No WIFI; it is not compatible with Alexa, Siri, Google assistant, or other smart home appliances.
Build quality:
The need to have an air purifier in your house is increasing day by day due to the increase in air pollution. It saves you from many respiratory disorders as well as several skin conditions. However, air purifiers are not disposable machines that you can buy routinely. They are meant to be a one-time investment, built to last for a very long time. Yet many manufacturers fail to recognize this condition and keep on using lighter materials for manufacturing their air purifiers.
However, this isn’t the case with Winix 5500-2 air purifiers. As a matter of fact, all the Winix products are only made from high-quality material. This quality in their build quality is well-maintained since 1973. In the case of the 5500-3, it is a machine built to last for at least the next generation in your family. These air purifiers are made from heavy-duty plastic and even have some metallic components in several portions. Such a premium quality is self-sufficient to justify the slightly increased price of Winix products.
The body of the 5500-2 is not only durable but compact as well. You can place it under a table or even over the shelf to save space. The natural color tone of the 5500-2 makes it easier to blend with other objects in the room. Believe me when I say people won’t notice the air purifier until you point it out. This feature makes it easier to place the air purifier in any room without worrying about the changed theme. Furthermore, the compact size of this air purifier even allows you to carry it around when moving between office and home regularly.
Performance:
When it comes to performance, all the Winix products are second to none. Their wide range of air purifier models has no competition in the market. Moreover, these purifiers have a unique premium look and feel to them, which doesn’t resemble any other product. However, Winix air purifiers are not limited to good looks only. In fact, the looks are the second best thing about Winix air purifiers; their performance is still the first.
Firstly, the Winix 5500-2 is an intelligent air purifier that fully understands your purification requirements. The robust motor and efficient filtration system allow it to clean up to 360 sq. ft room in less than 30 minutes. Such figures are impressive and challenging to achieve even by the best air purifier in the world.
A group of scientists decided to test the efficiency of Winix 5500-2 air purifiers. The main objective of this test was to evaluate the machine’s efficiency against a room completely filled with dense smoke and odor.
Smoke lab test:
A 150 Sq. Ft room was filled with dense smoke to resemble a cigarette. Some odor was also introduced to the test chamber to replicate the conditions inside a smoker’s room. The room was sealed to prevent any smoke leakage, then the Winix 5500-2 air purifier was set up in the room and turned on at auto settings. Furthermore, we also placed an external air quality sensor to check smoke levels inside the room at different intervals. For the sake of testing, the air quality monitor was checked every 15 minutes until the room became completely free from smoke and odor. Here are the test results:
| Time | Air quality |
| 15 minutes | 85% |
| 30 minutes | 99.5% |
| 45 minutes | 99.6% |
| 60 minutes | 99.9% (constant after this) |
Then we compared these test result with similar tests conducted on other top air purifiers from various manufacturers. It was concluded that Winix beat almost all the other devices in this efficiency test. As a matter of fact, some of the top air purifiers struggled to cross the 99.5% mark even after running for more than 90 minutes in the same room. Furthermore, Winix 5500-2 currently holds the record for the most efficient air purifier against smoke and odor in our laboratory.
Stages of filtration:
Modern air purifiers introduce different methods to filter the air from harmful pollutants. However, it is seen that this trend of innovation has almost stopped, if not completely. Typical air purifiers consist of three stages of filtration that start with the pre-filter and end with the HEPA filter. This is not the case with Winix 5500-2 air purifiers. This device took the filtration a step further by introducing bio-physics in the filtration stages. Are you wondering how? All your queries will be answered in a short time.
Every filtration process starts with the air being sucked from the inlet of the air purifier. This inlet is usually located at the back of the device and is prone to get clogged very quickly. The air purifier won’t work as effectively if even half the inlet meshes in jammed with dust and other material. Winix came with the innovative design to include two separate inlets on either side of the 5500-2 air purifier to tackle this issue. This allows the air to be sucked from multiple directions and also ignorantly decreases the chances of clogging the inlet.
Once the air is sucked inside the filtration chamber, it is forced to pass through a permanent pre-filter. This filter is based on the mechanical principle that when air passes through small openings, the larger solid particles get caught in the mesh. This pre-filter is efficient against blocking large dust particles, pet hair, and some fibers from the air without any problem. However, the air is full of tiny particles of varying sizes.
The next step is the active carbon filter of the AOC chamber of the air purifier. In this chamber, the air is allowed to pass through a filter containing many small pieces of activated carbon like most of the organic pollutants like odor and smoke are made up of hydrocarbons. These molecules get settled in the large field of AOCs of the filter. The settled particles are caught for life, and there is no possible way to separate them ever again.
The final step for an ordinary air purifier is the HEPA filter. It is a mechanical filter with micro openings. It is known that a true HEPA filter can catch particles up to 0.3microns with 99.97% efficiency. The HEPA filter is responsible for catching most of the VOCs, chemicals, mycotoxins, molds, mites, bacteria, and other smaller pollutants from the air. The problem is that despite such a high level of filtration, the air is still full of even smaller pollutants.
Winix PlasmaWave:
Now comes the exciting part of the whole four stages of filtration. This step is utilized only by a limited number of air purifiers. However, not a single one of them other than Winix uses the Plasma wave technology. Plasma wave technology is the latest scientific breakthrough of the decade. As you know, even after multiple levels of filtration, the air is still flooding with microorganisms, including airborne viruses, bacteria, and some allergens. The only way to get rid of these toxicants is to kill them.
Winix understands why people choose an air purifier in the first place. They also understand that there is no mechanical way to get rid of the tiny particles left in the air. Science dictates that every living thing is made from stable molecules. However, when a molecule becomes unstable, it thrives for stability and gets destroyed in the process. This very principle is used in the Plasma wave ionizer of the Winix 5500-2 air purifier.
After the HEPA filter, the air is allowed to pass through the plasma wave ionizer. It consists of two plates of opposing charges. When any particle passes between these plates, the electric field breaks it down into negative and positive ions. Similarly, when the different particles present in the air pass through this filter, they convert into unstable positive and negative ions. In a matter of few microseconds, these unstable ions burst and get completely destroyed.
As a result, your air is now completely (99.999%) free of intoxicants and safe for breathing even by a patient.
Features:
When choosing an air purifier, the first thing to look after specifications is the features. Every machinery is becoming smarter with the advancement of technology, and air purifiers are not left behind in the race. As a matter of fact, air purifiers are one of the fastest evolving devices in the world. Every season, manufacturers try to come up with innovative products that can change the world. Winix 5500-2 is full of surprises when it comes to features. However, the only drawback is that it is more of an old-school air purifier and doesn’t come with a WIFI connection. However, you can still operate it using the remote control that comes with the device.
Auto mode:
The best feature of Winix 5500-2 is the auto mode. It is also the default working mode that comes set up right out of the box. This mode utilizes the air quality sensor built-in the air purifier. This sensor monitors the air quality of the room in real-time and reports back to the machine. Suppose the intelligent sensors find the air quality to be bad. In that case, the machine is set to performance mode to clean the air faster and more efficiently. Similarly, good air quality triggers the power-saving mode, and the fan speed is adjusted to save maximum power consumption.
Light sensor:
Another intelligent mode is the sleep mode. You can initiate the sleep mode manually using the remote control. Otherwise, the light sensor of the air purifier keeps track of the surrounding luminance. When you turn off the room lights, the air purifier understands that it is sleeping time. As a result, the fan speed is adjusted, the lights (LEDs) of the air purifier are dimmed, and the noise level is reduced all the way down to inaudible noise. However, the air-quality sensor continues to function and will adjust the performance accordingly throughout the night.
The filter replacement indicator:
The problem with most air purifiers is that you don’t pay much attention to the filter replacement. As a result, the motor tries to draw out more power to filter the air. Moreover, the filtered particles are sometimes released back to the room if the filter is completely choked. Therefore, the Winix 5500-2 filter replacement indicator will inform you as soon as it is time to replace the filters with new ones.
Filter replacement of Winix 5500-2:
You need to change the air filters every 4-6 months depending on your usage. It is best to only use the recommended filters for Winix 5500-2 air purifier.
FAQs:
Is Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier good for families with pets?
Winix 5500-2 is an excellent choice for all pollutants in your house, including dust, pollens, pet hair, molds, and allergens. Therefore, it is the best choice for a house with pets.
Is Winix PlasmaWave really effective?
Yes, Winix PlasmaWave is very similar to ionizers but has higher efficiency. Therefore, it is effective against microorganisms present in the air.
How long does the Winix 5500-2 take to clean a room?
According to Winix, the 5500-2 can clear a 360 sq. ft room in just 30 minutes. The test results proved this claim and found the efficiency to be 99.5%.
Conclusion:
By now, you have learned about the different aspects of the Winix 5500-2 air purifier. It has many features, and the plasma wave filer can efficiently clean your room in a matter of minutes. I hope this article was helpful for you to decide why the Winix 5500-2 is the perfect air purifier for you.
