Is my new room ionizer working properly?

"MB" wrote in news:dmbupl$27e$01$ snipped-for-privacy@news.t-online.com:

It certainly seems suspicious - I gave up on them because mine covered about a quarter of the room in filth, and it was my bedroom! Gawd knows where it came from. Maybe I wasn't breathing it, but I couldn't bear seeing it. I think a neon screwdriver might indicate something, IIRC it will flicker if brought close enough, but not very quickly or brightly.

mike

Negative ions, usually.

Does it have a row of needles pointing outwards? Hold a mains neon screwdriver near these, and it should glow. You might even feel a very slight breeze coming off them.

Don't open the unit up -- they normally have a something like a 10 stage voltage multiplier to crank mains voltage up much higher. The exposed needles will be current limited to a harmless level, but the intermediate circuitry may well not be.

The screwdriver test: it did indeed light up, but I don't understand why there's no dust accumulated if the ionizer is supposed to be filtering; there's no movement of air (it failed to pass a lighted match test at the openings of the four needles). Thanks, though, for the feedback.

"MB" wrote in news:dmcb5g$kff$00$ snipped-for-privacy@news.t-online.com:

Has it got some anti-dirt device; if it works and doesn't cover the area in black muck, it should be better known

mike

If by "anti-dirt device" you mean something removable that can be cleaned-- no, it's a sealed unit.

"MB" wrote in news:dmf2np$nu3$03$ snipped-for-privacy@news.t-online.com:

I just wondered; some have a sorta grounded plate, etc, but I've never seen one that eally captures the dirt.

I'm a bit of a martyr to me tubes, and as they clearly (except yours!) precipitate rubbish, and one which would also collect it would be nice.

But I don't really want a big air treatment plant.

mike