AIRTHINGS 2911 Wave Plus Smart Indoor Air Quality Radon Monitor Instructions
- June 16, 2024
- Airthings
Table of Contents
AIRTHINGS 2911 Wave Plus Smart Indoor Air Quality Radon Monitor
Specifications
- Product Name: Wave Plus
- Type: Smart Indoor Air Quality and Radon Monitor
Product Usage Instructions
Placement of the Monitor
- For best results, place the monitor in a central location within the room or building you want to measure air quality and radon levels.
Initial Accuracy
- Accurate measurements can be obtained from day one of using the Wave Plus monitor.
Portability
- The Wave Plus monitor is portable and can be moved to another room or building.
- However, when you move the monitor, it is recommended to start a new measurement history by unpairing it from your account in the app and then adding it again to the new location.
- This ensures accurate readings in the new space as the sensors will need to recalibrate.
Live Air Quality Readings
- You can check your live Wave Plus air quality readings in the app, but only when your phone is within Bluetooth range (about 30ft or 10m) and the app is opened.
- The monitor itself is not connected to the internet for anytime access.
CO2 Levels Indoors
- High CO2 levels indoors are primarily caused by human presence.
- As people breathe in an enclosed space, they release carbon dioxide, causing the concentration of CO2 to rise.
- Additionally, other sources of indoor CO2 include certain appliances and poor ventilation.
Lowering CO2 Levels
- To lower CO2 levels indoors, ensure proper ventilation by opening windows or using mechanical ventilation systems.
- Limiting the number of occupants in a space can also help reduce CO2 levels.
Radon Measurement
- Wave Plus measures radon levels using its built-in sensors. It provides accurate readings of radon concentrations in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3).
Health Concerns and Actions
- If Wave Plus reports a radon level over 4 pCi/L (or 150 Bq/m3), it is recommended to take action to mitigate radon exposure.
- Consult with a professional radon mitigation specialist to determine the appropriate steps to reduce radon levels in your environment.
Airing out the Room
- If you fully air out the room but the monitor still shows that radon levels have barely changed, it may take up to 24 hours for the monitor to reflect the full impact of the actions taken.
- The 24-hour radon level is a rolling average that considers the 24 most recent hourly samples.
Comparison with EPA-Recommended Radon Test Kits
- Wave Plus provides accurate and continuous radon measurements, comparable to the radon test kits recommended by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
Extended Warranty Eligibility
You are eligible for the free 5-year extended warranty if you meet the following conditions:
- Register your Airthings monitor.
- Keep your proof of purchase.
- Ensure your monitor is purchased from an authorized retailer.
In case of any hardware defects during the warranty period, simply email [email protected] to report the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Where should I place the monitor for best results?
- Will I have accurate measurements from day 1?
- Is it portable? Can I move it to another room or another building?
- Can I check my live Wave Plus air quality readings in the app from anywhere?
- How does the Wave monitor connect to the internet hub in my View monitor?
- What causes high CO2 levels indoors?
- What can I do to lower my CO2 levels?
- How does Wave Plus measure radon?
- Wave Plus is reporting a radon level over 4 pCi/L (or 150 Bq/m3). Is my health in danger? What should I do?
- I just fully aired out the room but the monitor is telling me that radon levels have barely changed. What’s going on?
- How does Wave Plus compare to the radon test kits that the EPA recommends?
- Am I eligible for the free 5-year extended warranty?
For more information, visit help.airthings.com for in- depth articles written by our customer support experts.
Introductions
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where should I place the monitor for best results?
- Will I have accurate measurements from day 1?
- Is it portable? Can I move it to another room or another building?
- Can I check my live Wave Plus air quality readings in the app from anywhere?
- How does the Wave monitor connect to the internet hub in my View monitor?
- What causes high CO2 levels indoors?
- What can I do to lower my CO2 levels?
- How does Wave Plus measure radon?
- Wave Plus is reporting a radon level over 4 pCi/L (or 150 Bq/m3). Is my health in danger? What should I do?
- I just fully aired out the room but the monitor is telling me that radon levels have barely changed. What’s going on?
- How does Wave Plus compare to the radon test kits that the EPA recommends?
- Am I eligible for the free 5-year extended warranty?
Where should I place the monitor for best results?
First, never place the monitor outdoors or in conditions with over 85%
humidity – this can cause permanent damage to the radon sensor inside. You can
use Wave Plus in any room indoors where you want to better understand your air
quality. Because it tracks a wide range of indoor air pollutants, we think
it’s a good option for living rooms and bedrooms. For best results, avoid
placing it within 3 ft / 90 cm of vents, fans, windows or doors – sources of
ventilation that can skew the readings. It’s also a good idea to place the
device in a room near where people spend time and at an average breathing
height – and never higher than 6 ft (182cm). You can lay it on a surface or
use the screw holes in the backplate to mount it on a wall.
Will I have accurate measurements from day 1?
Some of the sensors, like humidity, temperature, and air pressure, are ready
from day 1. The other sensors need an initial period to calibrate. The CO2 and
VOC sensors will adjust to the environment during the first week. After that,
they will have reached accuracy. Readings during this first week may be
erratic – don’t worry, this is expected. Radon levels are reported as averages
of the hourly samples taken by the sensor. Because radon levels are often
changing, we strongly recommend you wait until after the first month to
consider acting upon the long-term average reported.
Is it portable? Can I move it to another room or another building?
Yes, you sure can. However, when it comes to specifically measuring radon
levels, we recommend leaving the monitor in the same location for around 1-3
months. This is because radon levels can fluctuate radically over time –
principally due to changes in ventilation and weather. Time gives you a better
picture of your overall exposure to radon. Once you are satisfied that you
understand the average radon levels in one location, you can move the monitor
to another room in your home or to another house entirely. When you move your
monitor, you will want to start a new measurement history. This will separate
the new readings from the readings taken in the previous space. To do this,
use the app and unpair the monitor from your account, then add it again, this
time to the location and room where you want to start measuring radon. Be
aware that the sensors will need to recalibrate in the new space.
Can I check my live Wave Plus air quality readings in the app from
anywhere?
No (but it’s possible!). Let’s explain. Wave Plus is equipped with Bluetooth
and syncs the air quality data it collects to your app only when your phone is
within Bluetooth range (about 30ft or 10m) and the app is opened. On its own,
it’s not connected to the Internet for anytime access. However, if you also
have a View Plus or other View series monitor, it can act as an Internet hub
for your Wave Plus. Just plug your View monitor into a power outlet to
activate the hub, then use the Airthings app to link Wave Plus to the hub.
With internet connectivity, not only will you be able to access live readings
from anywhere, but you will also receive timely notifications when air quality
declines. Plus, you can use smart home systems like IFTTT or Homey to create
home automation flows using sensor readings as triggers.
How does the Wave monitor connect to the internet hub in my View monitor?
Airthings SmartLink is a long-range, lightweight protocol we created
especially for direct communications between our Wave monitors and our hub
devices. When you use the app to link your Wave monitor to the hub in your
View monitor, it begins to use SmartLink and it turns off Bluetooth. Fun fact:
Because Bluetooth requires more power than SmartLink, hub-connected Wave
monitors have a 10-20% longer battery life. Using SmartLink, the Wave monitor
sends its measurements every few minutes to the hub which sends that data to
the cloud.
What causes high CO2 levels indoors?
High CO2 levels are almost always due to human presence. Our lungs take oxygen
from the air we breathe in, then they expel carbon dioxide. Over time, a
person breathing in an enclosed space will cause the concentration of CO2 to
rise. The more people, the more CO2. Ever been to a crowded house party and
noticed that stuffy feeling in the air that makes you run to open a window?
That’s excessive CO2. There are, however, two other sources of indoor CO2 that
you should be aware of:
- Cigarette smoking. Among the chemicals present in cigarette smoke is CO2. Avoid smoking indoors.
- Poorly vented fuel-burning appliances. If you have any such appliances in your home, be sure they are well maintained and that they are properly vented to the outdoors.
What can I do to lower my CO2 levels?
In a nutshell, open a window or door. CO2 levels rise and fall regularly indoors – mostly due to human presence. The ventilation rate, amount of people, and length of time in an enclosed space are the key factors affecting CO2 levels. Of these, ventilation is the simplest to control. Try opening a window to allow CO2 to escape instead of continuing to accumulate. It only takes a few minutes with a window open to drop CO2 levels significantly. Is it really cold outside? Open a door between rooms. This will let the CO2 dissipate in a much larger volume of indoor air than just the room you’re in. Because fresh air helps you get a better night’s sleep, it’s a good habit to keep a window slightly open or at least leave the bedroom door open. This helps prevent CO2 from building to high levels. Breathe better, sleep better.
How does Wave Plus measure radon?
Wave Plus contains an Airthings patented radon sensor, which utilizes a
passive diffusion chamber and alpha spectrometry to monitor radon levels.
Every 60 minutes, it counts the number of alpha particles, created during the
natural decay of radon, which it detects inside its chamber The amount of
radon in an indoor environment is not fixed; in fact, it can vary
significantly from day to day and month to month. This is why the radon
measurements are always expressed as averages of the samples taken over a
while – like 24 hours, 7 days, or long-term…you get the idea. Keep in mind
that the 24-hour radon level is a rolling (or moving) average. This means that
this level is an average of only the 24 most recent hourly samples and only
updates once per hour.
Wave Plus is reporting a radon level over 4 pCi/L (or 150 Bq/m3). Is my
health in danger? What should I do?
The health risk associated with radon is the combination of exposure to
elevated radon levels (over 4 pCi/L) over a long time. Elevated radon levels
are cause for action, not panic. If, after a month of monitoring, your short
and long-term average radon levels are consistently over 4, it’s time to take
steps to bring levels down.
First, increase ventilation by opening windows and doors, allowing the radon
to dissipate with outdoor air. Then check your home’s foundation thoroughly
for cracks or other openings where radon might be entering from the earth
below and around it. Seal any cracks or openings. A full day after you have
taken these actions, check your 24-hour average radon level to see if they’ve
worked. Keep an eye on the 24-hour average over the next several days to
determine if the effects are lasting or if radon begins to increase again. If
levels remain elevated after you’ve sealed any cracks in the foundation,
contact a local radon professional. They will inspect your home and offer you
solutions to address the radon problem and bring levels down.
just fully aired out the room but the monitor is telling me that radon
levels have barely changed. What’s going on?
The 24-hour radon level is a rolling average that takes into account the 24
most recent hourly samples. Because of this, it won’t reflect the full impact
of actions taken until 24 hours after they’ve been carried out.
How does Wave Plus compare to the radon test kits that the EPA
recommends?
First, it’s important to explain that indoor radon levels change, often
unpredictably, from week to week and month to month. Ventilation, weather, air
pressure, and seasonality combine to make radon levels rise or fall.
Most radon test kits are designed to be placed in your home for a period of
just a few days, then sent to a lab where the contents are analyzed and a
report is issued. These kits give you a “snapshot” of the level of radon
during the days the kits were in your home.
So why do we believe that’s not good enough? To understand your radon exposure
and the possible health risks, you need to know the average amount of radon
over the long term – we’re talking about many months, even years. Wave Plus is
designed to work continuously for years, maintaining a long-term average radon
level you can trust. If you discover that you have high levels of radon, you
can take action. From small steps like manually ventilating when you see radon
levels increasing, to big steps like installing a radon mitigation system.
Even with a system installed, Wave Plus keeps working for you – telling you if
the system is working properly, or alerting you to increasing radon levels in
the case the system fails. We think of the short-term test kits as screeners
and continuous digital monitoring as a means of thorough testing.
Am I eligible for the free 5-year extended warranty?
There are only three conditions we require for you to register your Airthings
monitor for the 5-year extended warranty. You must:
- Purchase your monitor from an authorized reseller. Amazon is an authorized reseller. However, there are 3rd party sellers active in the Amazon marketplace who are not Airthings authorized resellers. If you want to register for the warranty, pay special attention during the purchase process to ensure it is “Sold by” Amazon.
- Register on airthings.com/register within 30 days of purchase.
- Retain your proof-of-purchase. It’s best to simply upload your receipt when you register for the 5-year extended warranty.
If you experience any hardware defects during the warranty period, you need only email [email protected] to report the problem.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Go to help.airthings.com for in-depth articles written by our customer support
experts.