Hunter 34357 3-1/2-Gallon CareFree Plus Humidifier with PermaWick Filter
by Hunter
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Hunter 34357 3-1/2-Gallon CareFree Plus Humidifier with PermaWick Filter
Customer Review: the solution
Summary: 4 Stars
I had one of these humidifiers for just under 5 years when it failed. When I was about to reorder, I saw negative comments and thought that maybe I should see what else came out over the years. I researched and tried several other brands. In total frustration, I reordered my tried and true and felt like an old friend arrived when it came.
I live in an extremely dry heat environment. Without a humidifier, my lips crack, my skin itches, my hair is impossible and I wake up with a bloody nose every morning. With this -- none of those problems. It is in my bedroom and on "low" is much quieter than any other tried. You cannot see the mist come out, but it is definitely working. I do not have any problems (nor ever did) with wetness on the floor near/around it. I keep it on the floor and since the floor is wall-to-wall carpet, I put it on top of a carpet sample as safety mat.
Cleaning is easy unless you let water stagnate when it's off. I have never had problems with build up on the permawick filter, and I usually clean it with a vinegar solution when I turn it off for the season -- I certainly do not clean it daily.
The only reason for my 4* rather than 5* review is that I'm not sure the humidifier is registering properly. I've talked to the customer service at Hunter. It seems that under 20% it registers "lo" instead of a reading. I have mine set for 45%, and it never gets there. The old one registered at that level for years without hitches. Was the old one high, or is this one low? With the old one, I used to leave the door of the room open, so some would get out, but it still met the 45% setting. This one only gets into the 30%+ area with the door closed off. I suspect that it's registering low. Some day, I'll test it. In the meantime, it is doing it's job very well.
Customer Review: Another good Hunter product
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this humidifier to replace an older, smaller Hunter humidifier. I chose this brand again because of the PermaWick filter, ease of use, and Hunter reliability. While I had to have my husband regrease the fan motor on my old model after a few years, that was minor. The reason I replaced it was due to the tube having a strong musty/moldy odor that I couldn't get rid of. That unit lasted me about 8 years with half of them in cold, dry northern New York winters.
The noise of the fan on the HIGH setting is a bit loud, but I usually only use that after I fill the tank or when I need to quickly bring up the humidity level after being gone a few days. Otherwise, I use it at night on low - it's great white noise.
I like the new tray design which accommodates the support leg on the water tank. My older humidifier had a full open bottom that filled with water. The only time I had a problem with that one was when I didn't sit the water tank squarely on the tray.
Overall I am very happy with this humidifier and the extra features (nite-glo light and humidity readout). In my opinion, Hunter makes quality products. (I also own a Hunter air purifier).
Customer Review: Works as advertised!
Summary: 4 Stars
Its been a month since we started using this product, and it has been great so far. Pittsburgh has lower than moderate humidity. And humidity hovers around 35 to 45 during summer months (guessing partly due to the occasional rains) and using this humidifier does increase the humidity of the room (300 Sq ft) by another 10 - 15%. So when we check the level in the morning, it would be around 57 to 59%. Before we got this product, I had nose bleeds at least couple of times a week, or when I travel by air, but now I can actually feel better and haven't had any nose bleeds.
We are yet to experience the winter and I am guessing we can tide over it. W.r.t the device noise level, it does sound like a slightly bigger fan, nothing alarming and we hardly noticed it after day two. We use this product every night and have to refill the tank every two days when using it on high setting. It is definitely easy to fill and is spill free. Although our sink does not fit this (we use the water purifier on the tap), we do use it in the bath tub spout. Takes about 15 seconds to fill up and yes, we do use the regular tap water.
Customer Review: so far this is just what i wanted
Summary: 4 Stars
I have owned the smaller version of this humidifier. It worked well but when I went to use it again next season the motor was locked. I called Hunter and they sent me a new one. I took it apart to see what the problem was and I found that the motor was siezed because of salt buildup from my water softener. The next year the same thing happened so I got another one. The next year it worked but by the end of the season it was getting noisier. I like the design. Unlike most evaporative humidifirers that rely on water being pulled up thru capillary action, this one pumps the water up to the top of the filter so that it cascades down resulting in a much more efficent operation. This newer one is the same design. Yes it is loud on high but I use it in the bedroom so if the humidity is low I put it on high when I'm not there. Since the filter is metal it will last as long as the humidifier. I soak it to get rid of the salt buildup. I won't know if I'll have the same problem until next year but if I do it has the same 5 year warranty on the motor as the smaller one.Customer Review: Quiet, effective small humidifier
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a larger version of my older similar humidifier which gave out after about 12 years. It allows water to flow from the larger, 3 1/2 gallon tank by gravity when the level in the tray goes below the opening in the bottom of the tank. This opening has a spring/loaded valve in it so you can carry the tank from wherever you fill it to where the rest of the unit sits - in our case, in the great room. We only need to refill once per day.
Because this has been a cold, dry winter here in North Carolina, the home atmosphere is very dry. This unit -rated for 1600 square feet - consistently maintains about 25% relative humidity on the low setting. The little humidity guage on the top shows both the target (45%) and the actual humidity in the room.
I recommend it for those who are looking for an unobtrusive room humidifier at reasonable cost.