Car Insurance Coverage: Avoid Expenses After an Accident

Reduce Your Expenses After a Vehicle Accident

A Vehicle Accident Can Be Expensive- Even If It Is Not Your Fault
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Last month, someone ran into my wife's car from behind while she was stopped at a stop sign.  The accident occurred within a couple blocks of the High School.  The driver of the truck that ran into her was 16 years and 11 days old.

Fortunately, no one was hurt.  My wife's car is a Ford Fusion.  The truck that ran into it is a Chevy Silverado 2500, which is a big truck and did a lot of damage to my wife's Fusion.  After the accident, a police officer arrived at the scene and took down everyone's insurance information and provided it to those involved.  I was in charge of filing the claim and arranging to get my wife's car repaired.  There were several surprises along the way.

You Have To Pay A Deductible- Even if the Accident was Not Your Fault!?

Do You Still Have To Pay The Deductible If the Accident is not Your Fault?
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The first surprise was that we had to pay our $1,000 deductible to get our car repaired.  I was not surprised that we had a $1,000 deductible- I was surprised we had to pay it since the accident was no fault of ours at all.

It turned out that we were able to get the deductible payed back from the other party's insurance company, but we did have to make a $1,000 payment ourselves to pick up our car from the body shop.  My insurance company was able to provide contact information, including claim numbers, for the other party's insurance company to help me get paid back quickly.

Am I Covered to Get a Rental Car or Not?

What Would You Drive If Your Car Is In the Shop For a Month?
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Next surprise- the rental car coverage only covers up to $25 per day.  You can't really rent a car for $25 per day- it costs more like $50, at least in my area.  It turned out the the repair of the Fusion took 5 weeks.  If we would have rented a car for this amount of time, our share of the bill for a rental car would have been around $1000!  Good thing we had a car for my teenager that we could borrow for awhile!

Do I Have to Pay for Towing Myself?

Another surprise- I planned to use my AAA coverage to to the car about 15 miles from our house to the body shop.  The car was driveable, but I didn't want to drive it in traffic since the brake lights were broken and the trunk wouldn't close.  I made arrangements with AAA to tow the car- then they mentioned that my AAA towing coverage only covers the first 5 miles of towing!  That wouldn't do me much good since the body shop was 15 miles away.  I had the body shop arrange to tow my car and had it included on the repair bill so it would be covered by my insurance.

How to Get a Cash Settlement After a Vehicle Accident

After my wife's car arrived at the body shop, we got an estimate for repair.  It was in the neighborhood of $15,000.  My first thought was to see if I could keep the money and just have the body shop bend the trunk so it would close and repair the broken brake lights in the cheapest way possible.

I called my insurance company to see if this would be an option, and they said I could take a cash settlement for the amount of damages- less the $1,000 deductible- and keep the car as is.  Next, I talked with the body shop to see how much a very crude repair would cost.  There were a couple snags with my plan to pocket the cash settlement.

1) The cheap repair was not actually that cheap.  Using junk yard parts and cutting some corners, the repair estimate was still around $7,000.  This was a lot less than $15,000, but the repair would not include everything.

2) Since I was making car payments and the bank had the title to the vehicle, the check would be issued to both me and the bank to co-sign.  I was concerned that the bank would want to keep some of all of the insurance payment since the value of the car would be significantly reduced.

I decided to go ahead with the full repair in this case.  The Fusion is back and looks great.  I got my deductible back, paid nothing for towing, and did not pay anything for a rental car.

Get This Information to File a Claim After an Accident

As I mentioned, the police responded to this accident and provided a valuable service by documenting the accident.  They took statements from the parties involved and systematically collected all of the information to file an insurance claim.  If the police are not involved in your accident, you will need to collect this information yourself.  Here is a list of information that my insurance claim center requested when I called to make an insurance claim:

• Driver's name: who was driving all of the other vehicles involved in the accident
• Vehicle license plates, make, model for all vehicles involved in the accident
• Driver's address for all drivers involved in the accident
• Driver's insurance company and policy number for all vehicles involved
• Description of accident
• Location and time of accident

My insurance company also asked for the names of the passengers in the other vehicles.  I only knew the driver's name and not the name of the passenger, and this was acceptable.

It is hard to remember to collect all of this information right after an accident.  Consider calling the police to help document the accident and make sure all information is collected before parties involved in the accident leave the scene.

Tips on Handling an Vehicle Accident Insurance Claim to Reduce Your Expenses:

1) Check the coverage limits you have for a rental car before renting one.  You may have a daily limit.  My coverage also had a cap on the total amount they would pay for rental car coverage per incident.  If insurance would have covered a rental car, I would have used it, but it was not worth paying a significant bill since I could borrow another car.

2) Get the towing expense covered by the insurance claim.  Arrange with your body shop to include the towing.  Or use AAA if you have it and it will cover the towing distance required.

3) Recover the deductible if the accident was not your fault.  I called the other party's insurance company and requested payment.  They agreed to mail a check.

4) Make sure to get all of the information you need to file a claim while you are at the accident scene.  The police can prepare an accident report and ensure that all of the information needed for insurance purposes is collected.

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Buying a Car for Your Teen Driver- How to Minimize the Damage

Why It Makes Sense to Buy a Car for Your Teen Driver

Find the Right Car for Your Teen Driver
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I am careful with money, but I recently bought a third car for our household.  Since cars are expensive to purchase and depreciate rapidly, why would a penny pincher like me do such a thing?

My son is 15 years old and is learning to drive.   Here in Iowa, teens can get an Instruction Permit that allows them to start driving with their parents in the car at the age of 14.  My first thought was to simply start teaching our son to drive using one of the existing cars in our household- either my 12 year old Honda Civic, or my wife’s newer Ford Fusion Hybrid.   Using a car we already own wouldn't cost anything.

My Honda Civic is an old car and has a book value of about $2,500 according to kbb.com.  I wouldn’t be too worried about this car getting a few more scratches and dents, so in some ways it would be great for training a teen driver.  But my old Honda Civic has a manual transmission.  Back in the early 2000’s, you could get better gas mileage driving a stick shift instead of an automatic transmission.

I didn't want to start driving lessons for my son on a stick shift.  For someone who is new behind the wheel, it takes plenty of concentration to be aware of your vehicle’s position on the road, scan for obstacles, and so on.  Adding a clutch pedal and shifting on top handling the brake, accelerator, steering wheel, and turn signals would be a lot to handle.  Not to mention the challenge of stopping on a hill in traffic the first time when learning to drive a stick shift.  If you have learned to drive a stick shift, I’m sure you know what I am talking about.

Since the Civic doesn't work well for teen driver training, we started a few driving lessons using my wife’s Ford Fusion hybrid.   There are a couple issues with learning to drive in a newer hybrid vehicle.  First, the Fusion hybrid behaves differently than a conventional vehicle.  The braking on a hybrid is different than standard brakes since the regenerative brakes recharge the batteries during braking.  As a result, the brake pedal responds a bit differently.  I didn't want my teen to get used to this type of braking, only to switch to conventional vehicle braking later.  Second, I was nervous thinking about how expensive even minor damage such as a parking lot fender bender would be for the good car.  Even a minor mishap could cause thousands of dollars of damage. 

I decided to buy my son a car and let him keep the money he has saved up for college so far.  Spending money is always painful, especially on an expense like a car, but I decided that the benefits outweighed the costs:

• Reduces extra mileage and wear and tear on our “good” car.
• Reduces potential expense of scratches, dents, and fender benders during the early months of driving practice.  Cosmetic repairs are optional on older cars…
• Allows our teen driver to learn to drive with the same car that he will be driving in the future.
• Allows the parents to pick out a good, practical car that will last long enough for our teen to drive off to college and beyond.

How to Choose the Right Car for Your Teen Driver

Is Fuel Economy or Safety More Important for a Teen Car?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Safety

If you are thinking about sending your 16 year old driver out into traffic alone, safety is the probably the first thing that comes to mind.  I was impressed by how many safety features modern vehicles have compared to my first car- a 1974 Plymouth Valliant.  Front shoulder seatbelts were state-of-the-art.  Now cars come with safety features including air bags, anti-lock brakes, and traction/stability control.  You can also check crash testresults for vehicles you are considering at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration website.

Reliability

There are two types of reliability to consider.  One is the general reliability of the vehicle you are considering- is it in good mechanical condition, or is it likely to break down on the road?  It can be very expensive to tow a vehicle to a shop and have it repaired, not to mention the stress of breaking down on the road.  The other reliability consideration is the historical reliability of the model you are considering.  This can help you determine if expensive repairs are ahead.

Cost

The big cost drivers for buying and owning a vehicle are purchase price, repair costs, insurance costs, and fuel cost.  Insurance cost can make a huge difference on the cost of ownership of a car for your teen.  Check with your insurance agent to get an estimate for insurance cost for the makes and models you are considering.  Your choice of vehicle could change your insurance cost by $1,000 per year or more!

Utility

A two door coupe looks cool and sporty, but what about hauling the trombone, backpack, and little brother to school in a year or two?  Thinking even further ahead, imagine what kind of car would work well for loading up with weeks’ worth of dirty laundry for a visit home from college.

Style

I put style last on the list of criteria for teen cars, but a first car is a once in a lifetime experience.  This experience can be enhanced if you can involve your teen in the buying decision, looking at cars together and try to get a vehicle or features that your teen is excited about.  This can also serve as an opportunity to teach your teen about money and negotiating.

Best Cars For Teen Drivers

The sites below offer some ideas on makes and models of cars that are well suited for teen drivers:

The Best Used Cars for Teenage Drivers from Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2013/06/24/the-best-used-cars-for-teenage-drivers/

Best Cars for Teenagers from Bankrate.com:

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/best-cars-for-teenagers-1.aspx

These lists feature newer cars in the $15,000 price range.  My budget is in the under $5,000 price range in order to avoid making car payments.   I had to do a bit of work to find a reliable used car in this price range.

  

How to Buy a Used Car for Your Teen

How To Buy A Car For Your Teen Driver
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Set a Budget

As with most smart shopping, the first step should be to set a budget.  It is too easy to zero in on a car that is too expensive if you don’t set the budget up front.  My budget of $5,000 was set by the amount I could spend without needing to get a car loan.

Select the Make and Model

With the budget set, take some trips to car lots with your teen and see what features and styles are appealing.  The goal is to select a specific make and model that you want to pursue.  Next, read up on your target car’s features, options, reliability, and book price range.  If you are still impressed, look at vehicle listings on craigslist and other internet sites to find promising candidates.  I would recommend test driving several cars to get a feel for vehicle condition and options available in your price range.

Get a Vehicle Inspection

When you find the car you want, get a vehicle inspection before you make an offer.  For under $50, you can take the car to a mechanic for inspection and get an estimate for any repairs that are needed.  It is painful to spend money on a car that isn’t even yours, but this can save you a ton of money on unexpected repairs.  The first car I had inspected had a repair estimate of $4,000 on a car priced at $3,650.  Getting a vehicle inspection saved me thousands of dollars!

Link to Vehicle Inspection Tips

http://pennypincherjournal.blogspot.com/2013/10/used-car-inspection-vehicle-inspection.html

Negotiate Like a Pro

Use your research on book price from sites like Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) to make sure you are getting a fair price for your vehicle.  You should expect to pay more at a dealer than from a private seller since dealers invest money buying and preparing vehicles for sale.  Your vehicle inspection report is a great bargaining tool- I got the dealer to throw in about $1,000 of repairs and reduce the price as well.  The total price of the car turned out to be $4,150 plus title and registration.

A Good Teen Car Experience

So far, the experience of finding a car for my teen and starting driving lessons has been a lot of fun.  I find it much less stressful driving with my teen in the older car that we picked out together instead of driving my wife’s newer car.  I think my teen will benefit from a few months of practice driving the same car that he will one day drive by himself.  And I have enjoyed working on some simple car projects together such as restoring the headlights and applying special car wax for black cars.

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Malwarebytes: Free Anti-Malware Software Download

Malwarebytes: How to Remove Malware from Your Computer for Free!

See below for link to download Malwarebytes anti-malware software for free...

Malwarebytes anti-malware software- free download!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

If your computer is running slowly, it may simply be slowed down by extra plug-ins, toolbars, and other unneeded software and files that have been installed.  You can download SlimCleaner for free to clean files and extra programs from to speed up your computer and make it run faster.
If your computer is running really slowly, it may be infected with malware.  Malware is software that attacks your computer and may use some of your computer's resources for malicious tasks such as sending spam e-mail or trying to break into other computer systems.  You can download Malwarebytes anti-malware software for free to scan your computer and remove any malware.

Free Malware Scan with Malwarebytes anti-malware

After downloading Malwarebytes anti-malware, click the "Update Now" option to update the malware database.  Then click the green "Scan Now" button to start a scan.  Scanning a computer can take about 30 minutes or so, depending on the size of your hard drive and how many files you have to scan.

At the end of the scan, you can see how many malware items were detected and you have the opportunity to remove the malware.  My son was able to remove a really pesky malware called V9 from his computer using Malwarebytes anti-malware.  V9 had infected his Internet Explorer and Chrome Browsers and I was not able to uninstall V9 using windows tools.  Malwarebytes took care of V9 easily.

Malware Threats Detected During Malwarebytes Scan
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

On my computer, I noticed that Malwarebytes detected a few items that I would not consider malware, so it is important to review the list and make sure you are not deleting items that you installed and use that you are certain are not malware.

Malware Threats Removed After Scan
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Malwarebytes performs the following steps to scan your computer for malware:

• Pre-scan Operations
• Memory Objects
• Startup Objects
• Registry Objects
• Filesystem Objects
• Heuristic Analysis

Clicking the Scan Now button will automatically run through all of these steps to scan your computer for malware threats.  At the end of the scan, you will be able to review the list of all of the malware threats found and apply actions to quarantine and delete the malware threats.

How to Get Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Software for Free

Here's the link to download Malwarebytes anti-malware software for free from the malwarebytes website at https://www.malwarebytes.org/:
Download Malwarebytes anti-malware software


Recommended Reading:
Use SlimCleaner to clean up unneeded files and speed up your computer
How to Speed Up Windows 7 using Windows utilities
How to use a USB memory stick to Speed Up Windows Vista and Windows 7 with ReadyBoost

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

SlimCleaner: Speed up Your Computer for Free!

SlimCleaner: Free Computer Speed Up!

See below for link to download SlimCleaner for free from Slimware Utilities...

Use SlimCleaner to Speed Up Your Computer for Free!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

For years, I have used Norton Utilities to keep my computer tuned up.  My son's Windows 7 laptop was running very slowly and I had a chance to work on it.  I considered spending about $50 for Norton Utilities, but decide to check out free utilities to see what could be done for free to speed up my computer.

You Can Download SlimCleaner for Free
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I came upon a free program called SlimClean from Slimware Utilities.  SlimClean has several tools to speed up your PC by deleting extra files and software that seems to get installed whenever you download something. SlimClean also optimizes start-up programs and Windows services to speed up your computer.  SlimClean uses feedback from users to help determine which services and programs are not needed.

SlimClean also has disk tools including a disk defragmentation tool and disk wiping tools, and tools to find and eliminate duplicate files.  Other tools include the ability to review all of your browsers and remove unwanted toolbars.  This can make web browsers run much faster.  You can also scan for "hijack" threats based on input from users on the web to help identify malicious files.

SlimCleaner Start-up Screen
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

How to Use SlimCleaner to Speed Up Your Computer

When you launch SlimCleaner, it automatically updates the software to the latest version and offers you an button that says "Analyze".  When you click this, SlimCleaner will search your hard drive for unneeded files including cookies and temporary files.  Next, you are offered a chance to defragment your hard drive.  This is a process that places files near each other on the hard disk, reducing access time and allowing your computer to run faster.

You can select the Optimize menu and review community ratings for drivers and plug-ins that are installed and decide whether to delete them.

SlimCleaner Optimization Menu
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The Software menu provides a list of all of your installed software along with community ratings of each of the software items so you can decide which to keep and which to delete.

The Browsers menu shows all of your installed web browsers and allows you to easily uninstall  unneeded toolbars to speed up your web browser.  The toolbars have community ratings to help you decide which are useful and which to delete.

The Disk Tools menu allows you to analyze your disk drives, find and remove duplicate files, and wipe data from drives.

The Windows Tools menu provides access to built-in Windows tools to speed up your computer such as Windows Update, the Services Monitor, Performance Monitor, etc.

The Hijack Log menu scans your computer for plugins and other software that could hijack your system and provides community ratings to help you decide what to keep and what to delete.

How to Get SlimCleaner for Free

I tried out SlimCleaner on my son's computer and was impressed enough to run it on my own computer as well.  It did make the boot-up time significantly shorter and does seem to make my computer run faster.

If you want to try SlimCleaner for free, here's the link to download from Slimware Utilities website  https://www.slimwareutilities.com/slimcleaner.php:
Free SlimCleaner Download


Recommended Reading:
Free Malware Scan Software to Speed Up Your Computer
How to Speed Up Windows 7 using Windows utilities
How to use a USB memory stick to Speed Up Windows Vista and Windows 7 with ReadyBoost

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

New Car Smell- Use an Air Purifier in Your Car

Use an Air Purifier in Your Car- Get That New Car Smell

Today I used my Shop Vac to vacuum out the grime that had accumulated in my car over the winter.  I also used some Lemon Pledge furniture cleaner to clean the dashboard and plastic trim.  I was out of Armor All, and the Lemon Pledge worked great.

When I was done, my car was pretty clean inside, but it didn't smell clean.  My dogs enjoy going for rides, and my car smelled sort of doggy and stale, and a bit lemony from the Lemon Pledge spray.

I decided to bring out the big gun.  I just got a New Comfort 6 stage air purifier for my house.  It has 6 stages of filtration and can handle a 3,000 square foot area.  I decided to use this in my car.  I cracked the window just enough to get an extension cord in.

How to Use an Air Purifier in Your Car- Run an Extension Cord Through the Window
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Next, I folded down the back seat so the air from the trunk could circulate as well and turned it on high.

Home Air Purifier Running in the Back Seat of My Car
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Get the New Car Smell Using an Air Purifier

The best way to address odors is to eliminate the source of the odor.  I vacuumed all of the fur and dust that I could, and got rid of some winter mittens and other gear that can hold odor.  Running the air purifier will remove odors from the air using its charcoal filter and some of the other filters as well.  As odor is released, the air purifier absorbs it and over time the source of the odor is exhausted.

Of course, you can buy an air freshener for your car for a couple bucks, but the chemical smell gives me headaches.  I wanted my air to actually be clean, so I cleaned it using my house air purifier.

Use an Air Purifier to Get that New Car Smell
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

If your car has cigarette odor, you can use the ozone setting on an air purifier.  I did not use the ozone production on mine- ozone is hazardous and can damage plastic parts.

You can learn more about the New Comfort air purifier here.  This air purifier moves a lot of air and has filter stages that remove pollen, dust, germs and odors from your air.  This air purifier even has a UV light that kills viruses and bacteria.

Air Purifier for Cars

If you want to purify the air in your car all the time when you are driving, you can get air purifiers for cars that run on 12V power.  Some of these filters have features similar to home air filters, but are smaller and have less air circulation capacity.

What is the New Car Smell?  Is it Toxic?

The "new car smell" in a new car is actually the smell of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds off gassing from the upholstery, glues, and plastic materials in the new car.  People think of the new car smell as a good thing since it is associated with new cars, but it is not very healthy to breathe.  If you have a new car- or a new house-you might want to use an air purifier to absorb the harmful chemicals or leave your windows down to let that new car smell air out.

Recommended Reading:
The Sales Pitch: How to Sell Anything is an article about how a great sales pitch can get people to buy things they don't need and can't afford.  How do great salesmen get you to buy things?

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Is Remodeling A Good Investment?

Should I Remodel my Kitchen and Bathroom?

Dear Dr. Penny Pincher,

Our house was built in 1912. The kitchen and bathrooms are dated and probably need updating.  For example the kitchen countertops are circa 1980. The bathrooms were updated about the same time.  Both areas are acceptable functionally and aesthetically. Due to our age we will probably sell the house and move to and apartment or condo in the future. Should we consider doing updates to enhance the value and selling potential of the house or leave both areas as they are?  What are other considerations in this decision?

Sincerely,
A Penny Pincher Follower



Dear Follower,

It is always painful to spend money, but it is less painful when you know you can get some or all of your money back.  Real estate is generally a good investment, but a real estate investment comes with expenses such as paying property taxes and upkeep on the property.

The good news about kitchen and bath remodeling projects is that you typically get about 50 to 70% of the money you spend on remodeling back in the form of increased property value.  For example, if you spend $10,000 on kitchen and bath upgrades you may be able to sell your home for $5,000 to $7,000 more.  As you can see, you do not typically get all of the money you spend on remodeling back.

Kitchen and bath remodeling are among the highest payback projects that you can do.  If you have the money, remodeling projects can be rewarding and can help you stay in your current house longer.  When you sell your house, you'll likely pay around 6% commission to a real estate agent.  It may be worth spending some money to avoid that expense.  This article has some estimates of how much different remodeling projects add to the value of your home.  I think some of these numbers seem a bit high, but this provides an idea of what type of projects add the most value.

While a good remodeling project can increase the value of a home, a poorly done project or unfinished project can decrease the value of a home.  A lot of potential home buyers will not even consider buying a house that needs work done.  

I would suggest setting a budget for your remodeling project and trying to get the most improvement you can for your budget.  It is a good idea to get estimates from several contractors and pick one with good references.

Good Luck!
DPP

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Whole House Air Purifier: New Comfort with HEPA, UV, Ozone, Charcoal, and More

Whole House Air Purifier

New Comfort Whole House Air Purifier with 6 Stages of Filtration
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I have kids and pets in my household, and became interested in an air purifier after a Rainbow Vacuum demonstration.  One of the great things about a Rainbow vacuum cleaner is that it can function as an air purifier as well.  I already had a vacuum cleaner, and I learned that you can get high quality whole house air purifiers for much less than the cost of a Rainbow vacuum- $2,300 for a new one!

I found a great whole house air purifier for under $200.  It has 6 stages of filtration- much more than the 2 stages that a Rainbow vacuum offers.  Unlike the air purifiers that I found at the local Target store, the New Comfort air purifier can handle a much larger space.  The ones at the store could handle a few hundred square feet and cost between $150 to $200.  The New Comfort handles 3,000 square feet.  This will easily cover my entire house.  The unit weighs about 12 pounds and stands about 1 foot tall.  I got the black model, but it is also available with a real wood case or with a clear case.

New Comfort 6 Stage Air Purifier

The New Comfort air purifier has the following stages of filtration to remove dust, allergens, and odors:

• HEPA filter- removes dust and particulates.  The HEPA filter is washable!
• UV light- kills germs, bacteria, and viruses
• Ozone generator- ozone can remove odors, but I don't plan to use it.  More on ozone later...
• Photo-catalytic filter- removes mold spores, odors, and bacteria
• Charcoal filter- removes odors
• Negative Ion filtration- removes pollen and allergens

New Comfort Air Purifier- Filters Are Easily Accessible in the Back.
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The New Comfort air purifier can move a lot of air through these stages of filtration.  The unit has a control knob to control the fan speed from low to high speed.  At the high setting, the New Comfort can circulate enough air to handle a 3,000 square foot space.

Is Ozone Safe in an Air Purifier?

One selling point of the New Comfort air purifier is that it has a knob that allows you to easily turn the ozone production completely off.  I mentioned above that I was not planning to use the ozone generation capability of the air purifier.  Here's why:

Some people claim that ozone is great for removing odors from air and makes air smell fresh and clean like outdoor air.  However, ozone is one of the key components in smog and is known to cause respiratory issues.  Even the product documentation says that ozone is to be used in "uninhabited space".  Ozone has a half life of about 30 minutes, so if you use ozone I would treat it like a hazardous substance- minimize your exposure to it.   Here is a link to a fact sheet produced by the Connecticut Department of Public Health that describes the hazard of using ozone from air purifiers.

The New Comfort air purifier does have a knob to control the ozone generation from low to high and to turn the ozone generation completely off.  If I ever sell my air purifier, having the ozone generation capability will increase its resale value.  I recommend that you do some research before you decide to use ozone generation, starting with the link above.

Whole House Air Purifier- Test Drive

I received my New Comfort 6 stage air purifier today and set it up immediately.  I plan to move it from my upstairs to my downstairs occasionally.  It was easy to set up and get running.  The filters are easily accessible and removable for cleaning or replacement.

The controls are simple:  there is a power switch on the back of the unit, and 2 knobs on the front of the unit.  There is a knob to control ozone- I plan to leave this one in the off position.  The second knob controls the fan speed.  The fan noise increases at higher fan speeds.  I plan to use the low or medium fan speed most of the time.  A green light indicates when the fan is on, and a red light indicates when ozone generation is on.

My house smells fresher already, and I am looking forward to breathing less dust and germs.  If you have issues with odors, dust, or allergies in your house, the New Comfort 6 stage air purifier should make a big improvement in your indoor air quality.




Recommended Reading:
The Sales Pitch: How to Sell Anything is an article that describes the sales pitch for a Rainbow Vacuum in detail.

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy