AIRCARE Space Saver Large Evaporative Whole House Commercial 6 Gallon Humidifier for Large Rooms 2,700 sq ft. With Digital Controls, Auto Humidistat and Automatic Shut Off

Although I'm satisfied with this unit, it is made with the thinnest possible plastic and feels pretty cheap. It has 3 fan settings, the second of which operates at a frequency that makes the unit shake rattle and is, IMO, completely unusable. That's OK because we use it on the highest setting in a larger house with two HVAC units. We have it in an open staircase area so it circulates and supplements an HVAC mister set up in one unit. It has been unusually cold lately and in our setup, at high speed, this unit can only get its immediate area up to 30%. When it was a little warmer, we could hit 40%. Unfortunately, this makes so much noise on the high setting, that my wife turns it down at night, and it cannot keep up. This unit puts out a lot of water, so it's doing its job, and in fact as it runs all day it has to be refilled before the day is over in our setting. While relatively easy to fill, you have to turn the fan down to the lowest setting or completely off because it will blow water back in your face at the high setting. LOL. The fill opening is behind the grate where air blows out, and is shallow enough that using a bucket to fill means water splashes against the filter and the max fill line. I would rather pour water directly into the basin with a larger opening. We have also slipped and dumped water on the floor, so while acceptable, the fill could be a little better IMO. To sum up, in our setting which is asking it to humidify too large an area, it nevertheless puts out a lot of water per day, but requires the highest setting, which we consider very noisy. The lowest setting is whisper quiet but does not put out enough water for our use. Still, it's easy enough to use, and a pretty good value, hence the rating despite some criticisms.

This has 3 fan speed levels. When it on level one, the noise level is super quiet. But level two is a different story. That noise level change is the only down side to this humidifier. The built in humidistat helps hold the humidity level. I need to fill about every 3 or so days but, the humidity hasn't been super low outside yet. Make sure the get some anti mold liquid. The filter that come in the unit molded pretty quickly. Not fault of the unit but, it will happen. **Update** The unit went into what's called control lock after 2 months. I followed online instruction and can't get the error to clear and the unit finally stopped working. Since I was outside the Amazon return window, I reached out to the seller who quickly offered me the number of the manufacturer to call so they could help me trouble shoot and possibly send replacement parts. Or, they offered a replacement unit, which I am taking them up on. I was impressed with the speed the seller reached out and hopefully, I have not received the new unit yet, solved the problem because I liked the unit when it work. We'll see if the problem was a fluke or poorly manufactured humidifier.

Wonderful product. Not perfect. Pros: - The reservoir is a good size. - The casters help... they don't move great on carpet, but with the reservoir size, it'd be hard to move it into place without the casters. - It is simple... I've had other humidifiers that were more aesthetically pleasing but which ended up drenching my floors due to over complicated designs. - It puts a good amount of water into the air. Naturally that's going to be based on your space, the airflow, the relative humidity its working against, etc. But for an evaporative humidifier, it does a good job. The cons: - Any setting except for the lowest one is loud. You can talk over the middle setting. The highest setting isn't conducive to conversation. - There are little plastic ridges on the inside of the reservoir that align the wick to form two compartments... There is the large air inflow compartment, then the smaller air outflow compartment. The wick sits in between these two compartments so that the maximum amount of air passes through it... thus increasing the efficiency of the humidifier. But the little plastic ridges that hold the wick in place are unnecessarily small. and as a result, on the highest setting, the air pressure can easily push them out of place. That lets a lot of air escape without passing through the wick. I'm providing some images to show the intended position and the position it can end up in when on the highest setting to demonstrate the air leakage. All in all, I think its a good product. I intend to get a couple bull clips to clip to the top of the wick housing, which should keep it in place.

We have been using this now for four years, all winter long. It operates for hours on end in the winter time. It is very simple to use, easy to operate, and can humidify large areas. Our total upstairs area that we use it in is probably around 600-700 sq ft, a kitchen and living room with a fireplace. If you're doing much more than that, I'd suggest getting another one for other rooms. We use a filter all winter long. We run it non-stop for two weeks, then put it in the bathtub, rinse it out and clean it thoroughly. We spritz a little hydrogen peroxide bleach across the filter, let it set for a few min, then rinse that off good and crank it up again. Sometimes if we have a few days in a row where the humidity is up we'll allow the paper filter to dry out...put it in an empty tank, put a folded up piece of paper towel under the water level rod and turn it on. When you're running it on low it is very quiet...however, on very dry days you'll probably have to run it on medium or high to keep the humidity up. Then it's not so quiet, but it's the noise a fan makes. No regrets at all buying it, we'll get another one when this one finally packs it in. A few other notes: 1) buy the recommended filters. Yes, they might be a little more, but they work well and if you're replacing them once a season not a big deal 2) make sure you clean it out at least every two weeks, and do NOT let it just sit with water in it...either drain it or run it. We do not put any chemicals or vinegar in the water, but we just keep it out of the way where it can't get junk in it and clean it on schedule. 3) make sure when you clean it you do use soap and warm water, and something (safe) to clean the filter. Be careful with the filter, as when it's wet you can damage it and have to use another one. 4) I noticed several people commented on shoddy quality. It's all plastic except for the fan motor...but you get it for a bit over $110. We've had no mechanical or electrical problems with it, and its done the job we wanted it for and done it well.

Update 12/2020: So a new problem appeared and is signaling that this is about to die. The display started showing CF and F alternating. The water is at a minimal level and when you lift off the top, the fan "should" stop as a safety. I lifted it and it's a good thing I had a good grip otherwise if my hand slipped it's would've been in the fan. Lawsuit waiting to happen. Upon more inspections, it turns out the switch no longer works and likely any other sensor so I'm giving it another month or 2 before it completely craps out. UPDATE 1/20/2020: So that didn't last too long. It was great when it worked and it kinda still is but waiting for the shoe to drop. I stopped it to refill the water and all of a sudden, F2 is making a large humming noise. F1 and F3 speed are still quiet...yet F2 produces a loud hum. How does that happen?! Anyways, I already tossed the box so I'm not happy about lugging this loose thing through a Khol's to return it. How embarassing! Besides that, I have to wait until I feel up to it since I am still sick. Wonderful! Back to searching for a humidifier, while Aircare makes units that cover a large area, I am not willing to spend another $110 nor $350 to risk another return. Original: My house has issues in the winter. The thermostat is downstairs and the heat rises to the vaulted ceilings upstairs. Colder days, the temp can be 10 degrees different than upstairs. Which also means the heat dries out the air big time. I tried stronger smaller units per room and that can't keep up. I worry about getting a whole house installed because of mold issues in the ducts and besides, the HVAC unit is in the attic and I am dredding regular service fees, another expensive filter to change, more attached units to possibly fail, also (this is a biggie!) constantly dragging out the ladder and climbing in and out of that access for regular maintenance. Hell no, if I can avoid it! Before calling HVAC and having a unit installed, I decided to give something like this a last shot. I read in articles that humidifying the air can help also retain the heat instead of that quick dissipating dry heat. So I got a weather station with 3 remotes that had hygrometers. The station was mounted next to the thermostat downstairs and one remote in each room upstairs, the unit was setup by the stairs so humid air can split between upstairs and downstairs in a 2300sq ft home. Here's what I found: Before: (outside avg 22 F, thermostat set to try holding at 68 degrees +/-1) - on the days that the heat struggled to keep up Thermostat temp was at 68-69, humidity was at 20% - Master w/ vaulted ceiling 76F, 9% - Guest - no vault 74F, 12% - Kid's room w/ vaulted 76% 10% Their noses bled frequently, first thing in the morning and sometimes later in the evening AFTER being on 1 full day at Fan 1 and some 30 min shifts F2 when noise is not an issue: (avg outside 24F, humidity 22%) - main room with thermostat 68-69F humidity up to 32% steady - Master BR at 71F and 22% give or take (no help from smaller room humidifier given) - Guest room 70F and 25% (no extra help given) - Kids room 70F and 23% (no help given) I can say, yes it did help. I can say yes, the theory of humidifying the air helps retain the balance out the heat. I am certain because last night I forgot to refill the water and it must've stopped, we were all dry again. It does come with casters that you put on if you want - just don't push it in hard because the tub is somewhat thin. Cleaning is easy to a point. It does have 4 raised points and some structural oddities that would need a q-tip or toothbrush to Lightly scrub out. Thats why I put 3 stars for that. My negatives: - I do agree with other readers, the reservoir is flimsier than I am comfortable with so I only put a few gallons at most. I would freak if 6 gallons spilled all over the hardwood floors so I am mainly concerned with that. This is the only reason why I would return this. - The fan can be loud. You expect some kind of noise level so be reasonable with the expectation. F1 - low is quiet enough. In a silent room, it is no louder than any large room humidifier. F2 and F3 - that's louder for sure. Comparable to one of those large room fans - the large reservoir probably help amplify it a little. Not a deal breaker IMO - just set it to F1 once you're at a maintenance point. I guess I will still look around to see, for now I will try it. If I don't see anything better then I guess I roll the dice with this one. If I see something just as powerful and sturdier, then I'm returning this. Again, the sturdiness of the tub is my biggest concern. Fill it quarter to half and I think it's ok. I'd be worried with a full tank.

What a great improvement on my well-used 12-year-old evaporative humidifier, which was bulky and had two water tanks, totaling in about 3 gallons I think. Placing them into the humidifier after refilling them became too backbreaking as I’ve aged, so it was time to get another. It still works so I’m giving it to a young family. This new humidifier is pretty light when empty and was very easy to set up; I just turned it on its side on my countertop to insert the wheels, and then set it on the floor. Another thing that drew me to this model is the large water tank that is so easy for me to fill. I just roll it over to my kitchen sink and pull out the nozzle, which is just long enough to reach the edge. If you have a hand-held shower nozzle, that would work too. As long as you are careful not to overfill — because it looks like it could hold a lot more water — all is good. Otherwise you will have water everywhere. Also, with a larger water capacity, I won’t have to watch it so closely. The buttons to control the unit annd level of desired humidity are easy to understand. Just reference the guide that came with it if you need help. I find that 40% or 45% is all I need, but you may want a different level. One more thing for people who are still deciding on the type of larger humidifier to get. Cold or warm mist humidifiers probably are better for smaller spaces or for places with lots of plants requiring more moisture in the air. Silly me — I accidentally bought a cold mist humidifier and within a few hours the surrounding area was just too moist (ok, there was a puddle) while the rest of my apartment didn’t register a difference. I returned it and bought the one I’m reviewing now. It’s an evaporative humidifier which has no visible moisture in the air when it’s running. It almost makes you wonder if it’s working, in fact, but if you have a humidity sensor you’ll see the humidity rise fairly quickly. When the unit senses the desired humidity level, it will turn off, then back on when the humidity drops a little. Typically, evaporative humidifiers have a filter that needs replacing about once a month. I hope this helps.

It works pretty well, except when it gets really cold and dry outside. I live in Northern New England and started using this unit in November 2016 when the heater was needed. The prior year, in cold weather, the humidity in my home was down into the teens and was quite miserable. I live in a one bedroom apartment with wood as the primary heat source, although the ceiling is quite high (probably 15ft). I figured a humidifier for a medium sized home should be able to adequately handle my humidity needs. I set my unit at 50% - something that my boyfriend and I think is reasonable. I also set it a bit higher than some might due to the fact that I grow orchids and most don't like low humidity. During November and up until the last few days, the unit has done a reasonable job keeping the humidity around 50%. I do wish that it had an "automatic" setting to determine fan speed, but, as the weather got colder and the outside humidity lower and when we had to start using the woodstove (we used a gas heater until it got cold enough to comfortably manage the wood), I had to systematically kick the fan speed up a notch and it's now on high. So, first, the pros: The unit is easy to move and fill. I love that I don't have to move around and precariously balance a removable water tank in the sink as I fill. I use a 5gal pale from a hardware store. It's also easy to set up, get the filter in, etc. Although I have them, I didn't need to use any tools either. Finally, on the low fan speed, the unit is very quiet and barely audible from more than a few feet away. Cons: Once you have to kick the fan speed up to medium or high, the unit is loud, sometimes deafening (could be that I live in a quiet area, but I have trouble having a conversation near it while it's running on high or medium). For a good idea, I think it's noise is comparable to an economy box fan on high, maybe slightly louder. This might not be a problem if you can tuck the unit into a seldom used room, but, for me, it results in a cranked high TV volume and a lot of "What was that?" during conversation. Next, even on the high fan speed, now that's cold out (below 20F at night), the unit is struggling to maintain humidity. Usually, my hygrometer reads 38% while the unit is set at 50%. As a result, it is on nearly 24/7, on high, so there is a deafening fan noise 24/7. Finally, I question the "6 gallon capacity" as it seems I cannot dump more water in the unit than about a 2/3-3/4 full 5gal bucket without it hitting the fill line or coming out the overflow hole in the back. I sometimes wonder if it was suppose to be 6 liters, but I haven't actually measured... so take that with a grain of salt. A final note, due to the unit being on all the time, I need to fill it every day. Over all, I think it's an okay unit, especially once you factor in the price. I think it would work much better in slightly less cold winter areas where the outdoor humidity doesn't plummet like it does where I live. Also, it might work better in newer homes. My apartment window have obviously suffered from the building "settling" and do not shut quite right anymore. Although they seal, they probably aren't perfect and, as a result, moisture can be pulled out of the building more easily. A filling tip or two: When you fill it, turn it off. If the fan is running or kicks on, some water (I'm not sure how either) will be spit back in your face. If you wear glasses, like me, this will be extra annoying. Second, the grate over the area you fill comes off. It took me a while to figure this out, but knowing about it has saved me lots of dribbles on the floor.

Perfect. It’s by far the best way to keep humidity at a healthy level at home. You can safely use tap water, electricity consumption is very low, and it’s very quiet as well—just keep it running all day on low speed. It’s a much better option than ultrasonic ones, which tend to produce significant air pollution by atomizing the minerals in tap water.