GermGuardian AC4900CA Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

The GermGuardian AC4900CA is how Guardian Technologies tried to adapt the new svelte style into their products. You know the result: they improved it to things like GermGuardian AC4300BPTCA and GermGuardian AC5350B. While this design is no longer favored, this air purifier is still one of the most popular options from this American brand. Let’s find out why in our GermGuardian AC4900CA Review.

Update: The flagships of this brand are the GermGuardian AC9400W and GermGuardian AC9600W. But if you are looking for a smart air purifier, you should search for either the GermGuardian CDAP5500BCA or the GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA.

GermGuardian AC4900CA ranks C in our air purifier ranking list. We give the biggest and most thorough database of air purifier reviews in the world.

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Clearly, what Guardian Technologies aims at is ending the tired design of the previous lineup. The GermGuardian AC4900CA was one of the most popular air purifier brands in the North America region until this brand decided to settle the design on the GermGuardian AC5300B in 2017. Still, you should read the GermGuardian AC4900CA Review to see if it will meet your requirements.

Other GermGuardian’s Air Purifier Reviews:

GermGuardian AC4900CA Price

There have been huge advancements in the design of tower air purifiers in today’s budget devices, and Guardian Technologies doesn’t want to miss this trend. We can see the clear changes from classic tower air purifiers in Honeywell HPA030B, Honeywell AirGenius 3, Alen Paralda, Levoit LV-H132 and SilverOnyx. The GermGuardian AC4900CA isn’t the first one to change the classic design, but compared with these aforementioned air purifiers, it has many differences.

And while it’s distinct from others with the signature air filtration process of this brand, combining both True HEPA filter and a UV-C light filter, there isn’t much else about the package that helps it stick out against its competitors. As a result, Guardian Technologies gave the GermGuardian AC4900CA a cheap feel and pushed the price even lower than the GermGuardian AC4825. The result is much more optimistic, and you can believe in the other 1000+ reviews on Amazon of this air purifier.

Overall, the GermGuardian AC4900CA is easily the most affordable 22-inch air purifier from this company, costing only $99. And if you follow our deal below, you will get an even better discount on this Amazon’s Choice, up to $84. Sure, the PureGuardian AP2200CA is still cheaper, but you can find a refurbished version of this GermGuardian AC4900CA, which drives the cost a lot further down.

For the price, we can’t go wrong if we choose the Honeywell HPA060, Levoit LV-H132, Blue Pure 411, or Levoit Core 200S over this GermGuardian AC4900CA. I know that they all have pros and cons, so let’s scroll down to read the full, trusted review and make the decision yourself.

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GermGuardian AC4900CA Design and Size

People can easily spot the similarity between this GermGuardian AC4900CA and the small portable devices like the GermGuardian AC4020, GermGuardian AC4100, and GermGuardian AC4150. But Guardian Technologies has raised its own bar with the design of the GermGuardian AC4900CA, and the effort here adds more metal into the structure and the base. But refined as it may be, it doesn’t feel as beautiful as the Levoit LV-H132 or Blue Pure 411, to name a few.

It is much more like a tower version of the bedroom-centric AC4100, with double the height of the smaller brother. GermGuardian AC4900CA keeps nearly the same dimensions, like width and depth, though.

Of course, the GermGuardian AC4900CA uses the same airflow system concept as any previous tower air purifiers from this brand. Actually, the back-to-front airflow is the most suitable for a tower air purifier, as it can make use of the fan as well as increase the efficiency of the flat air filters. This is also the notable airflow concept of many classic tower air purifiers, like the Oransi Finn, Alen T500, or Honeywell HFD-120-Q. Even the modern ones, like the GermGuardian CDAP5500BCA and Honeywell AirGenius 5, are perfect examples of this airflow system.

From the back, beside the large air intake grill, Guardian Technologies removes the manual filter replacement indicator from the AC4100 for an one-handed handle. You can still see the air outlet grill is definitely the same as before, with small perforated holes to act as a pre-filter for this air purifier.

The GermGuardian AC4900CA has only one manual knob to change its fan speed. There is also one button to turn on or off the UV light bulb.

This air purifier still has a similar weight to its brother, at only 9.65 lbs. You can easily move the air purifier anywhere in your home, and with a cord length of 6 inches, I believe this GermGuardian AC4900CA will fit any room in the world.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

GermGuardian AC4900CA Filters

When it comes to the raw performance of an air purifier, we decide based on how many filters it has and the types of air filters it uses. The GermGuardian AC4900CA retains its signature 3-in-1 air cleaning system, but with an improved UV-C light bulb.

1. Pre-filter – Combining with the Activated Carbon filter, this layer of air filter can remove most of the large particles of pollutants and reduce odors created from smoke, cooking, and pets.
2. True HEPA filter – GermGuardian AC4900CA makes use of a True HEPA filter to capture 99.97% of microscopic allergens, dust, and mold spores down to 0.3 microns in size.
3. UV-C Light – With an UV-C light bulb, the GermGuardian AC4900CA can kill airborne bacteria, viruses, and mold spores.

GermGuardian next-gen air purifiers still use the combination of both True HEPA filter and UV-C light as the key to compete with others in the market. AeraMax 100 and AeraMax 200 are using the PlasmaTrue ionizer, while the Winix C535, Winix 5300-2 and Winix 5500-2 are famous with their PlasmaWave technology to enhance the air filtration process.

The GermGuardian AC4900CA doesn’t use the same UV-C light bulb as air purifiers from other brands, like InvisiClean Aura or SilverOnyx. It has the titanium oxide treated metal shield, to reduce airborne bacteria, viruses, germs and mold spores more quickly.

To test the performance, I brought the GermGuardian AC4900CA, along with the SilverOnyx 3-in-1, Levoit Vista 200 and the Honeywell HFD-010. They all run in a room of 100 square feet, for 1 full hour. As a result, the GermGuardian AC4900CA was the best device with high efficiency of 99.9% for trapping any particles down to 0.3 microns. The Levoit Vista 200 only ended at 99.7%, while the Honeywell HFD-010 was just 74%.

For the filter cost, the GermGuardian AC4900CA uses the same air filters as the GermGuardian AC4825, and you will need to replace the filter once every 6–8 months, for a cost of $34.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

GermGuardian AC4900CA Room Coverage

GermGuardian AC4900CA is only 150 square feet for the recommended room size. If you are a user of GermGuardian air purifiers, you may not be surprised with this room coverage.

The ACH of GermGuardian AC4900CA is 5X. This has the same air changes per hour rating as any other device in this family.

The CADR of GermGuardian AC4900CA is 106 Dust/ 97 Smoke/ 112 Pollen (cfm). It is a bit lower than the CADR rating of GermGuardian AC4825 and GermGuardian AC5000, but I believe these three share the same performance.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

GermGuardian AC4900CA Sound

Noise level is clearly not an advantage of this American brand, and I can’t see any words in the advertisement indicating they have silent air purifiers.

Just like its brothers, the GermGuardian AC4900CA has the lowest noise level of 40 decibels (dB), which is quite higher than any normal air purifiers on the market. For example, the AeraMax 300 is only 35 decibels, the SilverOnyx can be as low as 25 decibels, and the Winix 5300-2 is only 28 decibels. But you should know that 40 decibels is just the noise level of a library, which is really, really quiet.

If you run the GermGuardian AC4900CA at the highest setting, the noise level will be 55 decibels (db). This is the most common noise level for a device with much higher fan power, not one with low fan power like the GermGuardian AC4900CA.

So to say, you can use the GermGuardian AC4900CA for quiet places, but I suggest you choose other air purifiers in case you need a better one for silent operation.

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GermGuardian AC4900CA Power Consumption

One of our most frequently asked questions is “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?” In fact, air purifiers must be used for a long time to be efficient. And power consumption is one important criterion to review to determine if this air purifier is good or not.

With the add-on 5-watt UV bulb, the total rated power of this GermGuardian AC4900CA is about 52 watts, which is higher than most air purifiers with budgets under $100, like the Blue Pure 411, Levoit LV-H132, SilverOnyx, or AeraMax 100. It is still an Energy Star air purifier, though.

For using a GermGuardian AC4900CA for 8 hours per day, it would cost you up to $19 per year.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

GermGuardian AC4900CA Additional Features

The GermGuardian AC4900CA is still an old air purifier from this family, so just like the GermGuardian AC4100, it doesn’t have any additional features, not even the LED indicator for filter replacement.

If you want more features, especially a smart sensor for this price, you should look for the AeraMax 100 or SilverOnyx 3-in-1.

It is also superseded by the latest GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA, which was released in 2017, so you should not expect much from an under $100 air purifier.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

GermGuardian AC4900CA Customer Service

There is not much to say about the brilliant support from Guardian Technologies’ customer service. Anyone can get active support from the American brand. The company also makes the instruction manuals available online to help you answer common questions on your own. But if you can’t find a solution, just contact customer service via phone at 866-603-5900 or via email at support@guardiantechnologies.com. Just like any other brand, the office will be open from Monday to Friday.

Guardian Technologies occasionally offers free shipping as well as a significant discount on all products (typically 10% to 20%). Whenever you find the air purifiers are not as great as you had thought, you can return them within 30 days of your original receipt of the order. And don’t worry about the warranty policy of Guardian Technologies, as it warrants its products to be free of defects in materials or workmanship. You can register for a warranty for up to five years.

For the GermGuardian AC4825, GermGuardian AC4900CA, GermGuardian AC4300BPTCA, and GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA, you will have a 3-year warranty.

Our verdict

I can understand why people are looking for this GermGuardian, AC4900CA. It is a good GermGuardian performer with the most affordable price for a combination of a True HEPA filter and a UV-C light bulb. It is also simple to use, to change the filter, and to run as an air purifying device. However, for less than $100, you can now get the AeraMax 100 or Levoit Core 200S as compact air purifiers with an excellent Smart Sensor.