Winix Wac5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner With Plasmawave Technology Review

Buy Winix WAC5500 True HEPA air cleaner with plasmawave technology is which is an upgrade of the successful 5300 model. 

The Winix WAC5500 is a 5300 with a new “washable” longer life HEPA filter and a higher price. Oh, and it also comes with a remote controller which is not the case with 5300 model.

If you are looking for a new purifier and come across the Winix brand, you might be rather excited.

What you have likely realized is that Winix seems to balance features, quality, and affordability in a way that is not done by many others in the industry.

The tricky thing is determining which of the various Winix models is right for you.

Over the past couple years, Winix has been expanding and making adaptations to their line of offerings resulting in some consumer confusion.

Models that used to exist are no longer offered. New models have taken their place, and the features each comes with have changed as well.

I liked this unit so much, I purchased another – the exact same model. 

Buyer

The 5300 is still available, but since the remote is required to control the Plasmawave feature, users who wish to control the plasma ionizer independently must buy the higher priced Winix 5500 Plasmawave.

You can control the air cleaner wherever you are. You can turn on or off the machine when you are lying on your couch watching TV, sitting at the table having dinner or even at the door before you go outside. 

Auto and Sleep Modes must be selected from the front panel. You can also choose the speed whatever you want without bothering to walk to it. You are definitely going to love the remote control and enjoy the convenience resulted from it.

Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier with True HEPA, PlasmaWave and Odor Reducing Washable AOC Carbon Filter

28 used from $126.39

$159.99 $249.99

in stock

BUY NOW

19/04/2024 15:54

Amazon.com

Last update was on: 19/04/2024 15:54

Winix 5500-2 Air Cleaner with PlasmaWave Technology

Winix Air Cleaner will help keep the air in a home or office clean and smelling fresh. The Winix 5500-2 Air Cleaner replaces the wildly popular 5500-2 model. The Winix Air Cleaner ...

$159.99 $249.99

BUY NOW

Walmart.com

in stock

Last update was on: 14/04/2024 14:28

Winix Wac5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner With Plasmawave Technology

Another great benefit of getting the Winix WAC5500 True HEPA is that it comes with Winix’s Washable True HEPA filter.

Standard HEPA filter lasts about a year, while the washable version can last up to three years according to the manufacturer. A simple washing every six months or so will extend the life, meaning less filter replacing for you to worry about.

I should also point out that the Washable True HEPA filter is available for purchase separately and does fit the 5300 and 6300. The pre-filter made from carbon can absorb annoying odors, for example, penetrating odors produced by smoking, cooking or even slight odors from new leather shoes and clothes.

The 5500’s “Odor Control Carbon Pre-Filter” serves as both prefilter and gas-phase pollutant absorbent.

There is very little carbon in this filter, strong odors may not be removed quickly, and the filter is scheduled for quarterly replacement.

Winix treats the carbon prefilter with an anti-microbial chemical to reduce the build-up of bacteria and fungi. The significant change from the previous model is 5500’s washable long life True HEPA filter. 

The HEPA should be washed when the carbon prefilter is replaced, every three months. A filter monitor on top of the Winix 5500 True HEPA air cleaner with plasmawave technology is said to light up when the HEPA filter needs to be replaced.

 Replacement filter options for the 5500, listed on the Winix website, in Winix Size 20, are: Standard: #115115, 4 carbon prefilters, 1 HEPA (NOT washable) or Ultimate Filter Cartridge: #119110 $119.99, this is the full tray that was removed to create the 5300, HEPA also NOT washable.

True HEPA filtration manages to capture 99.97% of the airborne pollutants in your house, which can reduce your worries about the indoor environment to the largest extent.

Moreover, the air cleaner is equipped with the plasma wave technology, which attacks pollutants as small as a molecular including viruses, bacteria, and chemical vapors without creating harmful ozone.

So it further makes sure that the air is free from any allergen that may do harm to your health.

In short, this air cleaner works perfect and is an excellent choice for those who are critical about air quality and concerned about the body.

Another bonus of Winix model WAC5500 lies in the fact that this air cleaner has a smart air quality sensor with auto-mode. Thus it can adjust itself automatically according to the settings it detects.

For example, if someone who smoked outside just a moment ago steps into the house, the air cleaner might respond with a faster speed.

It should be mentioned that there are four speeds on the air cleaner, so you can select whatever you want.

The four speeds on these units are excellent because they give a little more freedom to find the ideal speed when compared to purifiers only offering three speeds.

The Turbo setting is quite powerful, yet these purifiers remain rather energy friendly, using only 70 watts on high; they are Energy Star Qualified.

Considering the excellent performance and various features of this air cleaner, the price is actually not high.

What’s more, the washable HEPA filter can save you a large sum of money in the long run because it can be washed for six times before it should be replaced by another one.

This is a great air purifier for the price. The build quality of the machine is above average compared to other similarly priced air purifiers on the market, and it has an attractive two-tone silver/white finish that blends in with the environment.

The LED interface looks great and has a slightly high-tech look to it.

Buyer

Winix WAC5500 True HEPA air purifier uses PlasmaWave technology which emits dual-polarity ion streams which combine with airborne water molecules to create oxidizing hydroxyl radicals.

These oxidizers destroy odor and gas molecules and eat away at very fine airborne particles. Pollutants do not have to be drawn through the air cleaner for the oxidizers to work.

Winix Wac5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner With Plasmawave Technology CADR

Winix 5500 True HEPA purifier AHAM certified CADRs are 248 Dust, 252 Pollen, 236 Smoke. These Clean Air Delivery Rates (CADR) are strong for a $200 air cleaner.

The official AHAM room size recommendation for Winix 5500 is 350 sq. ft., as always based on 24/7 high-speed operation.

A realistic room size is 250 sq. ft., assuming the user is willing to do several manually initiated dust-ups daily, rather than leaving the 5500 on Auto Mode.

Buyers should realize that full-time Auto Mode operation will NOT achieve highest air quality, and may not even reach “healthy” particulate levels.

I recommend manually running the Winix 5500 on high-speed periodically, especially if the room is over 200 sq. ft.

When Auto-Mode is selected, the 5500 automatically selects one of four-speed levels and runs on that speed until pollutant readings decline.

How Quiet is Winix WAC5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner?

Winix 5500 uses a BLDC motor that is silent on the two lower speeds. The 5500’s top speed (“turbo”) is blowing a decent 240 CADR, and noise is acceptable considering the output.

User reviews note a slight electric “crackling noise” when the plasma ionizer is running. One buyer got five new 5500’s and found a different Plasmawave sound level from each.

 Winix WAC5500 True HEPA air cleaner with plasmawave technology is “CARB Compliant.” That means it makes less than 50 parts per billion ozone.

In my opinion, the 50 ppb standard is way too high to be meaningful. But Winix 5500 is not among the ozone-emitting air cleaners sneaking under the wire.

Winix WAC5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner PROS and CONS

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of using Winix WAC5500 True HEPA air cleaner with plasmawave technology:

• Washable True HEPA Filter that Captures 99.97% of airborne pollutants and allergens as small as 0.3 microns

• Odor Control Carbon Pre-Filter especially formulated to capture offensive Smoke, Cooking, and other Household Odors

• PlasmaWave Technology attacks pollutants at a molecular level to neutralize viruses, bacteria, chemical vapors, and odors – without producing harmful ozone

• Smart Sensor with Auto-Mode automatically adjusts your air cleaner settings to meet the needs of your environment

• Energy Star Qualified to save you money

Winix 5500 vs 5300 vs 9500

Winix Wac5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner With Plasmawave Technology Review

There are two minor flaws of this air cleaner. Someone might be bothered by the noise it produces or its short one-year warranty.

However, the cleaner is slightly noisy only in the turbo setting, so you can pick other speeds at night if you are a light sleeper.

As for the warranty, you can choose to buy an extended warranty in case of damages. Winix WAC5500 air cleaner measures 16.3 by 8.5 by 21.7 inches, and weighs 15.7 pounds. It’s a mid-sized air cleaner.

But the design lacks molded-in handles, forcing users to bear-hug it when moving. Burning 6 Watts on low to 70 Watts on high, Winix WAC5500 True HEPA air cleaner with plasmawave technology is Energy Star qualified.

Winix WAC5500 Washable Filter

Winix WAC5500 Washable Filter includes a washable pre-filter, a 99.99% True-HEPA Filter, Washable Advanced Odor Control Washable Carbon Filter and is treated with Cleancel Anti-Microbial Coating.

CHECK PRICE

Unfortunately, the PlasmaWave is missing some crucial features. There is no operation schedule that would let you conveniently set the air purifier to run at certain times.

Also, this air purifier lacks an operation timer and sleep mode, so you’ll have to monitor the unit and change settings it if you don’t want it running 24/7.

If you are considering to buy a HEPA air cleaner which is efficient enough for your family room or large bedroom, or even the office, Winix model 5500 with True HEPA is likely to be what you are searching for.

It can assure you that the air in your surroundings is extremely fresh and clean, and you can get rid of all the problems or diseases caused by airborne pollutants at your house or offices.

Even if you are a skeptical consumer who gives priority to function, this air cleaner will not let you down for it is truly efficient and effective.

If you want a bigger air purifier, Winix 9500 air purifier is a brother machine which has larger working coverage and has same features.

If you want cheaper model but without remote controller then you can check Winix 5300.