Air-O-Swiss 32838 Ultrasonic Humidifier
by Air-O-Swiss
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Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Air-O-Swiss 32838 Ultrasonic Humidifier
Customer Review: Humidistat not reliable; Works well with distilled water
Summary: 3 Stars
I left a similar review for the AOS7135.
I became wary of inhaling this white dust so I switched to distilled water but it was too much of a hassle to buy 10-14 jugs each week for each humidifier.
I think this will work well for you if your water has low mineral content or if you don't mind buying a lot of distilled water regularly.
The humidistat is rather useless. Mine typically remains at 25% even though 3 other external monitors report 38-42%. So the AOS7135 never shuts off and over-humidifies my room. You might be better off with the less expensive AOS7135 (if you are ok with the looks) or the AOS7145 (if you don't need the heating option).
I returned the unit and purchased the Vornado Evaporative humidifier instead. I use it with the Protec cartridge and make sure to clean it well every week to reduce bacteria build up in the wicks. So far so good.
Customer Review: Yes it works but . . .
Summary: 3 Stars
We've had this model for a couple of years now. It does produce a good amount of mist and raises the humidity level. We haven't had a problem with white dust but we have the same problem as some other reviewers: it leaks. It seems to happen when it needs to be filled and is just sitting there. And I agree--the tank is cumbersome and heavy. I'm not so sure I'd really recommend this but it seems to be hard to find a good humidifier so I guess we'll stick with this for now.Customer Review: significant design flaw
Summary: 2 Stars
The AOS 7142 has the potential of being an excellent room humidifier but it has a major design flaw which will render it useless for many people.
As you know, if you live in a cold climate, you need to control home humidity levels. Too much humidity will cause condensation on windows and in walls. I purchased this unit mainly for the built in hygrometer. Which, as it turns out, does not work at all. In fact, the hygrometer is more like a random number generator. I have returned 2 units and am on my third (and last). In the first unit, the hygrometer varied wildly in short periods. It would jump from 30% to 65% and back to 30% within seconds in a stable room while my external hygrometer I used as a reference did not budge. This wide fluctuation caused the unit to cycle on and off constantly. Second unit always read 30% not matter what. Therefore, it stayed on all the time. My room humidity got to 65% (too much for cold winter night) and the AOS hygrometer just kept on measuring 30%. Third unit measures humidity levels at least 20% less than actual. The lowest settable target humidity level on the unit is 40% so, with the 20% inaccuracy, the minimum humidity level I can get in my room is 60% which is higher than I want/need.
The unit has some very positive features such as (1) very quiet (2) no white dust (I don't have hard water). It is ridiculous that the manufacturer would put such a cheap hygrometer into such an expensive unit. Had they spent a few extra pennies, they would have had an excellent product.
If you live in the Mojave desert and you just need a humidifier that will pump out humidity constantly then this is for you. Otherwise, look for a unit with a accurate hygrometer.
Customer Review: Poor Ergonomics
Summary: 2 Stars
The unit works well. Nevertheless, it is poorly designed. I don't mean that it doesn't look good-it's really beautiful. The problem arises when filling/refilling the tank. The tank must be removed from the base, turned upside down, (before turning it over the mist outlet cap must be removed and put aside) the water tank cap (with the demineralization cartridge attached) removed and put aside before it can be filled. While it's in the upside-down position for refilling it must be held firmly since the top (now on the bottom) is not flat. After replacing the tank cap the now full tank must be turned right side up and reinstalled onto the base.
It's not a user friendly task. There a very good chance that when refilling the tank you will drip water on the path from wherever it's kept to where it's filled and, again on the return to the base unit.
Incidentally, the unit should not be placed on the floor. It's supposed to be placed in an elevated position on a table or bench - to avoid the mist staining the floor.
It's too bad that the guys who designed this probably never used one in their own home. If they did it would probably have the filer cap on the top. That simple change would make the unit much more user friendly.
Incidentally, the product is described as "3.5 Gal.". I don't know what that refers to. The actual tank capacity is much less than that (about 2 1/2 gallons). It's probably an estimate of how much water it will put out as mist in 24 hours. That lets you know that the tank must be refilled every day.
Customer Review: so so, mediocre
Summary: 2 Stars
Originally we liked this product and bought a 2d one. However the 2d one continues to create problems. It either will not start, requires cleaning every week (indicator light) or makes very strange noises for half an hour or so until finally starting to work more or less. A call to the service department of Air-o-swiss reveals that we have to ship the unit on our expenses ($$$) to them and if something is wrong they might replace or repair it. They don't except the retailer's customer service. The unit requires also regular cleaning (every 2-3 weeks), replacement of the resin for ionic exchange and of the silver stick. Another company (Venta) has a comparible product (Venta 370), which requires maintenance once a year by simply replacing a box, which includes the antibacterial and ion exchange unit - we bought one for another room. Venta already shipped a replacement part to us for their airwasher (another product) without any issues or shipment of the part by us to them. Better service and quality it seems (Air-o-swiss is as you may have thought Swiss, Venta is German, both are in the US as well).