Product Description

Suitable for a family room or large bedroom (350 sq ft CADR); the Winix WAC5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner with PlasmaWave™ Technology combines the best filtering and technologies to deliver clean fresh air. Special Long Life True HEPA Filtration; Odor Control Carbon Pre-filter; and Winix's PlasmaWave™ Technology combine to offer superior control of Household Odors, Pollutants and Allergens.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2563 in Home
• Brand: Winix
• Model: WAC5500
• Released on: 2011-03-30
• Dimensions: 21.70" h x 8.50" w x 16.30" l, 15.70 pounds

Features

• Long Life True HEPA Filtration 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.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

62 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
Winix WAC5500 Air Cleaner
By Virginia
I purchased this today at Fry's Electronics for $199, but really wanted a 5300 model, which they were out of as it is being discontinued. Later I found 5300 model could be purchased at Walgreens for $149. The only difference between the two as far as I can see is that there is a washable filter in the 5500, which might save me some money in the long run. My home showed "green" but I put it on the top speed to clear out the air anyway. It is loud at that speed, but very quiet at first 2 speeds. Later I will like the auto mode which switches to whatever the sensor thinks the fan should be on according to air quality. It is nice looking. I can't say much now but it seems a little overpriced to me. I did not buy the extended warranty and hope nothing goes wrong as it only has a 1 year warranty. You still must replace the carbon filters every 3 months. Besides the one in the unit they give you 3 more carbon filters so this should last a year but maybe more if I vacuu m it. The other washable filter should be washed every 6 months and can be washed 6 times and then must be replaced.

UPDATE: 6/6/11 I really like the Winix 5500, so much that I purchased a Winix 5300 from Walgreens and in the future will get the washable filter that Winix 5500 uses and put it in the 5300.
Both machines are quiet, clears the air, are sensitive to air quality. My rooms appear to be so much fresher and I'm happy with my purchases.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
Winix 5500 is quiet. Sound Comparison with P150 and Honeywell 50250
By C. Hargrave
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/ROLXKW5IX8552 I have four of the round Honeywell air purifiers in large 50250 to the 50150 (with the vibration problem) and was needing something for the bedroom as the huge air movers were just too loud even on low. Many like the low Honeywell settings as a white noise generator and in that case they are the thing. You won't find one quieter than the Winix. I have had many different brands and this one is the quietest. One thing you must understand is that when large amounts of air is forced through anything wind noise is produced. That is why the Honeywell purifiers are so loud because they move huge amounts of air quickly.

The Winix units are designed for dust and pollen hence the heppa. The automatic air sensor only senses molecule changes in the air quality (smells) and not pollen and dust on the auto mode. I keep mine at level 2 all the time and hardly notice it. First level is basically silent, but not sure it moves enough air.

It takes up less room being square and looks more modern. On the bad side it's a freakin light show with all it's settings. I had to put some tape over them to sleep with unit on second speed. On auto it has a sleep mode which tones things down. I can't help but think that if you kept this on automatic you would be disappointed in your air results.

As for the plasma thing, I'm not sure mine works at all no sound difference or air change. Will this make the air better than the honeywells; no but it works well according to what speed you set it on and can approach their effectiveness on turbo but who wants to listen to that. Unit also does well to suck animal hair out of the air. Have a cat that walks into the room and you would think he exploded, takes care of all that.

UPDATE 1-2-2013 added a video so you can hear winix 5500, p150 and honeywell 50250 side by side and added a star. Doing its job well now.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Detects and Cleans OUT-GASSING FROM PLASTICS etc
By Kent
I did not buy this from Amazon because they were charging $199 and here in Texas Amazon has to charge 6.25% sales tax. I bought this one on Ebay for $185 free shipping.

WAC5300 $159 vs WAC5500 $199. I have 2 WAC5300's and 1 WAC5500.

WAC5500
1) This model does come with a remote. The remote is very useful turning it on and changing fan speeds. It is the only way to turn off the plasma wave.
2) Washable Hepa filter. I have serious doubts that you can effectively wash a Hepa filter. There are no instructions for cleaning it either.
3) External color
4) On fan speed #2 this unit (5500) is quieter

I have had this air purifier for 2 months now. It works great for us. I use it mostly on the 2nd lowest speed #2. The air in the bedroom where I use this one is always very fresh now. This model is a little quieter than the 5300. Both my 5300's you can hear the motor making a faint whining sound on speed #2 only. The 5500 does not make this sound making it best for the bedroom.

I bought this primarily for:
1) cleaning the air of out-gassing from plastics/synthetics, paint, particle board, carpet etc.
2) No one in the family has any allergies, but I was interested in lowering the pollen, mold spores and dust especially in spring and summer when we all get runny noses from time to time.
3) I have a 5yr old son and want to keep the indoor air as clean as possible for his health.

IT WORKS FOR DETECTING AND CLEANING PLASTIC/SYNTHETICS OUT-GASSING:
I bought a memory foam topper to soften up a hard mattress and it feels great. However there were many complaints about chemical smell and that it needs a few days to air out before using. When I received it, I noticed a minor smell but used it that night since I am not sensitive to the odor. (2.5" Lucid by LinenSpa Gel Infused Ventilated Memory Foam Mattress Topper with Removable Bamboo Cover, QUEEN)

****This product detected the new mattress odor the 1st night and and while on auto kicked into #3 fan speed for about 45min. The air quality meter was at 4 bars of 5 and gradually declined to "good air quality". This continued for several days even though I couldn't smell it anymore.

**** I smoke outside (never inside) and both models occasionally detect the small amount of smoke left in my lungs when I come in the house. This truly surprised me.

For LIGHT SLEEPERS like me:
For use in the bedroom I use a timer to shut the unit off between 4am and 5am when I am most likely to wake up from fan noise. The unit is very quiet at speed 1). Speed 2) is also quiet but can wake me up at around 5am. The timer I use is Belkin Conserve Energy Saving Outlet. It can be set for 30 min, 3 hours and 6 hours. So, I set it for 6 hours and turn it on at 10pm. It shuts off the air cleaner at 4am. Perfect for me.

Power consumption by fan speed:
Off 1.3W
Au to) 5W
1) 5W
2) 15W
3) 38W
4) Turbo 77W
Fan noise:
1) Very difficult to hear in a very quiet room at night.
2) Minor white noise, fine for daytime use but may be too noisy for light sleepers.
3) Sound kicks up a few notches, fine for brief periods but too much for all day use.
4 Turbo loud

Plasma Wave noise:
None. I can only hear something when the fan is on #1 low and I listen at the air outlet vent.

My modifications:
Surprisingly these all fit
1) I added a second charcoal filter to increase the effectiveness of cleaning odor and synthetics out-gassing. Carbon filters are VERY IMPORTANT to cleanse the air of very small pollutants. Pollutants too small for the HEPA filter to catch. Change the carbon more often than 3 months. You can buy cut to fit ACTIVATED CARBON filters here on Amazon for 7-10$ for 2.
2) I bought a washable pre-filter to keep dust from blocking the charcoal's cleaning an d extend the life of the Hepa filter. This prefilter is a little narrow on the width by 1/4" but works well Duck Brand 1285234 24-Inch by 15-Inch by 1/4-Inch Foam Air Conditioner Filter

Charcoal filter vs Activated carbon:
They have similar cleaning abilities but Activated Carbon is many times more effective than charcoal or carbon. For those that want to know, here is why: Activated carbon is processed carbon or charcoal. It is processed with steam to create millions microscopic holes and channels that trap the sub micron particles that pollute your air and that can't be cleaned by the hepa filter. Activated carbon is used commercially to purify air and drinking water. I will be replacing the charcoal filter with Activated carbon filter. Cut-to-fit Carbon for Air Purifiers

Air quality sensor:
I was skeptical about the air quality sensor but it has detected some cooking odors and plastic out-gassing so far.
My only concern is how long wil l it work and I seriously doubt it will detect everything. Most sensors need some maintenance (more than the vacuuming recommended in the manual). ****But maybe it's not important in the long run as you become confident the air cleaner works and you change the carbon filters at the recommended 3 months or sooner.

A little about me: I am a practicing Electronic Engineer with over 20 yrs experience analyzing electronic components and engineering modifications to improve performance or fix defects.

The price performance of this product is very good. I rate it 5 stars.

Thank you to all the reviewers of this product and other air purifiers sold on Amazon. You have helped me make a good choice in the $200 price range.