Background
As the winter season got into full swing, and the lack of moisture in the air of our house started to cause dry, itchy skin and nosebleeds, my wife and I decided that it was time to buy a humidifier. We primarily wanted a humidifier that would help raise the humidity level in our bedroom, but we also wanted a humidifier for the main living room of our house. The approximate total area of our living room and entryway is 400 sq. feet.
Cool mist vs. warm mist humidifiers – a key decision
Research into whether to get a cool mist or a warm mist humidifier is an important step when deciding on which humidifier to purchase. Both have the same end result – raising the moisture level in the air – but they do it using different methods.
Cool mist humidifiers typically use a fan to blow air over a “wick filter” – which is a part of the humidifier that absorbs the water held in the reservoir and causes the water to evaporate. The evaporated water is then released into the air and thus raises the moisture level of the room.
Warm mist humidifiers typically have a hotplate, or some other heat source, which boils the water. The resulting steam creating by the boiling is released into the air and thus raises the moisture level of the room.
So how do you decide which type to get? Here are some pro’s and con’s to help with your decision making:
Cool mist advantages:
- No need for a heat source, so less danger of accidentally burning yourself or your kids
- Cost to operate is usually lower than a warm mist because the fan typically uses less electricity than the heat source
Cool mist disadvantages:
- The wick filter needs to be replaced periodically
- The fan is almost always noisier than the sound produced by boiling in warm mist units
- Possibility of mold or other bacteria growing on the filter since it is sitting in water, and thus being released into the air
Warm mist advantages:
- Almost always quieter than cool mist units
- No need to replace filters (although you will need to periodically replace the mineral absorption pad)
Warm mist disadvantages:
- Heat source can be a potential hazard (if the unit is knocked over while it is running, for example)
- If you have hard water, the mineral absorption pads will need to be replaced regularly (every few weeks)
- Typically use slightly more electricity than cool mist units
Setup and preparing to use the Honeywell humidifier
Included in the box for the Honeywell warm mist humidifier was the base unit, the power unit, the water tank, a handful of mineral pads and the instructions. In order to get the unit ready for use, there was some assembly required. The mineral pad had to be placed on top of the heat source (the heat source is a 3-4 inch diameter metal plate), the power unit and the base unit had to be connected, and finally the water tank had to be connected. It sounds pretty complex, but it actually is straightforward once you see how all of the parts fit together. It took us about 10-15 minutes to read through the directions and to get all of the parts connected and set up correctly.
Basic info on the Honeywell HWM-335 warm mist humidifier
This humidifier has a 3-gallon output (the actual tank holds about 1.25 gallons of water) for rooms up to 1050 sq. feet. The moisturized air comes out of the top of the unit and the speed can be set to one of three speed settings – low, medium or high. The other setting on the front of the unit allows you to choose your desired air humidity percentage – 35%, 40%, 45%, 50% or 55%. The direction of the air coming out of the top of the unit cannot be adjusted, as the heated air simply rises out of the unit. There is no fan to blow the air out, so the air comes out at a very leisurely pace.
The water tank is a separate piece and can be lifted out of the base unit by using the attached tote handle. The water tank has a top that screws on and off to allow you to refill it in the sink or bathtub. This model does have an auto-shutoff feature that monitors the air moisture level and shuts off the unit once it reaches a certain level. The unit has a 5 year limited warranty from Honeywell.
Use of the humidifier, Advantages and Disadvantages
The humidifier has only seen about 2 weeks worth of use. Why have we not used it more often? Because this humidifier has been completely unreliable!
To start off with, the first unit that was shipped to us would not even power on. We followed all of the directions in the user manual, tried plugging it into many different power outlets in our house, but it would not turn on. It was shipped to us in the original box and had no signs of damage, so it was not a problem where the unit was broken during shipping. After talking with the eBay seller that we purchased the unit from, they agreed to send us a replacement. Unfortunately, we were required to ship the defective unit back and to pay for the shipping cost.
The second unit that was shipped to us did work – but only for a short period of time. After getting the unit assembled and crossing our fingers for good luck, it powered on with the first try. We started it out on the lowest speed setting and at 40% humidity setting, and were pleased to feel warm, moist air slowly starting to come out of the vent on the top of the unit. After letting it run for about 10 minutes on the low speed setting, we cranked it up to the high-speed setting and were similarly pleased to find that warm, moist air came out at a faster pace. Turning it to high speed didn’t seem to increase the air output by a whole lot, but it was noticeably producing more moist air than it was on the low speed setting.
We found that the unit would run approximately 12 hours on the high-speed setting before needing to be refilled with water. Once the unit runs out of water, or when the surrounding air has reached the humidity level that you’ve set, the unit automatically shuts itself off. We found this to be useful for maintaining a constant humidity percentage in the room without having to worry about turning the unit on or off based on how dry the air felt. When the unit turned itself off after running out of water, it was easy to get it started again by a simple procedure of removing the detachable water tank and filling it with water again. The tank itself is fairly tall, and we were barely able to fit it in our kitchen sink to refill it. If you have a shallow sink, you will most likely have to refill the water tank using your bathtub faucet.
When the unit was working, it was very quiet and ran very smoothly. The noise produced by this humidifier was barely noticeable when there was no other activity in the room, and when we had the TV turned on it was completely inaudible. We were happy with the noticeable difference in air moisture level in our living room and entryway.
Unfortunately, after we had been using the humidifier for about 2 weeks, it once again failed to power on when we tried to start it. I repeated the procedure I had done with the previous unit – disassembling it and reassembling it multiple times, plugging it in to multiple power outlets throughout the house, and finally cleaning off the heat source and replacing the mineral pad with a new one. All of my efforts were in vain, however, and the unit would never turn on again.
Since we had been using the unit for about 2 weeks, returning it to the eBay seller was not an option. The return policy stated that only defective units could be returned. So, we were left with trying to contact the manufacturer to obtain warranty service. After calling the 1-800 number and speaking to a customer service representative, I was told that, once again, I would be required to ship the unit back and to pay for shipping in order to get a replacement. I was not happy with this option, so I told the representative that I wanted to talk with my wife before making a decision. I then called back the next day and spoke with a much more helpful representative that said I could just cut off the power cord and mail that in to avoid the cost of shipping the entire unit back. I am assuming that they wanted me to mail in the power cord so that there was no way I could re-sell the unit to someone else, which was perfectly fine with me.
A couple days ago I received a phone call from Honeywell (actually the units are manufactured by Kaz, Inc. and re-branded as Honeywell) saying that the HWM-335 was no longer in stock. They gave me three options – a similarly sized cool mist unit, a smaller sized warm mist unit or a refund of the purchase price. Since I had no confidence whatsoever that any unit they sent me would work for longer than 2 weeks, I opted for the refund. I am still awaiting my check in the mail, which they said could take up to 3 weeks to process and be sent out to me.
Conclusion
I am wholly disappointed with the Honeywell HWM-335 humidifier and would not recommend it to anyone. While it is quiet and easy to use, it has been totally unreliable and caused me to waste a lot of time dealing with returning defective units. The customer service was hit-or-miss as well, so I can’t even highlight that as a positive. I can only hope that they are actually going to send me the refund money that they agreed to send. Overall, I would recommend looking elsewhere for a humidifier.
My other humidifier reviews:
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Hunter 33201 Cool Mist Humidifier
Update: 5/8/2006
I did finally receive the refund check for this unit from Kaz, Inc. for the full purchase price (minus tax). While it did take a good 4 weeks to receive it, I appreciate the fact that they kept to their word and sent the refund check. I still cannot recommend this particular unit, but Honeywell / Kaz, Inc. seems to at least be a reputable company in terms of return policies.
