Honeywell Cool Moisture Console Humidifier
Brand | Honeywell |
Special Feature | Auto Shut Off, Humidistat |
Color | White |
Floor Area | 450 Square Feet |
Operation Mode | Evaporative |
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About this item
- MULTI-ROOM COOL MIST HUMIDIFIER: Need a humidifier for large rooms? Want to add moisture to your whole house? This 3 gallon, easy fill humidifier console with a humidistat & auto shut-off can help control humidity in your home. It runs for 24 hrs. on low
- FILTERED COOL MOISTURE: Evaporative Technology blows moisture off a wicking filter, helping it evaporative into the air quickly. It's not possible to over-humidify with evaporative technology because you can't add more moisture to the air than it can hold
- HONEYWELL HUMIDIFIERS: Humidity levels in your home between 40-60% can make the air feel warmer & improve your breathing comfort, sleeping, nasal congestion & dry skin. Dry air can cause static electricity, damage wooden furniture & irritate health issues
- HUMIDIFIERS FOR BABIES, CHILDREN, ADULTS: Humidifiers diffuse moisture into the air, and many find that a humidifier for the home, bedroom or nursery becomes an essential part of a good nights sleep when the air is dry, in allergy season, or when sick
- HONEYWELL QUALITY: Improve humidity levels in your home & improve your comfort with a Honeywell humidifier.
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Price | Currently unavailable. | $29.99$29.99 | $43.99$43.99 | $24.99$24.99 | -21% $119.00$119.00 List: $149.99 | $39.99$39.99 |
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Customer Ratings | ||||||
Durability | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
Easy to use | — | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.0 |
Easy to clean | 3.8 | — | 4.1 | — | 4.3 | — |
Noise level | 3.6 | — | 4.5 | — | 4.0 | — |
Easy to install | — | 4.8 | — | 4.8 | — | 4.6 |
Sold By | — | Durabasics | Amazon.com | Durabasics | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
capacity | 3 gallons | — | 3 liters | — | 4 gallons | — |
floor area | 450 square feet | — | 290 square feet | — | 1000 square feet | — |
runtime | 24 hours | — | 25 hours | — | 24 hours | — |
power source | Electricity | — | ETL Certified AC Power Adapter | — | Corded Electric | Corded Electric |
material | Plastic | Paper | BPA-Free, suitable for baby | Paper | Plastic, Metal | — |
shape | Rectangular | Round | — | — | Rectangular | Round |
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Product information
Brand | Honeywell |
---|---|
Special Feature | Auto Shut Off, Humidistat |
Color | White |
Floor Area | 450 Square Feet |
Operation Mode | Evaporative |
Product Dimensions | 13"D x 21"W x 17.5"H |
Item Weight | 2.42 Kilograms |
Room Type | Bedroom, Nursery |
Model Name | HCM-6009 |
Voltage | 230 Volts (AC) |
Wattage | 25 watts |
Control Method | Touch |
Shape | Rectangular |
Item Weight | 5.32 pounds |
Manufacturer | Kaz |
ASIN | B000G0LDRI |
Item model number | HCM-6009 |
Customer Reviews |
4.2 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #1,184,230 in Home & Kitchen (See Top 100 in Home & Kitchen) #1,314 in Humidifiers |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Warranty Description | 3 year limited warranty. |
Batteries required | No |
Import | Made in USA |
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Product Description
Product Description
The Honeywell Evaporative Cool Moisture Console Humidifier offers soothing, invisible moisture for dry air relief in multiple rooms of your home. This large room humidifier features two 1.5-gallon water tanks, allowing the humidifier to run for up to 24 hours on the low setting. The two removable water tanks are easy to fill and clean. An adjustable humidistat automatically turns this advanced humidifier on and off to maintain set humidity levels, and three speed settings allow you to adjust the moisture output. The Honeywell cool mist humidifier includes a wicking filter that removes impurities from water, reducing white dust and providing clean moisture output. To ensure optimal product performance, use only genuine Honeywell Replacement Wicking Filter Model HC-14 (Filter E).
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The HCM-6009 Cool mist humidifier features quiet performance technology and dual tanks for optimum performance.
The Honeywell QuietCare™ Cool Moisture Humidifier was designed for multi-room use, providing maximum comfort in large spaces. QuietCare Technology provides a comfortable humidity that is up to 30% quieter than competitive models. Also, the dual tanks features a wide opening top, makes filling, cleaning and use easy!- Adjustable humidity control and multiple output settings
- Multi-Room use
- Runs up to 24 hrs per filling
Why use a humidifier? See these great benefits!
Built for convenience
The HCM-6009 features:
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the performance and humidity of the product. For example, they mention it's fantastically working, and produces more humidity than other humidifiers. That said, opinions are mixed on noise, filling, durability, appearance, ease of setup, and size.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the humidifier. They say it works better than hot water humidifiers, is amazing, and fine to use. The filter is very effective and can be rinsed out once and reused. It is very quiet as long as you have it on low or medium, and can keep up well with the sudden bitter cold snaps that come through. Customers also say it was the best buy for the money when they purchased it.
"...Most are rated for 5 amps or more, and they are also fine to use, with no upper limit...." Read more
"...So, how much does it work for my application? It works great...." Read more
"...tradeoffs between ultrasonic and evaporative humidifiers, and very reasonably priced for the amount of square feet it can humidify...." Read more
"...I am still using the same filter the unit came with and it appears to be working fine...." Read more
Customers like the humidity of the product. They mention that it produces more humidity throughout their entire 1100 square foot home, it puts out a very good amount of moisture, and it has a much greater capacity for delivering humidity compared to others they've used. It also seems to be helping the dry air upstairs. It's very quiet, and the built in humidity control is a nice feature.
"...humidifier (with or without a variac), this thing puts out a very good amount of moisture...." Read more
"...It also seems to be helping the dry air upstairs as well, although that could be pseudo from being downstairs most of the time...." Read more
"...My overall view of this unit is that it is the best humidifier that I have ever owned and I am very happy to have taken the time to really check out..." Read more
"...It puts a lot of moisture in the air and does not make a lot of noise doing it...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the noise of the product. Some mention that it is comparatively quiet, while others say that it makes a lot of noise. The fan itself creates an uneven sound, and the vibrations can turn into a humming nightmare.
"...of the motor that, while perfectly safe, produces a soft but nasty raucous hum at the two lower speeds...." Read more
"...I have previously owned a Pure Guardian Ultrasonic humidifier. It was quiet, as are all ultrasonics, but I found that it consistently left a mess..." Read more
"...they are not balanced the unit won't work right and will cause unacceptable noise levels...." Read more
"...sound coming from it when running, but it actually is a pleasant and even sound that is not a nuisance to the ears and is not so loud that you have..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the filling of the water tanks. Some mention that it's easy to fill up, convenient, and simple to refill. However, others say that it needs filling too often, the reservoirs can be awkward to fill, and the canisters need filling several times.
"...Speaking of the tanks, it's ill designed but still manageable when filling. It's just derpy while filling in the sink and awkward to carry...." Read more
"...To sum up: It’s expensive to run, awkward to fill and clean, a bit noisy, but amazingly good at quickly throwing humidity into the air...." Read more
"...The two reservoir tanks make it very convenient when filling because since you can leave one in place on the humidifier you do not have to turn it..." Read more
"...So filling has become more of a pain again...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the durability of the product. Some mention that it's built well, the handles are sturdy, and the overall quality seems good. However, others say that the tanks are very brittle and will break if bumped or dropped.
"...Others have commented that the tanks are a bit fragile, which I guess is true, but I don't expect much from anything made from plastic these days...." Read more
"...dimensions of the unit (large filter and water tanks), the quality of its fan and motor and the simple and logical overall design i feel that for..." Read more
"...The water tanks crack easily. If you drop one on a hard floor, it will crack. Now for the WORST part! You can't buy a replacement!..." Read more
"...These units are not the best construction but a little tweaking will fix all issues. Some of the issues I have noticed.1...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the appearance of the product. Some mention that it is a very nice-looking unit, and doesn't take up a lot of space. They like that the design of the tanks is really good, and simple. However, others say that it's a poor design, especially for women. They also mention that the water containers are just poorly designed, ugly as all get out, and have weird engineering/design flaws.
"...It's only a drip or two. Speaking of the tanks, it's ill designed but still manageable when filling...." Read more
"...but it gives me peace of mind about germs and it keeps the unit looking brand new...." Read more
"...Am pleased that way. Another weird engineering/design flaw ... the "lids" on the reservoir tanks have a rubber-ish seal and will leak unless..." Read more
"...The design and style of this unit makes it to where it is not unsightly but actually is very graceful and attractive when in any room...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of setup. Some mention that it's quick and easy to use, and completely manageable. However, others say that it is clumsy and cumbersome. They also say that the containers are awkward to handle once filled and that it can be difficult to fill the tanks.
"...The controls on this unit are very accessible, straightforward, and are marked very clearly for quick adjustments to the settings...." Read more
"...the controls are really simple to operate - just set desired humidity by turning the knob and select fan speed with another knob, thats it...." Read more
"...This is not suitable for the elderly, the infirm, weaker hands, or children to manage." Read more
"...see how much water is being used is not the best, but it's easy to pick up each canister and see how heavy it is - gives you a pretty good idea of..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the size of the product. Some mention that it's easy to clean and not very large for what it does, while others say that the overall size is larger than they imagined and the tanks are very large.
"...kitchen sink as I have a deep sink and a tall faucet and it fits easily under the tap...." Read more
"...over and unscrew the top to fill them, which seem to tighten a little between fillings, so if you have limited hand mobility, or don't know if you..." Read more
"...This Honeywell unit is large and that makes for bigger and better venting of the discharged humidified air so that it does its job much more..." Read more
"...no better than a smaller unit of less than half the price, and takes up more space and looks ugly - and still has the minor annoyances mentioned..." Read more
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ADDED MARCH 17, 2013:
All winter there has been a tendency for the fan to quit with the left-hand container full or partly full. I don't know why this applied only to the left container (they are not interchangeable).
Finally bent the recessed silver micro-switch lever (that is at the bottom perimeter of the fan housing that contacts the white float), so that it is actuated sooner, i.e. by a tiny bit lower height of the float. Works fine now. WARNING: It would be possible to break the microswitch as you bend the lever!
Alternatively you could drop a dab of GOOP on top of the white float that pushes on the microswitch lever. After it hardens (in a few hours or sooner), you can trim it with a razor blade, if necessary.
The float does not feel completely free from friction as it rises, and that might have been part of the problem, although I did not directly address that.
I don't know if it's OK to run the fan while the reservoir is empty of water. I suspect this would be OK, and if it is you could just stuff some Mortite rope caulk or something similar up into the recessed opening where the silver microswitch lever resides, to continuously press on the lever. If you go this route, be careful to unplug the humidifier when changing filters, .
Needless to say, buyers should not have to resort to such shenanigans [hey, it IS St. Patrick;s Day] to make the darn thing work after they've already paid for it.
I don't see a method for lowering my rating, but would lower to FOUR STARS if I could, because of this rather frustrating problem.
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ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Bought this on the theory that it could be safely placed under my grand piano without causing condensation on the underside of the piano (because it blows humidified air out laterally instead of upwards from the top as with most humidifiers). That has worked out fine, although even at lower speeds one feels the laterally-blown cool humidified air at some distance. For best comfort it is advisable to wear pants while playing. ;)
Had a hunch about the soft but nasty hum distinctly audible at the two lower speed settings, and it has proved correct: As with all inexpensively manufactured speed controls these days, speed is reduced by passing the AC power through a solid state device that continuously 'chops off' the originally smooth peaks and valleys of the AC sine waveform that drives the motor that turns the fan. This method DOES reduce fan speed by reducing total AC power, but the cost is a steady rapid vibration of the motor that, while perfectly safe, produces a soft but nasty raucous hum at the two lower speeds.
SOLUTION: Look on eBay for a "variac". This is the generic term for a VARIable AC transformer. These are rather heavy double-palm-sized iron-core transformer devices for variably lowering the AC voltage (and thus the fan motor speed) without chopping the waveform and causing extra hum from the motor.
Get one that is fully enclosed in a metal housing, with a large black rotary knob, an on/off switch, a fuse (or a circuit breaker button) and an AC outlet to plug the humidifier into. The variac itself has its own power cord, which you plug into any wall socket. Get one rated for at least 1 ampere of current handling capability. Most are rated for 5 amps or more, and they are also fine to use, with no upper limit. (The HCM-6009 is rated by the manufacturer as using only 0.7 amperes of electrical current at 120 volts.)
There are brightly painted relatively inexpensive brand new variacs from China, likely OK, but have never used any except older "General Radio' or "Stancor" or other mid-20th century American names. A voltage meter on a variac is unnecessary for this application.
If you are patient, you'll eventually find a used one on eBay for under $50, though many are much more expensive. Age is not usually a factor if it doesn't look at all beat up and the power cord insulation is fully intact. Lack of a modern 3-prong plug and 3-prong receptacle is not a problem, because the HCM-6009 uses a 2-prong plug.
The only internal moving part on any variac is a conductive 'wiper' that continually contacts the bare transformer windings inside the housing as you rotate to a selected voltage. The wiper can get dirty and become intermittent in providing power at certain points in the rotation of the knob, but this is rare, and usually not completely debilitating. In the rare event that this does occur, often rotating the knob back and forth a few dozen times will clean it.
The HCM-2009 fan speed control on the top of the humidifier should be set to run at FULL SPEED. (The humidity control knob can be set wherever you like it, but at reduced fan speeds it might work best to set it on maximum so that the humidity output is steady without cycling on and off. That way you will be adjusting humidity in the room solely via fan speed).
When you turn the variac down to roughly 70 or 75 volts on the calibrated knob bezel, you'll achieve a lower fan speed without the hum. Don't turn the knob so low that the fan is barely blowing (this could be bad for the motor)--keep a reasonable air flow that is roughly comparable to the lowest speed on the humidifier control itself without the variac in line with it. Virtually all variac knob bezels are calibrated in volts from '0' to 120,130 or 140 volts. Obviously you should also avoid turning the variac past 120, the rated voltage for this motor running at full speed.
Strictly as a functional humidifier (with or without a variac), this thing puts out a very good amount of moisture. At 75 volts (where even the sound of rushing air is rather quiet) I need to refill both tanks only once a day, and the humidity is raised by as much as 8 or 10 percent, or more, above previous ambient humidity. You should expect significantly more humidity increase at higher speed settings, but at the audible cost of louder rushing air.
Now for the bedroom portion of this review: Variacs are also excellent as infinitely variable speed controls for Hitachi Magic Wands. Again, set the Wand speed switch to the highest setting and creatively vary the speed with the variac. For back massages, I mean.
If you like pianos, quiet, and/or physical relaxation of whatever sort, I hope this has been helpful...
The 5 star rating is for use WITH a variac; otherwise 4-stars because of the hum.
Is it PERFECT? of course not, but is IS Darned Good. I gave a 4 ONLY because there were some minor things that could have made it better (Most of which you find on the more expensive units) which seems fair enough, you want more "Gizmo's" you pay for them. really I should change it to a 5. My experience has been just great.
NEGATIVE THINGS I HAVE READ HERE FROM OTHERS, That Just Don't Bear Out in First Hand Experience: (I almost didn't buy this unit because of all the nasty things people wrote)
Maybe the Biggest Gripe is "Oh My, It's Sooo LOUD"
I frankly have NO IDEA what these people are complaining about. It is Not Totally Silent (Was that expected?) but even just 4-5 feet away from the unit running Full Tilt, Max Everything I have ZERO PROBLEMS holding a normal conversation or watching TV. (Mine sits right Next to my TV and I have not adjusted the volume from what it was before I started using this unit) The "Noise" is NOT Linear in nature. The unit has 3 fan speeds; LOW lets make sound level =1; MED lets call sound level =2-2.5; and Yeah, HIGH/MAX is sound level =5 (as an example) There is a Significant difference between Med and High, BUT As I Said, NO Problems talking or hearing TV even on MAX. (for the record, I just moved here and had not had a humidifier previously, it wasn't necessary. So This winter season I was WAY LATE buying one and getting started. My house was down to just 15% and I had this unit running MAX Output for a Week as is slowly dragged the humidity levels up. So I am WELL Acquainted with the sound of this device (at it's worst). Just yesterday i got the house up to 47% and set the humidity dial on the unit to cycle on & off (more on this later). It has been described as Airplane taking off, Hurricane, etc.... Either the fan unit was not set back on the unit properly and it's vibrating (see "user error") or These people just got a Lemon ? (return it and get a new one) or they are just gripey people who needed SOMETHING Nasty to say, because this thing just IS NOT LOUD.
Next "Water spills all over the floor"
BUNK (period). I suppose if you are some sort of nut job who throws things around and slams things, etc. you MIGHT be able to make a wave or two in there, but the ONLY water I have seen has been the OCCASIONAL (not every time) drop or two, Never a "Puddle" (And I have ALL Hard Wood Floors, so this is a real issue for me) and the "Drops" came from the OUTside of the tanks as a by-product of filling them in my sink. I now keep a kitchen towel next to the area I fill the tanks and give them a quick wipe before walking back to the unit and NO MORE DROPS. *NOW* With All That Said Given that I DO have hard wood floors and a leak of any kind could be a "not good" thing for me I have taken the precaution of buying a plastic bin I am setting the device inside of. It is big enough that IF somehow the whole thing drained the full max water volume out, the bin can hold that and more. Just Good (and cheap) insurance. If you were wondering? I bought ((Underbed Plastic Storage Container - Set of Two (Clear) (6.25"H x 18"W x 28"D))
One of My FAVORITE Complaints ?? "You have to Refill the water too much" or "It uses too much water"
REALLY ?? Just THINK about this one. You BUY a Humidifier to .... Put Water In Your Air --- And You Complain about it Doing EXACTLY what you paid for ?? I mean, was the idea you buy a Big Unit to put LOTS of humidity in the air of a large house --- and it runs off a thimble of water for 3 months ??? NO, You would only get a Thimble full of Humidity. I just find this complaint SILLY. It's Doing it's Job. On a more practical note, one I have personally been going thru. As discussed above, My house was down to about 15% humidity when I started this unit up. What is More Important was it is NOT JUST THE AIR that is dry. The Walls are dry, the floor, ceiling, furniture, EVERYTHING was Dry, so putting some moisture in the AIR, doesn't solve your problem, the house just sucks it up and your air is dry again, It Takes Quite a While to raise the humidity level of EVERYTHING in the house up before you can have the unit cycle on & off as it NOW just keeps the Air moist. (As I said About, Mine ran for about a full week 24/7 Full Max to bring the house up to a good level. NOW it is cycling on & off (as of last night) where a refill on those tanks will last longer and I wont be filling them twice a day every day (Yes, I know the math suggests I would have been filling 3 times a day, but it just didn't turn out that way. It was 2 or just slightly over 2, but I Never filled 3 times in 24 hours, Not from EMPTY TANKS each time at least. There were plenty of 1 Empty tank and the other 1/2, or 2/3rds empty refills. Now that rate has slowed WAY DOWN and I would expect to maybe fill just Once a day. Later on when the Weather gets less dry I can see this unit lasting Several Days on a single fill.
One lady said the tanks were too heavy. said that "A Gallon is too heavy", Well, 1- they are 1.5 Gallons each; 2-a Gallon of water weighs 8 pounds and that is the weight of a new born baby -- and babies don't have handles. OK, 1.5 gallons -- so thats 12 pounds and we are talking about a 3-4 month old baby now, same thing. Women pick up 3-4 month old babies all the time and they don't come with handles, Plus they Wiggle. So, REALLY ?? Grocery sacks average more than 8-12 pounds unless you are buying nothing but rice cakes and bread. Again, the ENTIRE IDEA is to put water in the air, stop complaining that it's bad, because it does its job.
One "Semi-Ledgit" issue was the lack of Digital controls to dial in an exact humidity level.
TRUE, that is part of what I was talking about at the beginning about "Gizmo's" that were not on this unit, BUT ARE on the more expensive units. Do you Buy a Chevy and say the Chevy is JUNK, because it is Not a Rolls Royce ?? If you want a Rolls, go BUY one. This unit is a Chevy.
However; another complaint was that the lack of the digital controls didn't allow for setting a reliable humidity level. Again, BUNK. as I said yesterday my house got up to where it was comfortable and (as in the instructions) I turned the humidity dial down until the unit shut off. Then leave it and see what you have. (YES, you need to have a reliable temp/humidity gauge. They sell nice ones on here for like 7 or 8 bucks. This unit didn't claim to show you the humidity. You can do it by FEEL if you want, or buy the gauge and know. I was shooting for something between 45-50%. I saw 47 on my gauge and set the dial on the unit. In the last 24 hours EVERY TIME I have checked the gauge it is at either 47% or 48%, and I would call that VERY ACCURATE. I'm going to leave it where it is another week or so till we get another cold snap and see if it holds the level. Once I'm convinced it's right, its time for the Sharpie Pen and put a little Dot or Line on the dial so I can hit the same spot next year. (I't Not Rocket Science)
You can say you don't like the color, the wheels are funny, you don't like the shape, or just say it's Momma Wears Army Boots, if you feel like saying SOMETHING Nasty, but the Bottom Line is the unit is well priced given its market and features and it does its job very well.
IDEA'S?
I found one Great One; that was every time you fill the tanks and replace them, Pop the Top of this unit and flip the filter over. The top edge of the filter dries out as it works and if left that way will, in time, get crusty with stuff and no longer soak up water as effectively. (like if you tried to flip it over only ONCE in its life span, that second half isn't going to work as well) I have found that by doing this the filter stays moist and functional and just works better. (It takes an extra 20 seconds, and it's worth it)
I'm using the bacteriostatic stuff they show as a companion product. Since i have not run it without this stuff I really cant say if it does anything, but it is cheap ($4-$5) and you only use like 1/2 cap full in each tank when you fill the tanks, so it Lasts a long time. What I CAN SAY is I have not had ANY buildup of Funky Stuff in the tanks or reservoir of the unit, and as I said, with the flipping of the filter and this bacteriostatic stuff the filters are still soft and absorbent.
Hope this Helps, I had Concerns when i bought and ended up wishing someone had "Cleared the Air" for me, so I did it for you.
BTW, I have purchased a SECOND Unit and plan to put it in my Upstairs bedroom. (I have no "Noise" Fears) I have a small ultrasonic unit up there now that just isn't doing the job. by itself it could only raise the air from 15% to 20%. Once I got this big guy put to work downstairs I have seen the humidity slowly rise to between 30% - 35% which isn't bad given it is only the moisture that manages to make it past the heater as it gets circulated upstairs.
**Updated Comments 9/26/2014**
OK. So I have used these (Now Two Units) thru 3 seasons. Still Running Like CHAMPS. (As a Result I Have Changed my Review to 5 Stars now, What was I holding out for??)
In my discussions with other buyers it does seem that there may have been a "bad lot" or some sort of quality control problem where these are made. I think as a group we figured out that some of the units have fans that are out of balance. The fan blades do rotate at a pretty fast rate so if they are out of balance it will cause considerable vibration---which will give you "Noise". Two of the people who wrote to me took their units apart and found a blade that was broken or chipped which caused the fan to be out of balance. Both returned the units and got new ones that worked perfectly. Whether it is a broken blade or one formed incorrectly, if they are not balanced the unit won't work right and will cause unacceptable noise levels. If you get such a noisy unit, just return it and get a new one. I can say that I bought mine thru the offerings marked as "Amazon Prime" and both were fine. I don't know if the defective units came from one of the other suppliers or if the entire supply of them has a few lemons.
I replied to one person who commented, but will post this for all. Between the first and second season I noticed that the mark I made on the dial to set the humidity level changed. I used the humidity gauge (Like before) and re-set the level and made a new mark. That mark has remained correct since that time. Frankly even if the position of the dial changed every year i would not care so much. As long as it raises the humidity level to the right level and keeps it there, who cares? I don't.
Last year I did notice I was going thru filters/wicks faster than before but it was thru no fault of the unit or the filters either. It was also the first time I had noticed any scale in the bottom of the unit. (The bacteriostat solution stops mold & such, not hard water scale) Apparently there had been another belt tightening in city taxes and they had lowered the standards at the water treatment facility. More minerals making it thru the filters into the supply. Paper did a story on it, I saw it in the bottom of the tank and filters. HOWEVER: i did take the opportunity to try an idea I had after buying some "Permanent filters" which required you to clean them of the scale every so often. I dunked the regular filters in the Vinegar solution to soak and rinsed and dried them out. I was going thru them so fast I needed to make them last longer. (1) It Worked, (2) Its NOT a Perfect solution. First you can't get by on just 2 filters and clean one while using the other, They will break down. For me I noticed the first cleaning gave me something between 60-75% of the original ability back. They would no longer be able to supply a Maximum level of humidity if it got Very Dry outside and they would scale up in half the time as they did originally. Also trying to clean them a second time didn't do much good. Either they didn't clean up enough to work very well, or if left in the solution longer then would start to fall apart. BUT; I was able to do a single cleaning and stretch those filters out saving some bucks along the way. If it got very dry and the recycled filters were not up to the job I could always swap them out for new ones until the dry spell passed. If your not into "fussy stuff" and "fiddling around" you may wish to skip this idea. It takes some tinkering and time that may not be worth it to many out there. With a dry winter and the lower water quality of last season I was going thru filters at almost 3 times the rate and just had to do this for financial reasons.
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Unbelievable that shop your world.com would be so clueless.
The amount of humidity this unit pumps out is impressive. I placed it on the second story of my house, outside the bedrooms, next to an overlook to the main floor living room and by a cold air return vent. Within a couple of days of running non-stop on high, it was able to bring ~2000 square feet of living space on the main and second floor (excluding finished basement) from 30% humidity to ~50%. It likely would have been faster, but it's been a dry winter and I think the hardwood floors and furniture were thirsty.
I also like the design. I've had smaller humidifiers where the fan is attached below the water/filter and that eventually lead to some problems maintaining and cleaning the humidifier. The base of this humidifier is just plastic and can easily be cleaned without having to worry about the fan/electronic components that are removed as part of the upper casing. The fan just sets down in the middle of the wicking filter from above and works well.
The unit can be noisy when the fan is set on high, but on medium my wife and I didn't have any trouble sleeping with it sitting just outside our bedroom. The white noise may actually help us sleep now that we are used to it.
Overall, a great humidifier and, having bought it at a special price during the Holiday season ($93.99 cdn plus applicable taxes), it is very hard to go wrong with it. Recommended product!
It holds lots of water, I usually fill it up in a morning and it’s good until next morning. The cleaning is very easy too, I comfortably clean it 2 times a week although I’m such a lazy person.
Before this purchase, I tried a small filterless humidifier that required a few water refills in a day as well as a daily cleaning so I ended up returning it in the very next day.
I’m really happy that I ran into this product and it’s for sure the best purchase in my life. Highly recommend!