The 17000s are 3 speed air cleaners with an average Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 130.
This is low powered, near the bottomof the useful air cleaning range.
Honeywell 17000 provides 6 air changes per hour in a 12- by 14-foot room, 168 sq. ft.
That is my maximum room size recommendation.
Installation in an area larger than 168 square feet may lead to disappointment.
A soft touch control system allows changing air purification level without waking sleepers.
Honeywell True HEPA Air Filtration
My favorite feature on the 14 inch round Honeywell air purifiers, of which I have 4, is the bolted locking mechanism.
On the 17000 series it provides side mounted access to the filter compartment. Unlike many air purifying devicesin this class, these air cleaners seal tightly, allowing little bypassing of unclean air.
Air cleaners in the near $100 area often cut corners, but the 17000 Honeywell has a 99.97% at .3 micron true HEPA filter.
Others have HEPA-type air filters, which do not have any standard to conform to.
Honeywell has gone to a modular filter system for their 14 inch round air cleaners. These common filters are stacked 2 or 3 high, depending on model. Honeywell 17000 air cleaners use 2.
Filter monitors, one for the prefilter and one for the HEPA, are merely timers, not true pressure switches. They give you a reminder to check for dirt build-up, nothing more.
A quick tap on either filter monitor button will cause its light to flash up to 3 or 4 times, showing approximate used filter life.
A recent upgrade to the Honeywell line is the "lifetime" HEPA filter.
This permanent HEPA filter can be gently vacuumed about twice a year.
For cleaner air, the "permanent" HEPA filter still needs replacement eventually after several vacuumings, as performance has been found to decline.
Note that "lifetime" is a brand name, not a guarantee.
Make sure you are getting the lifetime HEPA filter, many 17000s are still in inventory with the old part number 20500 HEPA filter.
If the air cleaner has the older filter style, be sure it is discounted accordingly.
Neither the activated carbon pre-filter, nor the HEPA filter are washable.
I wrap these with extra silk cloth outside the prefilter, wash the silk monthly, and have never bought filters.
Air filters are easy to change, without tools, just by unscrewing the round locking mechanism.
No Airborne VOC Chemical Capability
This is about as inexpensive as a HEPA air purifier can be, yet it still does an adequate job in a properly sized room without airborne chemicals.
One user complained that filters had tobe replaced after use in a room with fumes like glue, paint thinner, paint, and nail polish remover.
Here is the biggest mistake air purifier buyers make: thinking a little air cleaner can clean up this type toxic environment.
Please, at minimum, take these toxic chemicals to the garage!
Quietcare is NOT Quiet
Honeywell declines to publish noise specifications.
Marketing hype is offered instead, preventing consumers from making informed decisions.
Without actual decibel level tests, we are left with subjective interpretations of sound.
The inexpensive Honeywell air purifiers are not among the quietest. Users uniformly rate them as loud.
I have four 14 inch round air cleaners by Honeywell; including two 12520s and a 50250. These have seen intermittent operation for years.
I like these dust gobblers; low priced, well sealed HEPAs.
But they are way too loud for bedroom use and I would never think of them as a defense against chemicals.
Measuring 15.8 x 13.1 x 17.1 inches and weighing 13.4 pounds, the rounded 17000 is among the most portable of air cleaners.
Buy Honeywell 17000 HEPA QuietCare Air Cleaner!
