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The Levoit LV-PUR131 is a highly recommendable purifier if you are after a functional but affordable unit. A real workhorse among other Levoit air purifiers, this model is meant to service rooms up to 360 sq.ft. large. That’s to say that it might be an excellent choice for your bedroom, living room, or kitchen.
In this review, we are going to explore everything you need to know about it: design, build quality, on-the-ground performance, and value.
Levoit LV-PUR131 is Best For:
- People with allergies– this purifier has the coveted True HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. This filter is tested and certified to remove 99.97% of air particles with a diameter of 0.3 microns. These include airborne bacteria, pet dander, dust mites, and pollen.
- Smokers– this air purifier has an enormous Activated Carbon filter that absorbs smells and most household odors.
- Those who are sensitive to air quality– Levoit says that this air purifier will change the air in a room 4.5 times every hour. This makes it a reliable option, especially for people who are more vulnerable to indoor air pollution than others.
Construction Design and Build Quality
This air purifier boasts an aesthetically-appealing yet straightforward boxy shape with a white body. The filter kit is located at the back, and all the 6 touch-sensitive control buttons are at the top together with the air vent.
At 14.5W x 7.2D x 18.5H inches, this air purifier is neither the smallest nor the largest. All in all, we feel it won’t be intrusive even when used in small rooms.
The LV-PUR131 has some heft to it at around 15.8 pounds. It won’t be hard to move from spot to spot thanks to a built-in handle. However, you still need to keep its weight in mind if portability is a significant concern.
Assembly and Set up
This unit sets up in a breeze as there’s almost no assembly required. All you’ll do is uninstall the filtration kit, remove the protective plastic cover, and then snap it back. You are good to go once you plug it into a power socket.
How does it work? Full Review
It’s quite impressive how this purifier combines a 3-stage filtration system with several operation modes- all while keeping the price tag relatively low.
The LV-PUR131 employs 3 distinct filters to purify the air around you;
- Fine Preliminary filter– this works as a pre-filter and captures large particles, including lint, pet dander, and hair. Substantially, this pre-filter increases the longevity of the True HEPA filter by trapping some of the air contaminants.
- True HEPA Filter– a True HEPA filter is a filter that has been tested and proven to remove up to 99.97% of fine air contaminants with a diameter of 0.3 microns. This filter removes dust, pollen, airborne bacteria, dust mites, and other allergens.
- Activated Carbon Fiber filter– the last stage of this kit neutralizes most household smells and odors. These include pet odors, cigarette smoke, and kitchen smells.
Once the air has been purified, it is pumped out by a high-powered centrifugal design wheel inside the purifier.
Control Interface and Special Features Review
The LV-PUR131 has a neat control interface at the top that houses all the basic control buttons, including a timer, fan speed, sleep mode, and auto mode.
What caught our attention, however, is an oval-shaped LED that is actually an air quality indicator.
This air quality display cycles through different colors in correlation to the current air quality. Each of the colors also has the recommended fan speed setting as shown below;
| Color | Air Quality | Recommended Fan Speed |
| Red | Bad | High |
| Yellow | Moderate | Medium |
| Green | Good | Low |
| Blue | Very good | Sleep mode |
Placement Tips
You can place this air purifier almost anywhere, whether on the floor or elevated. Wherever you choose to put it, Levoit recommends allowing a clearance of 15 inches on all sides for optimum performance. You should also position it on a flat, level surface.
Performance Analysis Review
Coverage
Levoit states that the LV-PUR131 is ideal for medium-to-large rooms measuring up to 360 ft. While this coverage seems fantastic, this air purifier’s 4.5X ACH rating and 135 CFM CADR implies that it will take over an hour to entirely refresh the air in a 360-feet room.
- CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) rating indicates how fast a particular air purifier will clean the air in a given size room.
- ACH (Air Changes per Hour) implies how many times in an hour, an air purifier will exchange the air in the room.
Going by this air purifier’s 135 CFM rating, it is capable of cleaning: 135 x 60 (minutes) = 8100 CFM.
Assuming that we are using it in a room with a standard height of 8ft, this would be: 8100 CFM/8ft = 1012.5 ft2/h.
Lastly, divide this by 4.5X ACH to get coverage: 1012.5ft2/h/4.5 = 225 ft.
Realistically, the Levoit LV-PUR131 will clean 225ft in an hour. It will, therefore, require almost 1.5 hours to cover the manufacturer claimed 360 ft.
This figure does not make this purifier an underperformer, though. In any case, Levoit seems to have compromised a higher CFM for noise-free operations by using a smaller fan.
Noise
On sleep mode, this purifier is only 27 dB loud. This makes it a great choice, even for the lightest sleepers. However, the noise level can go as high as 52 dB at the highest setting. Still, this is much quieter than an office environment (55 dB).
Energy Efficiency
The Levoit LV-PUR131 is Energy Star rated. Products are accorded this rating only if they meet strict energy efficiency requirements set by the US Department of Energy. Energy Star-rated products save you money and protect the environment by letting fewer harmful emissions.
This air purifier uses 40 watts when in use and has a standby energy usage of <0. 8W. Assuming that you use it for 8 hours daily, this translates to around 3.8 cents per day, and under 15 dollars annually.
Maintenance and Filter Replacement
This unit has basic maintenance needs and only requires you to replace the filters. These filters are sold as a single kit (True HEPA and Activated Carbon fiber) and can’t be reused or cleaned. Therefore, you’ll need to replace them with new ones after 6 months, or as soon as the Change Filter light starts blinking.
Thankfully, these replacement filters (model number LV-PUR131-RF) are very affordable. The annual maintenance and filter replacement costs are reasonably low.
Warranty – This air purifier comes with a 2-year warranty. If you register the product on Levoit’s website, you could get an additional year on the warranty.
Levoit LV-PUR131 Pros & Cons
Pros
- 3-stage filtration system
- Multiple placement options
- Quiet operations
- “Energy Star”-Rated
- Auto mode and timer
Cons
- Takes long to cover the claimed 360ft space
- Does not clean VOCs
- It’s quite heavy to move around
- Replacement filter kit is relatively pricier
AirHonest Verdict
Considering the cost of ownership, affordable filter replacements, and sleek design, Levoit offers a great value with the LV-PUR131. Although it takes slightly longer to purify the air in the declared 360ft room, most of its current users seem to appreciate its quiet operations a lot.
Its filter kit also works great: you’ll experience the difference once you get into another room without the air purifier.
Levoit LR-PUR131 Questions & Answers
No. Similar to other air purifiers from Levoit, this model does not use UV-C light. As such, it won’t produce negatively charged ions into the atmosphere.
There are no limitations on placement. You can place it either on the floor or on an elevated flat and level surface. Importantly, be sure to leave a 15-inch clearance on all sides.
This unit only requires a simple wipe down using a clean, damp cloth to retain its shiny appearance. Don’t try to clean or brush the filters as this could destroy them. Once the filter kit wears out, you can only replace it with the LV-PUR131-RF.
5 Tips To Consider:
- If you are using it in large rooms, position it close to where you are.
- Position it on a flat, level surface before operating.
- If you are a smoker, this purifier filters smoke much better when elevated 3-4 feet off the ground.
- Always use the manufacturer-recommended LV-PUR131-RF replacement filters.
- Remember to register it on Leviot’s website to get 1 additional year on warranty.
