GermGuardian AC5000 Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

The GermGuardian AC5000 has now been superseded by the GermGuardian AC5250PT, which has the same classic design but with the latest GermGuardian technology.

Let’s recall the original shape of the modern GermGuardian AC5300B, because whatever’s inside these two air purifiers is mostly the same. Together, we will check GermGuardian AC5000 Review – one air purifier remains the classic design language from Guardian Technologies brand.

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 AC5000 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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Guardian Technologies is the brand with an insanely short air purifier refresh cycle and so many devices, year after year. With little to no difference, it is really difficult for us, the customer, to choose from the variety of options for a GermGuardian air purifier. We will do everything possible to provide you with an accurate GermGuardian AC5000 Review so that you can distinguish this air purifier from the many other devices of this brand that perform similarly. 

Other GermGuardian’s Air Purifier Reviews:

GermGuardian AC5000 Price

As the first one in GermGuardian’s 28-inch family, clearly the GermGuardian AC5000 will have the lowest cost. Within the same performance, you can purchase this air purifier as an alternative to the GermGuardian AC5300B for a price tag of $119. The price is exactly the same with the GermGuardian AC4300BPTCA, a smaller 22-inch device.

There is a feeling of familiarity about the GermGuardian AC5000. Not to mention a whole bunch of air purifiers that share the same design with this air purifier, this style makes me feel like the classic PureGuardian AP2200CA and PureGuardian AP2800CA, which also belong to Guardian Technologies.

Another nice addition, especially on something many would consider a “budget” device, this air purifier is now using the latest air filter from the manufacturer, which increases its value even more. For $10 more than the Levoit Core 300 and Blue Pure 411, you are able to deal with bacteria and viruses with the UV-C light in this air purifier.

But don’t rush to buy it. You can find a deal on this air purifier if you follow our link below, so the price is only $109.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

GermGuardian AC5000 Design and Size

As the first design for the GermGuardian Tower air purifier family, the GermGuardian AC5000 has the same concept as the previous PureGuardian series of Guardian Technologies. That being said, you will have a 28-inch tower with a huge air output grill from the front and an equally big intake grill from the back. With the classic airflow from back to front (which hasn’t changed since the first air purifier of this brand), this design can easily maximize the power of the GermGuardian AC5000’s fan.

There’s not much at the top of this air purifier, with only one UV light button, one on/off button, one fan speed switch, and a LED filter replacement indicator.

Source: Amazon.com

The GermGuardian AC5000 weighs only 10.5 lbs, the same as other 28-inch tower air purifiers in the GermGuardian family.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

GermGuardian AC5000 Filters

To decide the power of an air purifier, basically we will look at how many filters it has and the air filter types are used. With a 3-in-1 air cleaning system, the GermGuardian AC5000 is able to defend against any types of allergens and bacteria.

1. Pre-filter – A common GermGuardian pre-filter with Activated Carbon filter to remove the large particles of pollutants and reduce odors created from smoke, cooking, and pets.
2. True HEPA filter – GermGuardian AC5000 uses 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 – This air purifier is also using an UV bulb to kill airborne bacteria, viruses and mold spores.

Although it uses the same filters as the GermGuardian AC5300B, the fact that it is $10 less expensive will make it appealing to practical people. After testing all of the GermGuardian air purifiers, we can assure you that the GermGuardian AC5000’s performance rating is not inferior to its brothers. With the addition of an UV-C light bulb, GermGuardian’s 3-in-1 air cleaning system is one of the best technologies for dealing with contaminants’ tiny particles.

That is, like the AC5300B, the GermGuardian AC5000 has the same efficiency of 99.9% for trapping any particles as small as 0.3 microns. The test conditions are a 100-square-foot room with a duration of 1 hour. This efficiency is even higher than the Honeywell HFD280B (with 90%), which costs $10 more when purchased.

Source: Amazon.com

Remember that you can use the same filter in an AC5000 like the AC5250PT, AC5300B or even the CDAP5500BCA. That means you don’t need to pay an extra $70 to use the best air filter from Guardian Technologies. It should also be noted that today Guardian Technologies has two layers of True HEPA filters for different purposes. The last but not least, you need to change the air filter every 6–8 months based on 24/7 use.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

GermGuardian AC5000 Room Coverage

GermGuardian AC5000 provides low-medium room coverage of 180 square feet.

The ACH of GermGuardian AC5000 is 4X. All tower air purifiers of this brand have the same air change per hour rating.

The CADR of GermGuardian AC5000 is 123 Dust/ 116 Smoke/ 128 Pollen (cfm). This air purifier’s CADR rating is a little bit higher than the $200 CDAP5500BCA of Guardian Technologies. With this CADR rating and high ACH, we can rest assured that GermGuardian AC5000E is effective in cleaning a room area of 180 square feet.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

GermGuardian AC5000 Sound

As with the classic version of the AC5300B, the GermGuardian AC5000 runs at 3 fan speeds. Despite the advertisement of “ultra-quiet” at the lowest setting, we can’t avoid the noticeable sound when using the GermGuardian AC5000 at full fan speed.

Even on its lowest speed, the GermGuardian AC5000 produces a noise level of 40 decibels, which is higher than most of the 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.

Just like any other tower device in GermGuardian’s family, the GermGuardian AC5000 is not a perfect option for quiet places, such as your office or bedroom.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

GermGuardian AC5000 Power Consumption

A good air purifier must be used for a long time to be efficient, and one of the most frequently asked questions in Breathe Quality is: “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?” We can all agree that power consumption is one important criterion to review to determine if this air purifier is worth your money or not.

Using the old 8-watt UV-C bulb, the GermGuardian AC5000 consumes as much energy as the GermGuardian CDAP5500BCA. We recorded a power consumption of 57 watts, which is really high for a low-fan speed air purifier like the GermGuardian AC5000.

For using a GermGuardian AC5000 for 8 hours per day, it would cost you up to $20 per year. Still, this GermGuardian AC5000 is an Energy Star air purifier, meaning you don’t need to worry about the energy cost when running this air purifier.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

GermGuardian AC5000 Additional Features

As the classic air purifier of this brand, the GermGuardian AC5000 has nothing but a LED indicator for filter replacement. But what could you expect from this old device from Guardian Technologies in 2018? Remember that even the modern-design version of the AC5000 – the AC5300B also doesn’t have any other additional features.

If you are looking for smart features, you need to aim for the CDAP5500BCA.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

GermGuardian AC5000 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.

The GermGuardian AC5000 is warranted for 5 years, the best warranty in its class.

Our verdict

This GermGuardian AC5000 is a decent air purifier in the low-range market. With a built-in 3-in-1 air cleaning system, this air purifier can do a lot for a space of 180 square feet. But without any additional features, it is still a difficult choice to go all-in for this air purifier, unless you really need the wonderful 5-year warranty.