Honeywell HWM-500 UV Warm Moisture Humidifier
by Honeywell
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Our Price: $129.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Honeywell HWM-500 UV Warm Moisture Humidifier
Customer Review: not exactly as described
Summary: 3 Stars
"It requires no messy filters to replace..."
So the mineral filter is suppose to be cleaned instead of replaced? How is that done? Just a flat untrue statement.
"Its wide tank opening and carry handle and make it easy to clean, carry and fill."
Having a tank opening to be filled without removing the tank would be easy. Removing and carrying 15+ pounds is not easy for many people.
The description just does not seem to go with this item.
Customer Review: Dissapointing, absurd amount of cleaning required
Summary: 2 Stars
I was extremely disappointed in this humidifier. First of all, I want to make it clear that this is not an ultrasonic humidifier, which I thought it was. However this was my mistake, so that is not the reason for the negative review.
The reason for the negative review is that after running it for less than 24 hours, the metal heater plate was completely covered with mineral scale. We don't even have hard water here, and the base was still full of water, so its not like the unit ran dry. The mineral deposits did not come off without a fight either- It was caked on hard, and took an hour of scrubbing with a green scouring pad, soaking it in vinegar and humidifier cleaning solution(which didn't help much), to get it mostly clean. The mineral absorption pads clearly did nothing. After cleaning it, I decided to give the humidifier another chance, just in case the deposits were a fluke that only happen on the first use(you never know..). After running it for just a few hours, I removed the tank and checked it and once again, white mineral deposits were building up. This time I noticed that some of them were forming in circular shapes, from the holes in the mineral absorption pads. So I guess the deposits form in the holes first before spreading over the entire surface.
Perhaps this issue would occur with any humidifier of this type that doesn't have a filter, but that's no excuse in my opinion. The fact is, if you attempt to use the unit according to its instructions, you will have to spend an hour vigorously cleaning it every single day, which is clearly absurd.
The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of one is that technically the unit works, and I suppose if you exclusively use distilled or reverse osmosis water(which it does not say to use anywhere in the instructions), then frequent cleaning may not be necessary. It puts out a decent amount of moisture. While I could barely see any mist coming from the unit, after running continuously for about 24 hours on high, the tank(but not the base), was empty. Since this was the first filling, and about 1/4 of the tank immediately filled the base, that means it can put out about 3/4 of a full tank a day. I don't remember if the tank size was listed, but I think it's roughly 2 gallons. FYI there is no aimable nozzle on top, just a grill, and the moisture goes straight up.
I should note that the the customer service deserves high marks. This unit is actually manufactured by KAZ, and there representatives were friendly, helpful, and answered the phone very quickly. I was able to persuade them to replace the unit with a different unit, and they agreed to send me a model HUT200 honywell ultrasonic one instead(they told me that the unit was almost the same except for being ultrasonic, which I realized afterwards is not true at all, but I'm happy to have anything other than this one). I got the impression that this was not standard policy and that normally they would only replace it with the same model unit, but apparently they are open to negotiation in some cases.
In conclusion, I would strongly advise against this humidifier or any humidifier that uses a heater plate and does not have a filter. If you buy it anyway, don't worry about the mineral absorption pads, they do nothing, and are available online anyway(just buy the smaller 2 and 1/4 inch ones- such as 'Slant Fin 195518' available on amazon). KAZ, which apparently makes all the honeywell-branded humidifiers, does have good customer service though.
Customer Review: Can't get to sleep with this one!
Summary: 2 Stars
Noisy, noisy, noisy... very disappointed with this warm mist humidifier which was supposed to be quieter than its cool fan mist competition. Not! The sound of continuous boiling sounds like an over-boiling pot of water on your highest stove top setting in your room all night long. So if you're using it for your bedroom, forget about getting to sleep; there's nothing soothing about the sounds of this loud boiling unit. And the mist is unidirectional; you can't rotate the mouth piece to aim the mist towards your desirable location or room area. I'm sending this one back after 1 day.Customer Review: Humidistat did not function
Summary: 2 Stars
Humidistat was either all on, or all off. While on, it became too humid and fogged windows creating mold. Also, after one tank of water, the boiling chamber had quite a bit of scale (our water is hard). So, it would have been a lot of maintenance to clean the boiling chamber.
Customer Review: Steer Clear
Summary: 1 Stars
Steer clear of this piece of junk. After one month of use, the 2 gallon water tank completely drained onto the floor and water poured into the basement below. The bottom of the water tank that fits onto the base unit had melted. I called the manufacturer who sent a replacement water tank. When I installed the new tank, the same thing immediately happened although this time I caught it before the water tank melted. Obviously the problem is in the base unit. I cannot receive a refund and am waiting for the manufacturer to send a replacement base unit. Not sure if I will trust the new one. Both leaks occurred with no warning and I am worried about the possibility of a fire since the base unit was filled with water.