mixed feelings
Pros:
Relatively good-looking, humidistat works well
Cons:
Hard to clean, limited longevity, may need replacement filters
The Bottom Line:
Works well, but don't expect it to be a long-term, trouble-free solution
|
|
Overall Rating:
|
 |
|
Author's Review
I've purchased Hunter 34355 to help dealing with my son allergies. It is a "cool-mist" model, meaning it doesn't produce a cloud of steam like the "warm-mist" things one can often see in places like Walgreens or white dust like ultrasonic devices. Another important point for me was that it has digital humidistat, allowing to precisely control the humidity in the room. Very similar models 34351 and 34352 don't have humidistat, so it is relatively easy to over-humidify, and help dust mites and mold to proliferate. The unit worked right out of the box and performed admirably during the first winter, although it is noisy, especially with fan on "high". It was the second year when the problems started. When the humidistat was unpacked in October it would not start. I took it apart and found out that the motor is fine but the shaft it is supposed to rotate is stuck. After a fair bit of manual labor I was able to open up the small box where the problem originated and clean away most of the solid deposits that prevented the shaft from rotating, however I noticed a lot of rust in the bottom of the shaft compartment so it looks like eventually that part of the humidifier will come undone. The slightly mangled (inside) unit worked without a problem for the second winter. When I opened it in this spring in order to clean and put away I was stunned buy the condition of the filter. Originally shiny aluminum it was now completely encased in gray crust - obviously hard water deposits, the source of original malfunction. I was very surprised since the water in our area is not considered hard. My wife demanded the filter to be replaced. I was not particularly fond of paying $17 for a new one, especially since I was so attracted by the idea of no additional investments, so I took it to work. I have an access to an industrial lab, so I naively thought I could clean it up. Well, in the end I paid up. From now on I only fill it up with purified water.
To summarize, it is a nice humidifier which does what it supposed to do well, but it is extremely sensitive to the quality of water that goes into it, and I suspect a lot of reports about burned out motors are due to this issue. If you put tap water in it expect it to be problem-free for no more than a couple of years.
