High Maintenance, Noisy, and Leaks!

I purchased two of these units a year ago for the "low maintenance" feature and the PermaWick filters. From day one I have had nothing but problems with these units. I had to exchange one after the first night, because it made a horrible vibrating noise. The ones I have now are a little quieter. However, I often have to put a paperweight on top to stop the vibrations when they get too loud. This happens off and on.

I had many problems with both pumps actually sucking up the water to the top of the unit. With MUCH trial and error, I finally figured out the trick to getting the pump to work. There is a SMALL black sponge that the water filters through. If this is dirty at all, then the pump does not seem to work if you turn the unit off after several hours and then try to turn it back on again. What I have to do at least a few days a week is take the black sponge out, rinse it in water, dry it with a towel, and then put it back in. Then the pump will work. This has always worked for me, after I finally figured out what was causing the problem. You can tell if the pump is actually working by looking into the side vent holes while the unit is running. You should see the water dripping down out of the top holes onto the filters.

So, once I figured out the pump problem above, and discovered what a paperweight could do to help with the noise, I thought I was all set.....WRONG. Now I am having problems with water leaking out of the side vents and also the front corner of the unit. Cleaning the filters weekly in the vinegar solution seems to help some, but I still have to fiddle around with the filters by turning them over or trying to align them differently in the trays before the unit will finally work without leaking. Sometimes I have to do this three or four times before I am successful. Once the unit is going, it usually works for about a day or so, and then it begins leaking again.

Well, one unit has now been stored up in the attic, since it was too big for one of our bedrooms and caused the room to smell fishy (even after cleaning). That unit was replaced by a cheaper (and better working) humidifier. The other unit is still limping along in our living room, although I have been tempted on many occasions to throw it out the window (I wouldn't really do it :)). The thought of just wasting the $100 I paid for both humidifiers last year is the only thing that keeps me fighting with this unit. With the leaking problems I have experienced lately, I may give in to defeat.