My experiences with the maremed® marine climate device
MK500 from Beurer
Author
Heike Isensee
Some time ago, I read about the marine climate device from the company Beurer in Ulm in a magazine. It sounded promising – and after researching the device as much as possible, I bought it on a whim. After all, thanks to Corona, we've already involuntarily saved a lot of money this year.
Beurer describes the function of the maremed® as follows: The room air is filtered against particles such as pollen, house dust, fine dust, pet hair, and dirt particles via a pre-filter. Evaporation takes place without salt deposits in the room (Note: Special sea salt, supplied with the device, is added to the water). The airways are moisturized, breathing is improved, and restful sleep is promoted by clear airways. A climate similar to that at the seaside is created in the room. The device is suitable for room sizes up to 50 m². The filters must be changed after 2,200 operating hours.
So much for that, now for my own experience. The device is easy to use: insert the filter, fill with water and salt, assemble it, the display is simple and intuitive to use, it's easily portable, and has a long power cord. It holds 6 liters of tap water. (A residual volume of about 1.5 liters remains as a "waste product" that then needs to be discarded). Since the fill level lasts me about 6 days, it's good that it's kept germ-free by the UV lamp. Measuring the special salt with the small measuring cup is a bit fiddly, but it dissolves quickly. I keep the device in my bedroom and run it overnight on the lowest setting, as it's otherwise too loud. The illuminated display can be switched to dark at night. I leave the UV lamp on for water disinfection; the slight glow doesn't bother me.
In the morning, I switch the device off and ventilate thoroughly, then I run the maremed® again at full power. The door and windows should remain closed. Our bedroom is approximately 20 square meters.
Our conclusion so far is very positive: We live in the Stuttgart metropolitan area with correspondingly poor air quality. I have Alpha-1 with COPD and emphysema, plus allergic asthma as an added bonus. Both my husband and I almost always had a blocked nose at night, and I was usually congested in the mornings.
It took me some time to breathe freely again. My husband often had problems with his voice; he constantly had to clear his throat.
Nasal breathing now works well for both of us thanks to maremed®, and I no longer have dry mouth in the mornings. My airways are much clearer in the mornings, and my husband hardly ever has to clear his throat anymore. I feel like I sleep more deeply and feel rested. That's great. While maremed® doesn't leave a salty taste on the lips, the air in the room smells fresh and pleasant.
What I don't know is how high the humidity will be depending on room size, number of sleepers, temperature, window airtightness, operating time of the device, etc. It would, of course, be very counterproductive if the maremed® promoted mold growth. I'm still waiting for information from the manufacturer about this. Since we have electric fans installed throughout the house, we don't expect to have any problems with it. At worst, some of the salt in the air will simply be lost. Anyone who has to rely on manual ventilation should perhaps get a hygrometer and ventilate more intensively if the humidity exceeds 60%.
So, now to the crux of the matter: The device isn't exactly a bargain. It costs around 340 euros, and the salt isn't exactly cheap either. (A little tip from a Swabian: If you buy it directly from Beurer, you get a 10% discount when you sign up for their newsletter). But as I said: This year we had to cancel a few vacations…
I don't yet know how satisfied I'll be with the device after a few months; it's still relatively new. The allergy season in early summer will be interesting, as various pollens usually rob me of sleep, since I'm then preoccupied with coughing. But I'm very optimistic.
Perhaps the sea air device might be of interest to some of you. By the way, I'm not sponsored by Beurer for this article – I simply want to share my experiences, and perhaps other Alphas will be able to sleep better with "sea air." We'll just imagine the seagulls...
