Aprilaire 5000 Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

A great update to the Whole House Air Cleaners line, thanks to the original MERV-16 air filter. The Aprilaire Model 5000 is the only option to buy in the 5000 series – the latest whole-home air cleaning system series from Aprilaire. Today, we will make the latest Aprilaire 5000 review to see if we should pay that much for a cabinet of air filters.

Update: If you are looking for a common console air purifier for large rooms, you should check the Aprilaire 9550V.

In Breathe Quality, we have reviewed all air purifiers under these sections. Also, we guarantee that:

• We provide honest reviews (both pros and cons) so that everyone can make the best decisions.
• We do not (and never will) exaggerate one product just to let you click the links and buy that product blindly.

Sections

Aprilaire is a big American air purifier brand, with the invention of its whole-home air cleaners being the ultimate solution for keeping expensive HVAC systems working. The Aprilaire 5000 is the latest model in this whole-home lineup, and in our Aprilaire 5000 Review, we will check every section of this air purifier to see whether it’s worth buying or not.

Other Aprilaire’s Air Purifier Reviews:

Aprilaire 5000 Price

With the arrival of the Aprilaire 5000, fans of the Aprilaire 3410 will no doubt be jumping at the chance to see how good Aprilaire’s latest flagship air purifier is.

It has a lot of physical changes in the design from any of its predecessors, but the big news is that the Aprilaire 5000 will originally be packed with the MERV-16 air filter, together with electrostatic technology to remove even the particles as small as 0.01 microns in size.

But that huge jump in the cost? You need to spend $559 to buy one Aprilaire 5000. Sure, it can last permanently but other Aprilaire predecessors can last the same, while keeping the price below $159. So, for the extra $400, what should we expect from the Aprilaire 5000?

The top challenger for the Aprilaire 5000 is obviously Honeywell F300, as Honeywell is the first company to apply the electrostatic filter in its whole-home air cleaning system.

Related post: Best air purifiers 2023.

Aprilaire 5000 Design and Size

Take a look at the Aprilaire whole-home air-cleaning systems. For years, they were the HVAC system’s protectors – a strong cabinet with an air filter inside to trap any pollutants in the air.

The Aprilaire 5000 feels like a quality product. Yes, we still have an UL-classified cabinet made of corrosion-resistant heavy-gauge galvanized steel.

This air cleaner can load up to 400 pounds of air thanks to its large size. Its height is 18.4 inches at the front and 17.75 inches at the back. The width is around 12 inches, and the depth is 31 inches, making this air cleaner a lot bigger than the Aprilaire 3410, even though the sizes are quite similar and the unit also uses a 16 x 25 air filter.

Just like any whole-home air cleaner in the Aprilaire family, the Aprilaire 5000 will have a proprietary door design and Self-Seal technology to eliminate unfiltered air bypass, thus delivering MERV performance as rated.

Aprilaire 5000 weighs 38 lbs, but you only need to install it once, and then you can totally forget it.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

Aprilaire 5000 Filters

The Aprilaire 5000 is an electronic air cleaner that is the first whole-home air cleaner to have a 2-stage air cleaning system, as shown below.

1. HEPA filter – Just like other HVAC system’s filter, Aprilaire 5000 will use the MERV-16 air filter, which can remove 99% of pollen, mold and spores, 98% of airborne bacteria-sized particles and fungi, 98% of pet dander and dust, 95% of tobacco smoke and smog, 80% of virus and ultra-fine particles down to 0.01 microns in size.
2. Electrostatic filter – With electrostatic technology, the Aprilaire 5000 enhances the performance of air filtration. This is, in fact, one kind of ionizer. Can be switched on/off.

Aprilaire 5000 packs with a MERV-16 air filter, which is the standard for a True HEPA filter. You can see the removal efficiency of the MERV-16 air filter below.

Together with the electrostatic filter, the Aprilaire 5000 can increase the efficiency of trapping airborne particles down to 0.01 microns from 80% to 98%. Such performance is better than a lot of True HEPA air purifiers at the moment.

You should replace the filter annually for optimal performance. It is quite interesting that the genuine 501 air filter for the Model 5000 (rated MERV-16) costs only $49, which is $10 less than a MERV-13 air filter.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

Aprilaire 5000 Room Coverage

The Aprilaire 5000, like its brothers in the Aprilaire family, can work with the whole-home HVAC system and easily clean rooms up to 2000 square feet.

The Aprilaire 5000 is not a common air purifier with fan power, so we can’t measure its ACH and CADR rating.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

Aprilaire 5000 Sound

Without fan power, Aprilaire 5000 won’t produce any noise. And actually, the Aprilaire 5000 will work in unison with your existing heating, ventilating, and cooling system (HVAC) to filter all contaminants in your air, so there is no way you can see it in your living areas.

It will perform silently and invisibly 24 hours a day on demand, and you won’t hear any “snapping” or “popping” that’s common with plate-type EACs.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

Aprilaire 5000 Power Consumption

One of our most FAQs 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.

Being an electronic air cleaner, the Aprilaire 5000 has a power consumption of 60 watts. The unit is equipped with a 6-foot grounded cord with a plug, so make sure to place the Aprilaire 5000 near any socket to use the electrostatic filtration.

If you use the Aprilaire 5000’s electrostatic technology for 8 hours each day, you need to pay $22 each year.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

Aprilaire 5000 Additional Features

Aprilaire 5000 comes with an air cleaner control, which can be installed anywhere you choose. This control unit has the size of a thermostat and features a digital display with four air cleaning options.

• Continuous 24/7 Cleaning – For constant cleaning day and night.
• Auto Cleaning – Runs for 30 minutes every hour to help reduce the energy consumption.
• Event-based Cleaning – Runs for 3 hours then shut down.
• Allergy Cleaning – Runs for 24 hours then shut down.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

Aprilaire 5000 Customer Service

Aprilaire is one of the top air purifier brands in the U.S., and the company will assist you with any problems. Just call its customer service toll-free at 800-334-6011, from Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CST. You can also email outside of working hours; the address is right on the “Contact Us” page.

Aprilaire grants you a 5-year warranty for any whole-home air cleaners; the warranty is on the cabinet from the date of installation. Moreover, you are guaranteed by Clean Coil to have the professional cleaning done within the next 10 years, at a cost of $100.

In the case of the Aprilaire 9550 series, the limited warranty is only effective for 1 year, and you don’t have the Clean Coil Guarantee.

Our verdict

Aprilaire 5000 is a high-quality whole-home air cleaner, that combines both HEPA filter and electrostatic technology to filter 98% of any airborne particles down to 0.01 microns. However, the price of this air cleaner is a bit too high, making it a high-range budget for your HVAC system.