Honeywell HWM-450

I tried many different humidifiers in the past. The wick types require extensive cleaning every week/15 days and the wick needs to be replaced every month or so, the wick life elongated only by using… chemicals (unhealthy for humans?)= cost of $40/season. And the wicks start to smell as they get old. The humidifiers themselves lasted only a couple of seasons with their fan motors giving up on a 12-hr/day use at our small apartment. I used the Honeywell HWM450 for last 3 years, 12 hrs/day every winter (Nov--April), using Michigan tap water, and it still works like new. I just finished using the four extra pads they sent with it. New ones, a pack of 10 cost me $10. So hardly any replacement cost. Earlier the cleaning was a big problem and then I found an easy way out: 1. Every Sunday I empty the base and fill the heating plate with White vinegar. I tilt it about 20 deg to get more vinegar in. Then cover it with the funnel shaped piece. Leave for 2-3 hours. Then clean with an old tooth brush. All the sediments come clean and the plate is clean like new in couple of minutes. One drawback: I miss cleaning one week and next week I need to put in much more efforts. Also try removing the concentrated salt-filled water in the lower part every other day or so. Reduces my cleaning efforts. 2. The filter pad: Do NOT wring/bend it when it is hard: that reduces its life. I put it in a small plastic box with base the same size as filter pad. Most ready-made dip boxes are of this size. Pour white vinegar till the pad dips completely in it. Cover with lid and keep for 6-7 hrs or overnight. Rinse under tap water to remove all salts. Now you can bend it if you wish. In the meantime use another pad in the humidifier. This way your one pad will last for at least one season if not more. White vinegar come quite cheap too: about $4/gallon, last you a couple of seasons. Very easy to fill the tank as the opening is twice as large as on any wick-filter I used. Do not keep it near a glass window as the vapor condenses. Made my floor carpet quite wet. I am buying another one this year at Home depot as my other permawick-humidifier is almost dead. Also, the warm humidifier means my home heating systems does not have to work as much. And the steam is clean: no dust like the ultra-violet ones.

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Works great aside from the fact that the minerals build up even in one 6 hour period. Very time consuming to scrape mineral buildup off heating plate at least in El Paso TX. Solution buy 4 5gal bottles from… Walmart $7 each and go to water machine for $1 per bottle and use purified water by reverse osmosis which removes all minerals from the water siphon into tank. Only viable solution I could come up with. My first one died within 3 weeks, maybe from this condition, don't know. Amazon promply sent another and in addition I purchased a used one for another area of the house. It helps with respiratory problems Doctor recommeded due to wife's illness. Helps keep thermostat down as moist air feels much warmer than dry air so saves on heating costs. In New Hampshire where I came from it was very important due to extreme cold and dry conditions. Very nicely priced unit cost much more as I searched other areas on the web.

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I am really disapointed with this humidifier. It's pretty pricy and doesn't work properly. I bought the humidifier last winter, used for about 4 months and stored it throughout spring and summer. This fall,… last week, when I tried to use it again, the humidifier started leaking. I turned it on and when it reached the humidity set, it stoped working (as it should be). But then, when the steam stops, the humidifier starts leaking and makes a mess in the room. There is water all over the table and the floor, etc. I am throwing it away and will defenetly go with a different brand now.

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