Reptile & Amphibian Forums

THough this may not be directly related to rat snakes, rats are my thing and I believe you guys are a bit more hardcore than most in the hobby so I'll search for my best answer here.

At a reptile show in the past I picked up a card on the Alpine air purifier which uses a negative ion system to knock out smells and particles from the air. The guy at the show that had them claimed it worked with a mouse breeding operation in his basement. That is some serious stink!
I'm just concerned if there is any detrimental effect towards reptiles from the ions?
Anyone use this purifier machine?
The reptile room has a bit of an odor even with my compulsive cleaning.
Heres a link to what I'm talking about...Copy and paste if clicking it doesn't work.
< http://www.alpineairtechnologies.com/products/alpine-living.shtml >
THanks,Mike.

I've never owned that particular brand of purifier, but I did own a very good one given to me by a good snake buddy many years ago, I don't have it anymore, and can't remember the Brand name now, but it worked on the exact same principle that yours does.

Mine seemed to work great with keeping down odor, although this ion process does seem to have a certain smell of it's own as well. Mine was adjustable, and you could smell these differences as the dial was gradually turned.

Any way, I used that for years with zero noticable effects on my many snakes(and mice/rat's) that were all in seperate rooms, with a machine in each one. That was my experience with them. There are MANY different one's on the market, and some will certainly work way better than other;s, depending on many different factors.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Quote:
"I've never owned that particular brand of purifier, but I did own a very good one given to me by a good snake buddy many years ago, I don't have it anymore, and can't remember the Brand name now, but it worked on the exact same principle that yours does.
Mine seemed to work great with keeping down odor, although this ion process does seem to have a certain smell of it's own as well. Mine was adjustable, and you could smell these differences as the dial was gradually turned.
Any way, I used that for years with zero noticable effects on my many snakes(and mice/rat's) that were all in seperate rooms, with a machine in each one. That was my experience with them. There are MANY different one's on the market, and some will certainly work way better than other;s, depending on many different factors.
~Doug

Thanks Doug, this one I'm looking at mentioned that it makes its own smell and to adjust the dial. Its good to know that it can be used without harm to the snakes. I'm definitely going to get one as no matter how clean I keep the tanks, in the confined space, 12x14', there is always kind of a musky musty odor that hits you when you walk in.
Didn't get that when the tanks where in the wide open basement, but then thier corner couldn't be heated either.

One other thing that I don't notice myself, but my when my dad visits he says he can smell it up stars. Thats not good.
Doug you've also mentioned that theres alot on the market, care to throw a few names out there that you think could be good?
Anyone else know of a good unit?
Mike.

I'm sorry that I can't be much help on recommending a certain one for you, but it was MANY years ago when I had mine, and as I mentioned, I couldn't remember the name if my life depended on it. All I really remember was that my friend said it was a very high quality one that he personally endorsed as one that I would be impressed with, and would really do the job.

maybe if you do a "google" search for them and look for consumer's feedback you could get a real good idea of which one's people have been pleased with in the past.

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

The issue I would be concerned most about with the ionic type purifiers is the unhealthy amount of ozone they can produce.

WVkingsnake quote:"The issue I would be concerned most about with the ionic type purifiers is the unhealthy amount of ozone they can produce."
THats exactly itand I am. THe Alpine Lightning Air got alot of hype but relies on negative ions to knock the stink out of the air which as I understand it works very well. I was hopeing to find someone who was using that unit or another model that they can say works well and doesn't hurt their snakes. Its also a plus if it is available for me to buy.
Mike.

Perhaps I need to clarify the use of this thing a bit. I run mine on a timer for 90 mins twice a day at a middle setting, JUST enough for me to be able to smell the ozone when I enter the room. Ozone is an oxidizer and it reacts with all manner of compounds including you and your animals lungs. These things should not be used inplace of house keeping but one also need to recognise that the concentration of animals we keep in our collections creates air quality issues that back ground levels of ozone con not handle. The device is not meant to sterilize the air, just freshen it enough to buy time to clean up that big obsolata dump before the wife gets home!
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

I've been using mine for 8 years with only positive effects. I would recommend gettign the heavey duty ceramic plates to start with. The originals are just too delicate.
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

Tony, are you saying that you've been using the alpine lightning air, that particular unit?

Yes.
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson