Venta LW44 Air Humidifier and Purifier All-in-one
by Venta
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List Price: Our Price: $314.30 You Save: $213.69 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Venta LW44 Air Humidifier and Purifier All-in-one
Customer Review: Love the Venta but it's Expensa
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been interested in the Venta Airwasher for several years now but the high price has kept me away. However, I recently found the LW42 (model prior to the new LW44) being liquidated on Ebay for $250 (with free shipping). I took the chance and bought one even though it came with a reduced one year warrantee.
The Venta is very easy to operate & maintain. Just fill it each morning and wipe it clean every 10 days. The unit quietly puts out 3 gallons of moisture daily which has greatly reduced my daughter's coughing bouts. In fact, she hasn't had a single night-time coughing episode since we began using the Venta (2 months ago).
The Venta is also very energy efficient. Their brochure claims it only consumes the equivalent of a 40 watt bulb. I guess I believe this as my monthly bill did not increase since firing up the unit. The add'l moisture in the air also increases the relative feel (warmth) in my house so the thermostat can be set slighly lower.
I've found the water additive and cleaner a bit cheaper on buyhardwaresupplies.com and was pleased with their quick service (and free shipping > $50). I'm not knocking Amazon (I buy a lot from them) but I'm always looking for a better price.
I did not give the Venta 5 stars primarily because of the high purchase price. I also cannot rate the durability as I've only owned it for 2 months. If my unit lasts 5+ winters than it's worth the investment and I'd certainly buy another one.
Customer Review: Good but you don't need their additive!
Summary: 4 Stars
It works as expected with a modicum of care, but its retail price is rather high. However, I have found that I do not need to buy the expensive additive they sell. Instead once or twice a week I dump it our, wipe the inside of the tank, refill it with water and put just a very tiny amount of hand dish washing detergent in with the water. The big advantage for me of using cheap dish detergent is that I can dump it frequently without buying lots of their expensive additive, so it never gets very dirty.
Their additive contains "surfactants" they say, but so does any detergent. Simple physics, actually: without a little surfactant water tends to bead-up on the plastic disks without wetting them as it should -- but the surfactants found in Joy dish detergent do the job equally well. Only trick is be careful to use MUCH less dish detergent than you would to wash dishes, because you do not want suds! Also, ONLY add detergent after dumping, not when just adding water because detergent doesn't evaporate.
In three winters of use the only problem I've had with mine was a small crack on the upper housing which I fixed with tape and it still works OK.
Unlike some users I've never seen much dirt accumulation in the water, because I live in a modern condo so my air has very little dust in it. And because I dump the tank at least once a week, I've not seen that much accumulation of mineral deposits either.
Customer Review: Great low tech - weird pricing strategy
Summary: 4 Stars
This humdifiyer does what it says: it humidifies the air in an adequately sized room to 40-60%. I bought this one for my bedroom to ease the dryness in the New England winter air and it works wonders. It puts up to 3 gallons of water into my bedroom air per day without any water condensation on my windows and walls. The fan is quiet for my standards. The only thing I found annoying is that the mechanism that rotates the discs moves the whole disc array around in the base which makes a silent but ennerving sound that kept me awake for a night. I solved the problem with two rubber bands wrapped around the disc holds. This works great, but I don't think you should have to do such tweaking on a $320 product. A simple 10c o-ring on each side would completely take care of this. For the money I invested I would expect a much better built quality overall. I guess the high price reflects the 10-year warranty the manufacturer gives, which is pretty exceptional these days. Why this thing won the "red dot design award" is completely obscure to me. Maybe this award is for products being asthetically offensive? But I don't care for the looks. All I wanted was humid air in my bedroom without the noisy bubble and condensation of a steamer or the health hazards of a sonicator. I got it - I'm happy.Customer Review: Be careful not to over-humidify
Summary: 4 Stars
I have two of these humidifiers running in my home all winter. Been using them for 4 years now, with regular maintenance. As others have written, they are wonderful for taking dust, dander, and mold spores out of the air.
I just want to warn people against over-using them. You might think you can run a Venta all the time to filter your indoor air. But it does not self-regulate the amount of moisture it puts into the air. You should not try to use a Venta as an air purifier in an already humid environment, such as a summer New England day. If you do, you risk promoting mold and dust mite growth.
Last year we got some cheap wall clocks with little hygrometers in them, from Ikea. Now we monitor the indoor humidity and try to keep it at 50%. We just turn off the Ventas when the weather gets warm and humid.
Customer Review: Consumer Reports used simulation, lab setting; it's a fantasyland.
Summary: 4 Stars
It's expensive but it works. It's quiet and simple. Use your own cleaning solutions, save $$$$, get any cleaning products with nonionic or anionic surfactants and dilute accordingly.
Get one and try it; if it works for you, keep it; if it doesn't, return it.
It works for me. Consumer Reports used simulation, lab setting; it's a fantasyland, it's not a real world. We are human being - not machine or robot. Everyone is unique and complex. You have to try it.