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Elechomes Air Purifier Review (HC3101)

Derek Hales

Written By: Derek Hales

Updated on:

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Solid Medium-Sized Purifier

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Elechomes Air Purifier

The Elechomes air purifier (HC3101) is a medium-sized purifier with smart features for automatic purification or custom controls. It had good performance during our in-home tests, improving PM2.5 air quality by 94.7% (to 0.4). It’s a solid value and solid performer overall.Check Price

Pros

  • Auto-detects air quality using Smart Mode and dual-sensors
  • Covers up to 350 square feet
  • Included activated carbon filter works well at removing odors

Cons

  • No wifi-connectivity for smartphone or voice control
  • A little bit on the heavy side and boxy in design

Elechomes Air Purifier Design

The Elechomes air purifier has a rectangular, white body with interesting cut outs to mark areas of air intake or flow.

It has a modern feel that blends into the design of many different styles. It may be considered a little boxy and is certainly a larger sized purifier unit, but it does have some nice design features so if you’ve got the room to spare, it could be a solid option.

Overall design of the Elechomes air purifier
Overall design of the Elechomes air purifier

With air intake / return on the sides, the top of the Elechomes is reserved for the various functions of this purifier.

RELATED: Wondering what the Best Air Purifier of 2020 is? Check out our full guide and find out!

The Controls

The top of this purifier features quite a few buttons and points of control. Buttons or touch-screen controls are included for the following features:

Elechomes Air Purifier Control Panel
  1. Filter Reset Reminder
  2. Auto Mode
  3. Sleep Mode
  4. Timer
  5. Adjust airflow (low, medium, high)
  6. Negative Ion Release
  7. Child Lock
  8. Power On / Off
  9. PM2.5 Display
Elechomes air purifier digital display
Elechomes air purifier digital display

In addition to controls on the top of the Elechomes, this purifier also comes with a physical remote control.

The remote control allows you to:

  • Turn the purifier on / off
  • Adjust airflow speed
  • Set a timer
  • Negative Ion Release
  • Turn on Sleep or Auto Mode
  • Child lock settings
Elechomes air purifier remote control
Elechomes air purifier remote control

The Filters

The Elechomes UC3101 air purifier uses four filters, including:

  1. Pre-filter: traps larger particles like hair and larger airborne debris
  2. Antibacterial filter: helps to kill bacteria and viruses
  3. HEPA filter: filters out particles as small as o.25 microns
  4. Activated carbon: works to capture and trap airborne odors
filters on the Elechomes air purifier
filters on the Elechomes air purifier

As you can see, the pre-filter is a single filter and the other three filters are combined into a single 3-layered filter, for a 2-filter system.

RELATED: Check out our review of the Dyson Pure Cool TP04 air purifier for more HEPA and activated carbon purifiers.

The Modes

There are two main air purification modes with the Elechomes system — Smart Mode and Sleep Mode.

  • Smart Mode: In Smart Mode, the Elechomes can automatically detect air quality and adjust as needed, turning airflow up or down.
  • Sleep Mode: When in Sleep Mode, this purifier can turn off indicator lights, dim the touch panel, and reduce airflow for quieter operation.

How Does It Work?

This air purifier relies on a series of sensors to help the purifier know when it is time to turn the fans up or down (when in auto mode).

The two main sensors at work on the Elechomes air purifier are the:

  • Dust Sensor
  • Smell Sensor

When the Elechomes detects dust particles or smells, it will adjust airflow to purify the detected air.

Colored LEDs

This air purifier has colored LEDs which indicate air quality in the room. Green for clean air, yellow for moderate air, and red for unhealthy air.

Elechomes color LED air purifier
Colored LEDs on the Elechomes air purifier

When in Sleep Mode, the colored LEDs are turned off.

Additional Features

In addition to the features and controls listed above, the Elechomes air purifier also has the following features:

  • 3 Airflow Speeds
  • Dual Sensors (Dust and Smell)
  • Dual Mode (Smart or Sleep)
  • Negative Ions
  • Timer (1-8 hours)
  • Child Lock
  • 4-stage filtration
  • 350 square foot coverage area

Size & Dimensions

The Elechomes air purifier is a medium- sized purifier.

  • Length: 16.5″
  • Depth: 8.3″
  • Height: 19.3″
  • Weight: 18.74 pounds
Elechomes air purifier size and dimensions
Elechomes air purifier size and dimensions

RELATED: Looking for something smaller? Check out the compact Levoit LV-H132 for a compact solution to air purification.

Accessories & Parts

This air purifier comes with minimal accessories and parts.

What’s in the box?

Here’s a complete list of all parts and accessories includes in the box:

  • Elechomes UC3101 air purifier
  • Power cord
  • Pre-filter
  • 3-stage HEPA / Carbon filter
Elechomes air purifier filters
Elechomes air purifier filters

RELATED: Want to see an air purifier that doesn’t use HEPA? Check out our full guide of the Molekule air purifier, that cleans the air using a new kind of technology.

Elechomes Performance

To fully test any of our air purifiers, we rely mainly on the comparison between a baseline number and the results after running the purifier in a closed room for one hour.

We compare the results by looking at the overall air quality index, and PM (2.5 and 10).

air quality index - PM 2.5 particulate matter index

What is PM?

PM stands for “Particulate Matter”. This measurement can basically be divided into two different measurement, PM10 and PM2.5.

  • PM 10 = particulate matter that is 10 micrometers and smaller
  • PM 2.5 = particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers and smaller

We perform these tests in our home-based testing lab, meaning that the air is much like the air you’d find in most average homes. For example, we have a dog, a baby, and seasonal allergens like what you’ll find in most other average homes.

How do we test?

To start the test, we begin with a baseline measurement, using a Temtop LKC-1000S+ professional air quality detector. 

Once we’ve documented the baseline air quality, we run the purifier in a closed room and document the change in air quality after 60 minutes is up.

When we tested the Elechomes air purifier, here is what we learned:

Starting Baseline

  • PM 2.5: 7.5
  • PM 10: 10.6
  • Particles: 444
  • AQI: 31

After 1 Hour

  • PM 2.5: 0.4
  • PM 10: 0.7
  • Particles: 34
  • AQI: 0

Within 1 hour, the Elechomes purifier removed 92.4% of air particulates from the medium-sized room we tested in (approx. 12’x12′). This purifier improved PM 2.5 air quality by 94.7%.

Setup & Usability

Setting up this purifier was very easy. To get started, we…

  1. Unboxed the purifier and all filters, removing all packaging.
  2. Install the filters by simply snapping them into place.
  3. Turn on the purifier.

NOTE: When you press the “on” button, this purifier will automatically enter Auto Mode. To switch to Sleep Mode, simply press the Sleep Mode button and it will switch.

How to use the Elechomes air purifier?

Using this air purifier is about as simple as setting it up. You can just turn it on and allow it to run on Auto Mode, or you can enable a Custom Mode.

Custom features include the following:

  • Adjust airflow speed – This can be adjusted manually from a selection of 3 different fan speeds.
  • Turn negative ions on / off – Ionization is another type of purification. It releases negatively charged ionic particles into the air which attach to positively charged particles. Once they attach, they fall to the ground and can be vacuumed up.
  • Child lock – The child lock disables the use of all buttons on the control panel. You can engage the child lock by holding the “child lock” button for 3 seconds.

RELATED: Are Ionic Air Purifiers Safe? Click here to find out what you really need to know about negative ions.

Maintenance

Proper maintenance is an important step for any air purifier. Without regular maintenance, the filters can clog and performance can drastically drop.

While exact maintenance tasks may vary based on different models, basic purifier maintenance revolves around cleaning and maintaining the filters.

For the Elechomes air purifier, this includes the following steps:

  1. Wipe down the unit with a soft, dry cloth.
  2. Rinse the pre-filter every 2 months. Allow to dry for 24 hours before reinstalling.
  3. Change the composite HEPA filters once every 12 months.

RELATED: What is a HEPA filter? Learn the details here!

According to the manufacturer, these frequencies are based on running the purifier every day for 8 hours a day. Running the purifier more or less may result in different maintenance frequencies.

Is the Elechomes purifier a good value?

So all things considered, is the Elechomes air purifier a good value?

The Elechomes purifier has a sleek look, intuitive features, and good overall purification performance. But what about price?

Elechomes air purifier value overview
Elechomes air purifier value overview

Overall, I would say that the Elechomes purifier is a pretty good value. It’s not the most affordable air purifier we’ve reviewed, but it has a large range of airflow coverage and made a noticeable improvement on overall air quality.

Elechomes UC3101 Specifications

Specifications
ManufacturerElechomes
ModelUC3101
Length (inches)16.5"
Width (inches)8.3"
Height19.3"
Weight18.74 pounds
Filters4 filters
Wifi CompatibleYes
Airflow350 sf. range
ReturnsVaries by retailer
Warranty1-Year limited
PriceCheck Price

Who Should Buy the Elechomes?

I would recommend the Elechomes UC3101 air purifier if you’re looking for the following features in an air purifier:

  • Want auto air quality detection: In Auto Mode, the Elechomes purifier uses the dual sensors to determine air quality and adjust as necessary to fully purify the space.
  • Want good coverage: This purifier can clean up to 350 square feet of air space, which would be plenty sufficient for most medium-sized spaces. (Example dimensions of coverage would be roughly 17’x20′).
  • Want simple controls: If you want simple controls, accessible from the unit itself or a physical remote control, this purifier has a variety of options. That being said, if you’re looking for wifi-connectivity for smartphone control, you may want to keep looking because that is not a feature that this purifier has.

Want more information on the Elechomes air purifier? Click here to buy or visit Elechomes.com for more info.

Solid Performance, Fair Price
  • Design - 94%
    94%
  • Performance - 96%
    96%
  • Quality - 94%
    94%
  • Usability - 95%
    95%
  • Value - 96%
    96%
95%

Summary

The Elechomes UC3101 purifier is designed for rooms up to 350 square feet. It uses a pre-filter, HEPA filter, activated carbon filter, and ionization to purify the air. The purifier doesn’t have wifi / smartphone connectivity, but does include on-board particulate and smell sensors. It’s auto mode uses these sensors to automatically increase or decrease speed in order to keep the air clean. It performed well in our tests, reducing PM2.5 to as low as 0.4 and reducing the air quality index to 0.

About Derek Hales

Derek HalesDerek Hales is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ModernCastle.com. He has been featured in Fast Company, Reader's Digest, Business Insider, Realtor.com, She Knows, and other major publications. Derek has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University. Hales has been testing and reviewing products for the home since 2014.