Seti Refuge Bar & Bistro Wing of Cafe Einstein

Dear Sirs,

I purchased this unit just a few days ago and I have found that it keeps switching itself off after 10-12 hours. There is nothing in the user manual that indicates that it has an internal timer of any sort. I rang your helpline this morning and was told that this behaviour is normal operation for the unit. The reason being that it assumes that after that time lapse it has cleaned the air in the room and therefore there is no need to continue operating.

I have to say I find that explanation full of flawed logic to say the least.

1. It is a simple fan unit that sucks air in through a filter and blows the cleaner air out again.

2. If the output pressure/air flow drops below a certain level then it will assume that the filter needs cleaning and light up the “clean filter†alert signal.

3. It is not intelligent enough to know whether it has been placed in a church hall or a single bedroom, therefore it cannot know the air volume of its location.

4. Neither is it aware whether it is in a closed room, or whether doors or windows are open allowing further contaminated air (or animals) to enter.

5. If it is aware of 3 & 4 above then it is a lot cleverer than it looks, I will say that for it.

It seems that this particular size model has been designed for a closed room of modest dimensions, that would usually have its volume of air cleaned to an arbitrary level within the above time period. But nowhere in your literature or advertising does it say anything like that.

This HEPA unit was purchased and placed in our living room, because my partner suffers from Asthma in the pollen months of May to August, and also we have a cat, whose fur detritus and fluff does not help matters. When the unit is in operation it is reasonably quiet and does what it is supposed to do, and I am happy with the price that I paid for it.

But it seems to me that we need to find a way to let the trees and grass communicate with your unit to say keep going, more pollen is on the way. Also we will need to put a notice on our cat flap saying "Sorry tiddles, you can't come in if you can't see a blue "on" light through the window".

My observations are that apart from the missing information in your literature, your design engineers haven't quite got their thought processes straight on this, neither have your PR Dept either. I would suggest to you that you ought to consider a simple modification of an on/off button for an “energy saving featureâ€. Set to off, it operates 24/7 for those that need it to, set to on, it times out as at present. It could be an extra marketing point as well.

In the meantime we will turn it off for 10 minutes and back on again before going to bed, and again in the morning when we get up. If we have a lie-in the cat will have to manage as best it can.

I trust you will find my comments useful,

Yours sincerely,

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What we don't know of course is whether this is a once off or a permanent change of policy. As it happens I am currently conversing with Eric on a different matter, I will ask him. Just seems odd the there was no prior notification, at least none that I saw.